axolotl

README

Axolotl is a crossplattform Signal client

For the Ubuntu Phone and more

Axolotl is a complete Signal client, it allows you to create a Signal account and have discussions with your contacts. Unlike the desktop Signal client, Axolotl is completely autonomous and doesn't require you to have created an account with the official Signal application.

It is built upon the Go textsecure package and a vuejs app that runs in a electron/qml WebEngineView container.

To use it from your Ubuntu Touch device, simply install it from the open store:

Axolotl is also available as a snap package, to install it on Ubuntu desktop:

What works

• Phone registration
• Contact discovery
• Direct messages
• Group messages mostly
• Photo, video, audio and contact attachments in both direct and group mode
• Preview for photo and audio attachments
• Storing conversations
• Encrypted message store
• Desktop client provisioning/syncing partially

What is missing

• Push notifications
• Most settings that are available in the Android app
• Encrypted phone calls

There are still bugs and UI/UX quirks.

Installation of development environment

• Install Golang
• Install node js (see the .nvmrc) file for the supported version
• Add gopath to ~/.bashrc https://github.com/golang/go/wiki/SettingGOPATH
• install dependencies sudo apt install mercurial gettext
• Check out this git go get -d github.com/nanu-c/axolotl
• cd $(go env GOPATH)/src/github.com/nanu-c/axolotl
• get go dependencies go mod download
• install axolotl-web dependencies: cd axolotl-web&&npm install

Translations

For information how to translate, please see TRANSLATE.md.

Run development

• cd $(go env GOPATH)/src/github.com/nanu-c/axolotl
• go run .
• in a new terminal cd axolotl-web&&npm run serve
• point a browser to the link printed in the terminal like http://localhost:9080

Run frontend and connect to phone ip

That way running the backend is avoided, instead your current registration on ubuntu touch is used

• cd axolotl-web
• VUE_APP_WS_ADDRESS=10.0.0.2 npm run serve replace 10.0.0.2 with the ip of your phone

Installation

Axolotl can be built and installed in different ways.

To find out how to build and install, please see below:

• with Clickable: see here.
• with Snap: see here.
• with Flatpak: see here.
• with AppImage: see here.

Run flags

• -axolotlWebDir Specify the directory to use for axolotl-web. Defaults to "./axolotl-web/dist".
• -e for either lorca-> native chromium (has to be installed), ut -> runs in the ut enviroment, me -> qmlscene, server -> just run the webserver. Defaults to run with electron.
• -eDebug show developer console in electron mode
• -host Set the host to run the webserver from. Defaults to localhost.
• -port Set the port to run the webserver from. Defaults to 9080.

Environment variables

• AXOLOTL_WEB_DIR Specify the directory to use for axolotl-web. This is used by axolotl during startup.
• AXOLOTL_GUI_DIR Specifies the directory used for GUI specifications. This is used by axolotl only when in qt mode.

Contributing

Please fill issues here on github https://github.com/nanu-c/axolotl/issues

Migrating from janimo/axolotl

For information how to migrate from janimo/axolotl, please see MIGRATE.md.