# ricochet-im/ricochet

Anonymous peer-to-peer instant messaging

Repository: https://github.com/ricochet-im/ricochet
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/ricochet
Homepage: https://ricochet.im/
Language: C++
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Topics: tor, c-plus-plus, messaging, privacy, gui, cross-platform
Last push: 2021-12-30T15:22:52+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 23/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 0, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 5901, "days_push": 1707, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 3919, forks 432 (observed 2026-08-28T04:08:29.691609+00:00)

## What it is
Ricochet is a cross-platform desktop instant messaging application that provides anonymous, metadata-resistant chat over Tor hidden services with no central servers. Contacts connect peer-to-peer through Tor, so neither identities, IP addresses, contact lists, nor communication timing are exposed to third parties.

## Use cases
- chat anonymously without revealing my IP address or identity
- message someone without a central server logging our conversations
- prevent anyone from discovering who my contacts are or when I talk
- run a metadata-free instant messenger over Tor hidden services
- give non-technical users an easy anonymous chat app
- replace server-based messengers that could be compromised

## When to choose
- you need strong anonymity and metadata resistance for one-on-one chat
- you want a serverless P2P messenger built on Tor hidden services
- you need a simple cross-platform desktop app for anonymous communication

## When to avoid
- you need group chat, voice, video, or file sharing
- you require actively maintained software with frequent updates
- you need a mobile or web-based messenger
- you cannot or do not want to route traffic through Tor

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: maintenance
- function: chatbot, security, privacy, gui
- domain: privacy, messaging-platforms, security, censorship-circumvention
- platform: windows, cross-platform
- tags: tor, instant-messaging, peer-to-peer, metadata-resistant, anonymous-messaging, hidden-services, macos, linux, desktop

## Member repositories
- ricochet-im/ricochet (main) score 23

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:08:29.691609+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 2026-08-29T18:25:01.178499+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/ricochet-im/ricochet (fetched 2026-08-28T04:08:29.691609+00:00, sha 9baad9224473)
  - homepage: https://ricochet.im/ (fetched 2026-08-29T09:18:50.092768+00:00, sha 61c8b0056dc7)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.