OpenArcanum
An End-to-End Encrypted Alternative to Discord
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A while back I recall being told it can't be done and won't be "Discord". To that, I have to admit, it's not Discord. It isn't designed in a way to profile it's users and it respects privacy.There is still much work to do on this project, but it's in open beta with a web client so people can see how it works before committing to a desktop app download. Mobile apps will come later, if there is proven interest in this platform.I don't care to monitize it. The only thing users will ever see is a non-intrusive "Please donate" badge at most, with the intentions to just keep the maintainer nodes and some official relays running.There are no accounts. There is no way for me to see the messages. It is a platform that respects the user's privacy and asks nothing of it's user's.Anyone can run the entire stack in their own hardware, in private, with no limitations on controlling their data.It is open source (AGPLv3: https://github.com/hyperkubeorg/openarcanum/And it's live right now for you to check out: https://openarcanum.orgI have a community server running that you may join with this community code (good for 30 days): ``` openarcanum-invite:ChACbbppkdJgXT5JFDYAyCMdEiBcigeLKcJMz5_6LKRhT_sSlYXITfl7Mctu2I5hRPmT1hogy8dDt7EjO6KG5Xz-ufvsCFWE8f_yQtaCFFYE8M83UcEiIXdzczovL3JlbGF5LTAxLm9wZW5hcmNhbnVtLm9yZy93cyIhd3NzOi8vcmVsYXktMDIub3BlbmFyY2FudW0ub3JnL3dzKhhBMnJXa1BYRGRkbHVsVC13V1ZTbDg2OHcyEEhhY2tlciBOZXdzIENyZXc ```
HN · launched Oct 29, 2026 · 7 upvotes (top 62%) · 0 views
Niche: private and secure messaging apps · 144 launches, 10 in the last 7 days ▼ -41% · Explore this niche →
Category and tags
- Horizontal
- Communication
- B2C
- Not AI
- Hobby / open-source project
Visit website ↗ Source listing ↗
More like this: all 144 launches in private and secure messaging apps →
Could you build this?
Partial A chat client, channels, and a web front end can be vibe-coded, but a real end-to-end encrypted messenger needs a correct key-management protocol, secure multi-device handling, and real-time infrastructure for voice and scale.
What it would actually take: A realistic stack is a WebSocket/real-time server with a database, a client-side E2EE scheme (e.g., Signal-style double ratchet or MLS for groups) and secure key storage. The hard parts are protocol design and cryptographic correctness, multi-device sync, and voice/video infrastructure. Those need security engineers and cryptography review, not just code generation.
Discussion
No comments on this launch.
Competitors
Other products that read as similar to this one : 352 launches clear the similarity bar, closest 8 shown.
Attention rank: #185 of 353 (itself plus its competitors, highest first, normalized so YC and Product Hunt are compared fairly).
Launched 364 days after the earliest competitor.
- An old school forum on an open protocol · hn · 2026-09-30 · 17 upvotes · similarity 0.59
- Fluxer · hn · 2026-01-02 · 11 upvotes · similarity 0.56
- Nullchat · ph · 2026-10-05 · 3 upvotes · similarity 0.52
- WizardChat · ph · 2026-10-29 · 1 upvotes · similarity 0.52
- Gryt · hn · 2026-02-25 · 9 upvotes · similarity 0.48
- antisocialcord-kt · github · 2026-09-29 · 9 upvotes · similarity 0.48
- Kant · github · 2026-09-20 · 10 upvotes · similarity 0.47
- ssh late.sh · hn · 2026-06-04 · 18 upvotes · similarity 0.46
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