Revolt is a free and open-source alternative to Discord, offering a similar feature set with a focus on user privacy and community control. It features text and voice channels, direct messaging, file sharing, rich text editing, and voice chat, all hosted on its own servers. Revolt aims to provide a transparent and extensible platform, allowing users to self-host or contribute to its development. Its client is available on desktop and web, with mobile apps planned for the future. The project prioritizes community involvement and customization, giving users more control over their communication experience.
Revolt presents itself as a robust, open-source alternative to the popular communication platform, Discord, emphasizing user freedom and control. The project aims to provide a fully-featured chat experience comparable to Discord, but with the added benefits of transparency and community-driven development inherent in open-source software. Revolt boasts a comprehensive set of features, including direct messaging, server creation with customizable roles and permissions, voice and video calling capabilities, file sharing, and rich text formatting. Furthermore, the platform prioritizes user privacy and data security, offering end-to-end encryption options and self-hosting possibilities, empowering users to maintain complete control over their communication data. This self-hosting option allows individuals and communities to operate their own Revolt instances, independent of any centralized authority, further solidifying the principle of decentralization.
The platform's open-source nature facilitates community contributions, allowing developers and users to contribute code, identify and fix bugs, and propose new features. This collaborative approach fosters a dynamic environment where the platform can continually evolve and adapt to the needs of its users. Revolt also champions customizability, offering a range of themes and plugins to personalize the user interface and extend functionality. This allows users to tailor the platform to their specific preferences and integrate with other services. The project aspires to create a viable and thriving alternative to proprietary communication platforms, providing a community-owned and controlled space for online interaction, collaboration, and community building, all while maintaining a high level of performance and feature parity with established alternatives. By prioritizing open access, community involvement, and user autonomy, Revolt seeks to establish a new paradigm for online communication that prioritizes freedom and control in the hands of the users.
Summary of Comments ( 264 )
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43277918
Hacker News users discussed Revolt's potential as a Discord alternative, praising its open-source nature and commitment to user privacy. Several commenters expressed interest in self-hosting, viewing it as a significant advantage. Some questioned Revolt's long-term viability and ability to compete with Discord's network effects and feature set, while others pointed to Matrix as a more established alternative. Concerns were also raised about moderation challenges and potential abuse on a decentralized platform. A few users shared their positive experiences using Revolt, highlighting its performance and clean interface, though acknowledging it's still under development. Overall, the comments reflect cautious optimism about Revolt, with many hoping it succeeds but recognizing the hurdles it faces.
The Hacker News post titled "Revolt: Open-Source Alternative to Discord" sparked a discussion with a moderate number of comments, primarily focusing on Revolt's potential, its comparison to Discord and Matrix, and the challenges of building a successful open-source community platform.
Several commenters expressed interest in Revolt as a viable alternative to Discord, praising its open-source nature and potential for greater user control and privacy. Some voiced frustration with Discord's perceived shift towards commercialization and centralization, seeing Revolt as a promising solution. However, many also acknowledged the significant network effect enjoyed by Discord, questioning whether Revolt could realistically compete with such an established player.
A recurring theme in the discussion was the comparison between Revolt and Matrix. Some commenters argued that Matrix, with its decentralized architecture and existing user base, offered a more robust and mature alternative to Discord. They questioned the need for another similar platform, suggesting that efforts might be better spent contributing to the Matrix ecosystem. Others countered this by pointing to perceived usability issues with Matrix and its steeper learning curve, arguing that Revolt's simpler, more Discord-like interface could attract a wider audience.
The challenges of building a thriving community were also discussed, with commenters emphasizing the importance of moderation, feature development, and user experience. Some expressed concerns about potential moderation difficulties and the risk of Revolt becoming a haven for undesirable communities if not managed carefully. Others highlighted the need for consistent development and a clear roadmap to build trust and attract users.
Several technical aspects of Revolt were also touched upon, including its use of technologies like Rust and Postgres, with some commenters praising these choices while others raised questions about scalability and performance.
Overall, the comments reflected a mixture of cautious optimism and pragmatic skepticism about Revolt's prospects. While acknowledging its potential and the appeal of an open-source alternative to Discord, many commenters recognized the significant hurdles faced by any new platform attempting to compete in this space. The discussion highlighted the importance of community building, user experience, and careful consideration of existing alternatives like Matrix.