fred
SHA-256A peer-to-peer platform for censorship-resistant communication, publishing, and decentralized data storage.
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vbuild01506 · 78.3 MB
Decentralized, encrypted P2P network for censorship-free communication and publishing.
Core Features
- Fully decentralized: no central servers, data split and encrypted across nodes
- Supports Opennet (easy) and Darknet (friend-to-friend) modes for flexible privacy
- Host Freesites (static websites) and use plugins for forums, chat, etc.
- All traffic is mandatory encrypted, anonymous by design
- Gradle-based build, easy for developers to contribute and test
What It Can't Do
- •New nodes experience slow initial sync (hours to days) before content is accessible. 2. Storage allocation cannot be decreased after setup; choose at least 5GB upfront. 3. In restrictive networks, direct connections may fail; use darknet or a proxy. 4. Published content takes time to propagate and is not instantly available globally.
Use Cases
- Publishing or accessing information in regions with heavy internet censorship
- Whistleblowers and journalists securely submit documents anonymously
- Creating anonymous forums or chat rooms without fear of surveillance
- Hosting a static website that cannot be taken down by any single entity
Detailed Introduction
Freenet is a decentralized, peer-to-peer platform designed to resist censorship and enable free communication and publishing. It provides a distributed, encrypted datastore where users can share files, host websites (Freesites), and run applications like forums and chat. All data is stored across participating nodes, making it difficult to block or shut down. Fred (Freenet REference Daemon) is the core reference implementation. This project is ideal for journalists, activists, and anyone needing secure, anonymous communication without centralized control.
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Getting Started
Download installer
Click the button above to download the installer for your system
Install the software
Double-click the downloaded installer and follow the prompts
Step 1: Download the latest freenet.jar from GitHub Releases (or use an installer for your OS)
Step 2: Ensure Java 17+ is installed, then run java -jar freenet.jar to start the setup wizard
Step 3: Follow the wizard to choose network mode (Opennet recommended for beginners) and allocate storage space
- Step 1: Download the latest freenet.jar from GitHub Releases (or use an installer for your OS)
- Step 2: Ensure Java 17+ is installed, then run java -jar freenet.jar to start the setup wizard
- Step 3: Follow the wizard to choose network mode (Opennet recommended for beginners) and allocate storage space
SHA-256 checksum verified
Checksum extracted from GitHub official Release page
SHA256 Checksum
36ebd241c8aca12a0c09f906082fb271e045d04e7b8455ec71523eef49bd6475This checksum is extracted from the GitHub Release page. Verify file integrity after download.
All SHA-256 checksums on this platform are extracted from the project's official GitHub Release page, without any modification. You can independently verify them on the GitHub Releases page.
Open Source Transparency
View GitHub SourceUninstall Info
Delete the Freenet installation directory (typically ~/Freenet or C:\Freenet). Java does not need to be removed. Warning: all stored data will be lost, so back up any important files first.
No Extra Dependencies
Ready to use after download. No additional runtime required.
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