How to select a chatmail relay?

Chatmail relays are each operated by different groups and people. Visit a chatmail relay link and then tap the QR invite code there to create a chatmail address in your favorite chatmail app:

Several additional chatmail relays are not listed publically because some countries used the list in July 2024 as a block list, and also because some operators prefer to do their own outreach to communities of their choice. Private or public, chatmail relays are always interoperable with each other. Welcome to decentralized messaging :)

How about interoperability with classic e-mail servers?

Generally, chatmail relays interoperate well with classic e-mail servers. However, some chatmail relays may be blocked by Big-Tech e-mail providers that use intransparent and proprietary techniques for scanning and looking at cleartext e-mail messages between users, or because they use questionable IP-reputation systems that break interoperability. Chatmail relays instead use and require strong cryptography, allowing anyone to participate, without having to submit to Big-Tech restrictions.

How are chatmail relays run? Can I run one myself?

Chatmail relays are designed to be very cheap to run, and are generally self-funded by respective operators. All chatmail relays are automatically deployed and updated using the chatmail relay repository. Chatmail relays are composed of proven standard e-mail server components, Postfix and Dovecot, and are configured to run unattended without much maintenance effort. Chatmail relays happily run on low-end hardware like a Raspberry Pi.

How trustable are chatmail relays?

Chatmail clients use guaranteed end-to-end encryption which means that relay operators can never read your messages even if they try (MITM), a guarantee backed up by a recent security analysis from ETH Zurich. The end-to-end encryption protection includes attached media, user display names, avatars and group names. What is visible to operators is: message date, sender and receiver addresses.