RetroShare

Is RetroShare actively maintained?

RetroShare is under active development: 622 commits landed over the last 11 months, averaging roughly 52 commits a month in the most recent quarter.

The last tagged release, v0.6.7.2, is over 2 years old. If you deploy, expect to build from the default branch rather than a stable tag.

RetroShare ranks #28 of 46 in Communication - Custom Communication Systems, placing it mid-table for maintenance activity.

What RetroShare actually does

RetroShare is an open-source, decentralised communication system that provides peer-to-peer chat, forums, private messaging, and file transfer capabilities. It connects users directly through encrypted tunnels without relying on central servers. The project is implemented in C++ and distributed under the GPL-2.0 licence.

Best fit: It is a suitable choice if you require completely decentralised communication infrastructure that operates independently of third-party servers and central authorities.

Worth knowing: Development activity has slowed down over time, and the decentralised architecture typically requires both peers to be online to establish direct communication and transfers.

Deployment notes

As a C++ application, you will typically need to manage persistent storage for your identity and data, and you may want to place it behind a reverse proxy depending on how you configure network access.

Links

• Official website
• Source code