# AndrewBelt/hack.chat

a minimal, distraction-free chat application

Repository: https://github.com/AndrewBelt/hack.chat
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/hackchat
Homepage: https://hack.chat/
Language: JavaScript
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Archived: true
Last push: 2018-03-25T11:59:24+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 10/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 0, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4077, "days_push": 3083, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases, archived
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 2418, forks 335 (observed 2026-08-28T04:06:50.440892+00:00)

## What it is
hack.chat is a minimal, distraction-free, account-free web chat application consisting of a Node.js server and a browser client. This original repository is deprecated in favor of the hack-chat/main repository.

## Use cases
- self-host a lightweight anonymous chat room
- run a distraction-free chat with no sign-up
- embed a quick throwaway chat channel for a community
- host a minimal real-time chat on my own server

## When to choose
- you want an extremely minimal, no-account chat you can self-host
- you need throwaway chat rooms with zero onboarding friction

## When to avoid
- you want active maintenance or new features - use the hack-chat/main successor instead
- you need accounts, moderation, or rich media features

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: abandoned
- function: chat-interface, http-server, websocket
- domain: messaging-platforms, web-development, self-hosted
- platform: self-hosted, cross-platform
- tags: chat, minimalist, anonymous-chat, deprecated, real-time, nodejs, web-server

## Member repositories
- AndrewBelt/hack.chat (main) score 10

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:50.440892+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T02:33:06.231496+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/AndrewBelt/hack.chat (fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:50.440892+00:00, sha 916297a8a13e)
  - homepage: https://hack.chat/ (fetched 2026-08-29T10:13:52.765140+00:00, sha 64d955f1df89)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.