Protocol Ephemeral

Zero-Retention. Anonymous. Anti-Forensic. A messaging channel that exists only in RAM and dissolves upon closure.

[!] Core Philosophy

Protocol Ephemeral is built on a single premise: Trust No Disk.

• Relay-And-Forget: The server blindly broadcasts ciphertext. No persistence (RAM-only, tiny ciphertext buffer at most).
• Client-Side E2EE: Keys are generated in-browser and live in the URL fragment (#). They never touch the server.
• Hostile Capture UI: The interface actively fights surveillance. It blurs on focus loss and blocks screenshot attempts.
• Ephemeral By Default: Messages fade after 5 minutes. Reloading the page shreds all history.
• Stealth Images: Images are compressed, encrypted, and sent ephemerally. They vanish just like text.

[+] Tech Stack

• Frontend: Next.js 16 (App Router), React 19, Tailwind CSS 4
• Realtime Relay: PartyKit (Cloudflare Durable Objects)
• Cryptography: Web Crypto API (AES-GCM 256-bit)
• UI/UX: lucide-react, sonner, custom "Privacy Shield" components

>> Getting Started

You need two terminals to run the full stack locally.

0. Install deps

corepack enable
pnpm install

1. Start the Relay Server

This handles the WebSocket connections.

pnpm exec partykit dev
# Runs on port 1999

2. Start the Frontend

This serves the application interface.

pnpm dev
# Runs on port 3000

3. Initialize a Secure Channel

1. Open http://localhost:3000.
2. A unique Room ID and Encryption Key will be generated automatically.
   • Example: http://localhost:3000/?room=xy9z8abc#Base64Key...
3. Share the entire URL with a peer securely (e.g., via Signal or encrypted email).
4. Both parties must be online to exchange messages. No history is saved.

If you deploy the web app separately from PartyKit, set NEXT_PUBLIC_PARTYKIT_HOST to your PartyKit host.

[#] Security Features

"Blind" Relay

The PartyKit server receives opaque ciphertext and does not decrypt or inspect it. It simply forwards it to other connected clients.

Privacy Shield

The application listens for blur and visibilitychange events. If you switch tabs or click away to your desktop, the interface immediately blurs to prevent over-the-shoulder snooping.

Anti-Forensics

• user-select: none prevents copying text to clipboard (except in the input box).
• Context menus are disabled to strictly limit browser interaction.
• Screenshot key combinations (PrintScreen, Cmd+Shift+3/4/S, etc.) attempt to trigger a clipboard clear and screen blur.

!! Disclaimer

DO NOT TRUST THIS CHANNEL FOR WHISTLEBLOWING. While we implement strict E2EE and zero-persistence, the browser environment is ultimately hostile. A compromised device, malicious browser extension, or physical surveillance can bypass these protections. Use at your own risk.

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Protocol Ephemeral is a concept application for temporary, high-privacy communication.