How It Works
One server. Fully yours.
Messages, users, channels — all stored on your machine.
You decide who joins, what channels exist, and how moderation works.
Export, restore, migrate — your data is always accessible.
Anyone can run a server. Install it on a $5/month VPS, a Raspberry Pi, or your own hardware. You control everything.
Public: open to anyone who wants to join.
Private: invite-only, for your company or group.
Direct connections via WebRTC.
The server only handles signaling — helping users find each other. Once connected, all data flows directly between browsers via WebRTC.
If a direct connection isn’t possible (strict firewalls), a TURN relay is used as fallback — still encrypted end-to-end.
Big Tech vs. Retro Hex Chat.
| Big Tech | Retro Hex Chat | |
|---|---|---|
| Messages | Stored on their servers, mined for ads | Stored on YOUR server, never leaves |
| Calls | Routed through corporate infrastructure | Direct P2P — server never sees them |
| Your data | Trains their AI, sold to advertisers | Stays in your database, period |
| Code | Closed source — trust us | Open source — verify yourself |
| Control | They can ban you anytime | You own the server — nobody can |
No tracking. No profiling. No algorithms. Your conversations are your business.
Security at every layer.
Server connection: HTTPS and WSS with TLS encryption.
P2P calls: DTLS-SRTP encryption built into WebRTC.
Passwords: bcrypt hashing, never stored in plain text.
Open source: anyone can audit the code. No backdoors.