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Home/Categories/Communication & Collaboration/Jami
icon of Jami

Jami

Open source alternative to WhatsApp and Discord

Secure private messaging, audio and video calls, and file sharing with a decentralized open source communication platform that works without central servers.

168 starsC++GPL-3.0Active this week
Visit websiteGitHub repo
image of Jami
Contents
  1. 01Who Jami is for
  2. 02The problem it solves
  3. 03How it solves it
  4. 04Strengths and trade-offs
  5. 05Tech stack
  6. 06FAQ
  7. 07Similar open-source tools
TL;DR

Jami is a peer-to-peer voice, video, messaging, and file-transfer communication platform. It replaces centralized calling and chat services for users and organizations that want distributed communication, SIP compatibility, and inspectable core infrastructure. GPL-3.0 licensed daemon repository.GPL-3.0 · C++ · 168 stars · Active this week

who it's for

Who Jami is for#

Privacy-focused teams choosing open communication

Jami fits groups that want inspectable voice, video, messaging, and file transfer with less dependency on a central provider.

Skip if:

You need the simplest managed workspace chat with broad enterprise integrations.

VoIP developers integrating open call logic

The daemon repository helps developers work with the core communication logic separately from client interfaces.

Skip if:

You only need a hosted meeting app and do not plan to run or integrate communication infrastructure.

the problem

The problem it solves#

Centralized calling and messaging services put accounts, routing, and metadata under one provider. That can be convenient, but it creates privacy concerns, outage dependency, and limited control over communication infrastructure.

Teams with stronger privacy requirements need communication tools that reduce central server reliance while still supporting practical calling, file transfer, and account workflows. They also need client and daemon boundaries developers can understand.

how Jami solves it

How it solves it#

Peer-to-peer distributed calls

The README lists P2P-DHT support, which lets Jami route calls through a distributed model instead of depending only on a central service.

SIP account compatibility

Jami can work with Asterisk through SIP accounts, which matters for organizations with existing VoIP infrastructure.

Separate daemon and interfaces

The README explains that the daemon handles business logic while user interfaces live separately, making integrations and alternate clients easier to reason about.

strengths · trade-offs

Strengths and trade-offs#

Strengths

  • Distributed communication modelJami is strongest for users who want chat and calling without putting every interaction through a centralized platform account.
  • Useful VoIP bridgeSIP and Asterisk compatibility make Jami relevant for teams that already understand VoIP systems and need open client infrastructure.

Trade-offs

  • -Distributed systems can be harder to supportP2P communication can complicate troubleshooting, connectivity, and user onboarding compared with fully managed centralized services.
tech stack · detected from GitHub

What it's built on#

Languages
CC++Objective-C++Python
frequently asked

FAQ#

What is Jami used for?

Jami is used for voice, video, messaging, file transfer, and VoIP-style communication.

Does Jami use peer-to-peer communication?

Yes. The README lists peer-to-peer distributed calls using P2P-DHT.

What is in the jami-daemon repository?

The README says the source tree contains the daemon that handles Jami business logic, while user interfaces live in separate repositories.

also worth a look

Similar open-source tools#

dcts-shipping

·645 GitHub stars

Self-hosted Discord-style chat with encrypted DMs and voice

Alternative toDiscord

simplex-chat

·19,577 GitHub stars

Private messaging without user IDs or servers.

Alternative toWWhatsApp

Signal

·10,739 GitHub stars

A secure messaging app focused on privacy and user experience.

Alternative toWWhatsApp

Valour

·401 GitHub stars

Open source Discord alternative with flexible community tools

Alternative toDiscord

SpacebarChat

·2,207 GitHub stars

Free open source Discord reimplementation with full API parity

Alternative toDiscord

Revolt

·3,400 GitHub stars

Self-hosted open source Discord alternative with servers

Alternative toDiscord

Repository

Stars
168
Forks
60
License
GPL-3.0
Last commit
2 days ago
Last verified
Oct 17, 2026
Repo
savoirfairelinux/jami-daemon ↗

Additional details

Language
C++
Open issues
3
Contributors
231
First release
2015

Categories

Communication & CollaborationSecurity & Monitoring

Tags

ChatFile SharingSecurityPrivacy ToolsCybersecurityVideo