Status: 🚧 Public Beta 🚧 This software is currently under active development. Features may be incomplete, and stability is not guaranteed. Please check the Issues page for known bugs.
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Lightweight, Privacy-Focused, Modular. |
WhaSwapp is a lightweight, privacy-focused, and modular WhatsApp client. It serves as a rebellion against the resource-heavy official clients, offering a "clean slate" experience that respects your system resources and your data.
The official WhatsApp desktop clients have become increasingly bloated, consuming excessive RAM and lacking the flexibility power users demand. WhaSwapp was born from a simple need: A high-performance, low-latency client that does exactly what it's supposed to do—chat—without the bloat.
WhaSwapp is not a single monolithic application. It is a modular system composed of interchangeable Adapters (Backends) and Interfaces (Frontends).
- cli-chat-rs: Our responsive Terminal UI library that adapts to desktop or mobile screens.
- web-intelligence: Hardware-accelerated local AI integration.
- Ahenk: Our P2P synchronization and state management crate.
When you launch WhaSwapp, the CLI Launcher guides you through configuring your session. Once the "Weapon" (Backend) and "Battlefield" (Frontend) are chosen, the core system initializes the storage and synchronization engines.
graph TD
Start((Launch)) -->|Run main.rs| CLI["CLI Launcher"]
subgraph "Configuration Flow"
CLI -->|Step 1| SelectBack["Select Backend"]
SelectBack -->|Rust / Baileys / WWebJS| SelectFront["Select Frontend"]
SelectFront -->|Desktop / Terminal / Browser| Init["Initialize Core"]
end
Init -->|Spawns| Core["Rust Core Engine"]
subgraph "Runtime System"
Core -->|Drives| Adapter["Selected Adapter"]
Core -->|Serves| UI["Selected Interface"]
Core -->|Mounts| Storage[(Encrypted DB)]
Storage <-->|Syncs| Ahenk["Ahenk P2P Network"]
end
Best for: Daily usage on Windows/Linux/macOS.
In this mode, the Rust Core acts as the central hub. It manages the chosen Adapter (e.g., Baileys) via IPC and serves the UI via Tauri.
graph TD
User((User)) -->|Interacts| UI["React UI (Frontend)"]
UI <-->|Tauri IPC| Core["Rust Core Backend"]
subgraph "The Adapter Layer"
Core -->|Initialize| Adapter["Selected Adapter (Baileys/Rust/WWeb)"]
Adapter -->|Events| Core
end
subgraph "Storage & Sync"
Core -->|Encrypted IO| DB[(SQLite Database)]
DB <-->|Sync| Ahenk["Ahenk P2P Engine"]
end
Best for: Development, Debugging, and Leveraging Local LLMs.
This mode uses web-intelligence to launch a dedicated, isolated Chrome instance. It connects to the Rust Core via WebSocket/HTTP, enabling a full "Headless Server + Browser UI" architecture with built-in P2P sync and AI.
graph TD
Launcher["main.rs"] -->|Spawns| WebInt["web-intelligence"]
WebInt -->|Launches| Chrome["Chrome (Isolated Profile)"]
subgraph "Browser Context"
WebApp["WhaSwapp Web Client"]
Nano["Gemini Nano (Local AI)"]
WebApp <-->|Prompt API| Nano
end
WebApp <-->|WebSocket| RustCore["Rust Core Server"]
subgraph "Backend System"
RustCore -->|Controls| Adapter["WhatsApp Adapter"]
RustCore -->|Persists| DB[(Encrypted DB)]
DB <-->|Syncs| Ahenk["Ahenk P2P Engine"]
end
Adapter -->|Protocol| WhatsApp["WhatsApp Servers"]
Best for: Servers, SSH, Termux (Android), and Low-RAM environments.
Here, the GUI is stripped away. The Rust Native backend connects directly to cli-chat-rs. Crucially, Ahenk remains active, allowing this terminal instance to stay in sync with your desktop.
graph TD
User((User)) -->|Keyboard| TUI["Terminal UI (cli-chat-rs)"]
TUI <-->|Direct Calls| Rust["Rust Native Backend"]
subgraph "Network & Sync"
Rust -->|Protocol| WA["WhatsApp Servers"]
Rust -->|Persists| DB[(Local DB)]
DB <-->|P2P Sync| Ahenk["Ahenk P2P Engine"]
end
subgraph "Device Capabilities"
TUI -.->|Detects Width| LayoutManager["Responsive Layout"]
LayoutManager -->|Wide| Split["Split View (Desktop)"]
LayoutManager -->|Narrow| Single["Single View (Mobile)"]
end
WhaSwapp integrates Ahenk, a decentralized P2P synchronization engine. Unlike the official Multi-Device implementation which relies entirely on WhatsApp servers, Ahenk allows your WhaSwapp instances to talk directly to each other.
- True P2P Sync: Sync message history between your Desktop and Termux without cloud reliance.
- Master/Slave Architecture:
- Master Node: Holds the primary connection to WhatsApp.
- Slave Node: Connects to the Master via Ahenk. Can be given restricted permissions (e.g., "Read Only", "No Media", "Group A Only").
- Ideal for corporate environments or parental control.
sequenceDiagram
participant Master as Device A (Master)
participant Ahenk as Ahenk P2P Network
participant Slave as Device B (Slave)
Master->>Master: Authenticate with WhatsApp
Slave->>Ahenk: Request Connection
Master->>Ahenk: Verify Slave Permissions
Ahenk-->>Slave: Access Granted (Restricted Token)
Master->>Ahenk: Push New Messages (Encrypted)
Ahenk->>Slave: Sync DB State
Slave->>Ahenk: Send Reply
Ahenk->>Master: Validate & Relay to WhatsApp
While we currently focus on core functionality, the architecture supports powerful extensions (see FEATURES.md for details):
- Ghost Mode: View messages and statuses without sending receipts.
- Anti-Delete: Retain messages even if the sender deletes them.
- Local AI: On-device summarization and smart replies using
web-intelligence(Gemini Nano). - View Once Save: Archive ephemeral media.
WhaSwapp is built on the shoulders of giants and modular internal libraries:
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Baileys The stable Node.js engine powering our default backend. |
whatsapp-rust High-performance Rust implementation (Active Contribution). |
whatsapp-web.js Legacy web automation wrapper for compatibility. |
Disclaimer: This project is an independent effort and is not affiliated with, authorized, maintained, sponsored, or endorsed by WhatsApp or any of its affiliates.