tildefriends/docs/running.md
2024-05-12 10:59:26 +02:00

2.5 KiB

Running Tilde Friends

Disclaimer: this documentation has been written by a Linux user and has not been reviewed by other people on other platforms. The procedure may vary slightly depending on your operating system.

The binaries should appear at out/debug/tildefriends and out/release/tildefriends.

For Android, iOS and Windows: TODO

You can now start the server by running $ ./out/debug/tildefriends or $ ./out/release/tildefriends.

By default, running the built tildefriends executable will start a web server at http://localhost:12345/. $ tildefriends -h lists further options.

How to use TF

Initial setup

Now you have a Tilde Friends instance running. The first thing you'll want to do is create your account. Click "login" in the top right corner, then "Register". Enter your username and password.

The first user to create an account and log in will be granted administrative privileges. Further administration can be done at http://localhost:12345/~core/admin/

Next, create a Scuttlebutt identity by pressing the "Create an identity" button. This will create a pair of keys that are used to sign your messages with.

Because of the way Scuttlebutt is designed, you cannot log into your account without your keys. Tilde Friends locks your keys behind a password, but if you were to destroy your database, the keys would be gone forever, and with it your possibility to send messages using this account. Click on the identity app and under "Identities", export your newly created identity.

You'll be prompted with a dialog box saying "This app is requesting the following permission:ssb_id_export". This is because applications are not trusted to have access to your keys by default. Click on "Allow" and you'll see a list of 12 words. You need to write those down in a password manager or on a piece of paperand keep it private and secure.

Warning: Nobody needs to know these 12 words. Anybody that has access to those keys can post messages as you, see your private messages and documents and much more.

Now that your keys are safe, we can start connecting to the outside world.

Replication

You've probably noticed asdtring of random characters by now. This is your public key, a unique identifier for your account you can share to anyone. If you go back to the home menu and into the ssb app, you can click on your public key. This will lead you to your profile, which is empty at the time. Edit it and enter your name.

TODO: joining a room

TODO: initial sync

TODO: send messages

TODO: how messages spread to friends

TODO: other apps