"Governments are good at cutting off the heads of a centrally controlled network like Napster, but pure P2P networks like Gnutella and Tor seem to be holding their own."
— -Satoshi Nakamoto
A pure peer‑to‑peer LAN chat client for Windows — no servers, no accounts, no central authority.
It runs entirely offline over your local network.
Originally inspired by Jack's Bitchat for iOS/macOS,
this is the Windows implementation that didn’t exist — until now.
- Zero setup — just run and chat.
- No servers — nothing to shut down.
- No tracking — everything stays local.
- Multiple instances can now run on the same machine (port sharing enabled).
- Improved output with timestamps and colored messages.
- Polished shutdown behavior for cleaner exits.
(More screenshots coming soon — multi-room & GUI previews)
# 1. Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/zakkeasterbrook/bitchat-windows.git
cd bitchat-windows
# 2. Run
dotnet run
# 3. Chat
Enter a nickname.
Type messages.
Broadcast to everyone on your local network.
# 4. Quit
/quit- Pure LAN Chat: Works entirely offline on your network (Wi-Fi or wired).
- Multi-instance support: Run multiple clients on the same PC.
- Color-coded messages & timestamps: Easy-to-read chat flow.
- No dependencies: No accounts, no central servers.
/join #room -> Switch to a channel
/rooms -> List available rooms
/msg <user> -> Direct message
/quit -> Exit
This first version is LAN‑only (local Wi‑Fi or wired networks).
Planned next phases:
- End‑to‑end encryption (Noise Protocol)
- IRC‑style channels (
/join #room) - Modern Windows GUI (WinUI 3)
- Bluetooth mesh support → true off‑grid peer‑to‑peer communication, bringing this Windows client in line with the vision of the original iOS app.
Centralized messengers can be censored, monitored, or shut down. Bitchat is small, simple, and can’t be stopped.
"If you don’t believe it or don’t get it, I don’t have time to try to convince you, sorry." — Satoshi Nakamoto
MIT — Use it, fork it, improve it.