Bitchan 1.4.0/1 has been released.

Posted by sujoro35 in I2P (edited by a moderator )

Now with full i2p minode - MiNode has support for connections over I2P network. To use it it needs an I2P router with SAMv3 activated (both Java I2P and i2pd are supported).

BitChan is a decentralized anonymous imageboard inspired by BitBoard and built on top of Bitmessage with Tor, I2P, and GnuPG.

BitChan solves a number of security and free speech problems that have plagued most imageboards. Centralized imageboards can be taken offline or hijacked and can leak user data. BitChan reduces the likelihood of this by being decentralized, allowing each user to host their own instance of the software, requiring all connections to go through Tor/I2P, and not requiring JavaScript.

When installed locally on your computer, BitChan acts as an extension to Bitmessage, a decentralized, blockchain-based messaging program. Bitmessage relies on public key encryption similar to PGP and decentralized message delivery, which due to the fact that every message is distributed to every client, also provides plausible deniability (i.e. no one knows who the message came from or who it was addressed to). Bitmessage handles the sending and receiving of messages and BitChan acts as a sophisticated message processor, which includes a web front end.

All communication happens over the Tor onion and i2p networks for anonymity and every BitChan message is encrypted using GPG, an open source version of PGP (Pretty Good Privacy). Instead of connecting to a stranger's server and volunteering potentially identifying information, BitChan anonymously adds your message to the Bitmessage block. Everyone on the Bitmessage network downloads and shares your encrypted messages and only those with the correct keys can decrypt them.

Users of centralized forums often have to deal with overzealous moderators and sometimes even pressure from state powers that tend to suffocate the forum's culture. BitChan's moderation is multifaceted, but to be brief, the option exists to create entirely unmoderatable boards to post content on. Due to its decentralized design, BitChan cannot be moderated by its developers, the government, or any other entity.

Indeed, there is no way to disconnect BitChan from the internet, and as long as people are still running Bitmessage, BitChan is completely untouchable. With that said, boards can be created with a variety of rules which allow board owners or admins to moderate them, if desired. Unmoderated boards can always be locally moderated by the user that installs BitChan.

Additionally, users can enable Kiosk Mode on their install and enable a Tor Hidden Onion Service or Hidden I2P Service to allow anonymous users to access their instance through .onion and/or .i2p addresses. However, when accessing BitChan in this way, you will be constrained by the particular settings that user chose for their BitChan install. In order to utilize the full features of BitChan, including a complete censorship-free environment, you will need to install it locally on your computer.

BitChan offers boards for a forum-like experience with image and file sharing, lists to organize and share other boards and lists, along with a host of additional features to enhance posts and provide board and list management with the use of owner, admin, janitor, and user permissions. Boards and lists can be public or private, with or without owners or admins, allowing a full range from completely unmoderatable to strictly allowing only select users access.

Anonymous users have set up BitChan instances in Kiosk Mode. Check them out at:

BitChanr4b64

BitChanp3p

https://github.com/813492291816/BitChan/releases

1.4.1 (2025/05/24)

  • Fix Allow Download post button starting attachment download
  • Fix separation of threads on board page
  • Fix thread size limitation of javascript thread post updater
  • Fix not showing debug information for thread OP
  • Fix Bitmessage Connection setting not being applied for some options
  • Fix post overflow when using ASCII or CODE formatting
  • Fix highlight text formatting
  • Fix i2psnark standalone URL
  • Add option to replace attachment filenames
  • Add ability of Pages to use Jinja2 (example pages will be available in a future update)
  • Add ability to schedule post at a random time in the future between two epochs
  • Add ability to locally force post max height for individual threads
  • Add user Option to force disable post max height
  • Add Config and user Option to set base font size
  • Add setting to select default post dropdown for attachment upload method
  • Add code style text formatting
  • Add MiNode install instructions to INSTALL.md
  • Periodically restart qBittorrent to prevent connection issues
  • Style changes to be more mobile friendly
  • Refactor setting post attributes into one settings page
  • Update qBittorrent to 5.1.0
  • Update qbittorrent-api to 2025.5.0
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