Question 1

What is Fantomchat?

Accepted Answer

Fantomchat is an end-to-end encrypted, ephemeral chat app with built-in voice, video, and screen sharing. Conversations happen in rooms — no accounts, no contact lists, no history kept on a server.

Question 2

Is it really end-to-end encrypted?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Each room uses a symmetric key generated client-side. The server only sees encrypted blobs and a public-key handshake (libsodium crypto_box) used to wrap the room key for each participant. The server never holds the room's private key.

Question 3

Do you store messages, files, or metadata?

Accepted Answer

No. The server holds room state in memory only — there is no database, no disk persistence, and no content or metadata logs. When a room empties, its state is gone.

Question 4

Do I need to sign up or create an account?

Accepted Answer

No accounts, no email, no phone number. You pick a nickname and an avatar, enter a room name, and you're in.

Question 5

How do voice and video calls work?

Accepted Answer

Calls run peer-to-peer over WebRTC. STUN/TURN servers help peers find each other through NATs, but media never flows through the Fantomchat server. The server only relays the initial signaling.

Question 6

What about push notifications?

Accepted Answer

Push is optional and uses Firebase Cloud Messaging. Only delivery metadata (room id, sender hint) is sent — message content stays encrypted on your device.

Question 7

Which browsers and devices are supported?

Accepted Answer

Any modern browser with WebRTC and WebCrypto support — recent Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge on desktop and mobile. No app install required.

Question 8

Is Fantomchat open source?

Accepted Answer

The frontend (React + Vite + libsodium-wrappers) and backend (C++23 + uWebSockets + libsodium) live in a public monorepo. You can audit the crypto, self-host the server, and run your own TURN.