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Web DashboardChat5 min read

Encrypted P2P Chat in the Web Dashboard

Continue encrypted peer-to-peer conversations from any browser on the same network. Two-pane layout, channel invites, and file attachments.

View mobile version

The Chat view in the web dashboard brings PlainApp's peer-to-peer messenger to any browser on the same network. The layout is a familiar two-pane: peer list on the left, conversation on the right. Pick a peer or a channel from the list and the conversation loads with message bubbles, file attachments, and an encryption banner at the top of the pane.

The phone hosts the chat session; the browser is a remote UI for it. When you send a message, the phone encrypts it with the peer's key and transmits it over the best available transport. When a message arrives, the phone decrypts it and pushes it to the browser over a WebSocket. Your laptop never holds the peer's encryption keys — those stay device-bound.

Screenshot: Chat
Chat

Key capabilities

  • Two-pane layout — peer and channel list on the left, active conversation on the right. Resize the panes to taste.
  • Multi-peer support — every paired peer and every joined channel appears in the sidebar. Switch between conversations without losing your place.
  • File attachments — click the attachment button to send a file. Files are encrypted on the phone before transmission.
  • Channel invites — accept or decline channel invitations from the sidebar. Channel messages are encrypted for every member individually.
  • Delivery status — each sent message shows pending, sent, or failed. Click a failed message to open the delivery status modal and retry.

Walkthrough

  1. Open the Chat page from the left sidebar. The peer list loads with paired peers, unpaired peers, and any channels you've joined.
  2. Select a peer from the sidebar. The conversation pane loads with the message history, most recent at the bottom.
  3. Send a message — type in the input bar at the bottom and press Enter or click Send. The message appears in the pane with a delivery status indicator.
  4. Attach a file — click the attachment button to pick a file from your computer. The file uploads to your phone, gets encrypted, and is sent to the peer.
  5. View channel invites — pending channel invitations appear at the top of the sidebar. Click Accept to join or Decline to dismiss.

Tips & tricks

  • Long messages (over 2048 characters) are sent as encrypted text files automatically — paste a long block of text and PlainApp handles the rest.
  • The URL updates with the active conversation ID, so you can bookmark a direct link to a specific peer or channel.
  • If a peer shows as offline in the sidebar, click refresh in the web header to force a reconnect on the phone.

Privacy & security notes

  • The web dashboard is served over HTTPS with a self-signed certificate, with all traffic further encrypted with XChaCha20-Poly1305 layered on top of TLS.
  • The web dashboard binds to your local network only — it is not reachable from the internet unless you explicitly set up port forwarding.
  • Messages are end-to-end encrypted with XChaCha20-Poly1305. Encryption and decryption happen on the phone; the browser only sees already-decrypted message text for display.
  • Each device signs its messages with an Ed25519 key. Signatures are verified on the phone before the message is pushed to the browser.
  • There is no central server in the chat path at any point.