Cinny is a simple, elegant and secure Matrix instant messaging client that
Supports end-to-end encryption and the code is completely open source.
You can directly use the web version (app.cinny.in) and download the desktop client, or you can easily deploy it independently through GitHub distribution packages, Docker or your own Web server to achieve full control.
With it, you can enjoy modern private chat without relying on large technology platforms, have a privacy and highly customizable experience, and can deploy it on your own server with one click to achieve secure, ad-free instant messaging.
When I first opened Cinny, it was easy to have the illusion: Is this a “lighter Discord”? Sidebars, room lists, message flow, everything is familiar. But it will soon be discovered that the logic behind it is completely different-it is not a platform, but just an entrance.
Cinny is essentially a chat client running in a browser and connected to the Matrix protocol network. In other words, every message and every room you see does not belong to a certain company, but exists in a decentralized communication system. The client is only one layer of “display” and “interaction”, not control.
The biggest difference between this feeling and using Telegram or Discord is that you are not using a certain platform, but accessing a protocol. As long as you have a Matrix account, whether you are connecting to a public server or your own server, you can log in to Cinny to continue using it. In other words, core data such as chat records, identities, and relationships are not locked in the client or in the hands of a certain company.
This is also the meaning of Cinny’s existence. It doesn’t try to be the “most versatile” client, but focuses on the interface and experience. The overall design is very restrained, there are no complex function stacks, and there is almost no learning cost after opening. For those who are used to modern chat tools, it is natural to get started: the room on the left, the conversation in the middle, and the message flow is neat and neat, without unnecessary interference.
What’s more interesting is that it is just a front-end application in itself. In theory, as long as you have a Web server, you can deploy it. You can even put Cinny on your own server, connect to your own Matrix server, such as Synapse, and build a completely own communication environment. The process is not mysterious, it’s essentially like deploying a website.
When putting these together, Cinny is not actually solving the question of “how to chat”, but answering another question: Does chatting have to be dependent on the platform?
In traditional applications, accounts belong to the platform, data belongs to the platform, and even relationship chains belong to the platform. In the Matrix system, these things are taken apart. Cinny is just one layer, an entrance with an elegant interface and lightweight enough. It does not control the network, it just makes it easier to use.
If you are used to centralized products, you may feel less “served” at first, with no recommendations, algorithms, and strong bindings. But from another perspective, this is precisely its sense of boundary-it only does what it should do.
The process of using Cinny is much like using a tool rather than entering a product ecosystem. It does not attempt to retain users, but defaults that users can leave at any time or change clients to continue using the same network.
In today’s environment where almost all communication is wrapped around platforms, this design seems a bit counter-common sense. But that’s why it deserves attention.
Github：https://github.com/cinnyapp/cinny
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