freeconversation

FreeConversation is a free, community‑driven online platform that facilitates real‑time text chat between users. It is designed to provide an alternative to proprietary messaging services while prioritising user privacy and an open‑source ethos. The project was first released in 2016 by the FreeConversation Foundation, a nonprofit organization that advocates for digital free speech and the protection of open standards on the Internet. Development began as a fork of the open‑source chat engine “ChatterBox” and quickly expanded to support multi‑channel conversations, private messaging, and group discussions. The platform is written in Python and runs on a client‑server architecture, making it easy to host on personal servers or small commercial cloud instances.

Key features of FreeConversation include support for multiple transports such as WebSocket, XMPP, and HTTP long polling, allowing it to operate behind restrictive firewalls or on low‑bandwidth networks. The user interface is intentionally minimalistic, with custom styles and themes available via a plugin system. Authentication can be managed through OAuth, local accounts, or a distributed web‑finger protocol, giving users flexibility in how they identify themselves. Privacy settings allow users to control who can initiate contact or view their presence status. The platform’s codebase is licensed under the MIT License, encouraging community contributions and independent deployments. Since its inception, FreeConversation has seen adoption by grassroots activist groups and small businesses that require inexpensive, decentralized communication tools. Despite being niche compared to mainstream messaging services, it has earned praise for its transparency, low resource requirements, and adherence to the principles of an open Internet.