The problem ChitChat solves

Chitchat solves the problem of fragmented communication across multiple platforms and privacy concerns. Many users today are forced to use multiple messaging apps to stay in touch with different networks, leading to inefficiency and a lack of integration. Additionally, many messaging services either lack proper end-to-end encryption or store sensitive data in centralized servers, posing privacy risks.

Chitchat addresses these issues by offering a universal chat platform that connects seamlessly with other messaging apps, allowing users to manage all their conversations from one secure place. Its decentralized server protocol ensures that data is never controlled by a single entity, enhancing privacy and reducing vulnerability to data breaches. With horizontal pod scaling in Kubernetes, Chitchat is designed to be highly scalable, supporting millions of users with minimal latency, while providing end-to-end encrypted communication across text, audio, video, and file sharing, as well as polls and room-based messaging (public and private).

Challenges we ran into

One of the key challenges we faced was during the deployment of the Matrix Synapse server and its SDK, which we used to set up the Proof of Concept (PoC). The primary issue was the lack of comprehensive documentation for certain deployment scenarios, which made it difficult to configure and optimize the server. This led to unexpected roadblocks in setting up the decentralized protocol efficiently. Additionally, troubleshooting specific errors and integrating features like end-to-end encryption across different platforms required significant time and experimentation due to the limited resources and support available.