GoChat

GoChat is a secure, encrypted, anonymous, and decentralized chat application built using Go and the Tor network. This project was developed as a learning exercise with the intention of using minimal external libraries and implementing core functionality from scratch where possible.

Features

• Secure Communication: All messages are encrypted end-to-end using hybrid encryption.
• Anonymity: Utilizes the Tor network to ensure user anonymity.
• Decentralized: No central server, promoting resilience and privacy.
• Minimal Dependencies: Built primarily with Go standard library, with minimal use of external packages.
• Educational: Designed as a learning project to understand networking, cryptography, and Go programming.

Project Goals

1. Learning: To gain hands-on experience with Go programming, networking, and cryptography.
2. Minimal Dependencies: To implement as much functionality as possible without relying on external libraries.
3. Security: To create a secure communication platform using industry-standard encryption techniques.
4. Anonymity: To leverage the Tor network for enhanced privacy and anonymity.
5. Decentralization: To explore peer-to-peer communication architectures.

Technical Details

• Language: Go
• Network: Tor (for anonymity and NAT traversal)
• Encryption: AES for message encryption, RSA for key exchange
• Architecture: Peer-to-peer
• External Libraries:
  • bine: Used for interfacing with the Tor network on the server side

Disclaimer

This project is a learning exercise and should not be considered production-ready. While efforts have been made to implement security best practices, the code has not undergone professional security audits.

Getting Started

To run GoChat, follow these simple steps:

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/gochat.git
   cd gochat
   

2. Run the application:

   go run .
   

Note: Ensure you have Go installed on your system and that you're using a compatible version.

Contributing

As this is a learning project, contributions, suggestions, and discussions are welcome. Please open an issue or pull request if you have ideas for improvements or have found bugs.

Acknowledgements

• The Tor Project for providing the anonymous network infrastructure.
• The Go community for their excellent documentation and resources.
• The bine library for simplifying Tor integration.

Remember: This project prioritizes learning and exploration over production readiness. Use at your own risk and have fun exploring the world of secure, decentralized communication!