short questions. straight answers.
For anyone signing up or joining a server or thinking about running one.
Does it cost anything?
No. The app and the hub and the server are all free. If you rent a machine to host on then that bill is yours.
Do I have to run a server?
No. Sign up and the hub takes care of friends and messages and calls. You can join other people's servers without ever hosting one. Your own server only matters when your group wants its own channels.
What is the hub?
It's the server we run for everyone. It looks after accounts and friend lists and profiles. Direct messages and calls go through it too. Your hub account also works on any community server.
What do I need to sign up?
A username and a password and an email address. You can look around and join servers straight away. Messages and calls unlock once you confirm the email.
Who can read my messages?
Everything is encrypted on your device and stays encrypted on the server's disk. The server that carries a conversation holds its keys though. That means its operator could read it. On a community server that's whoever runs it. For direct messages and calls it's the hub. Direct messages that even the hub can't open are planned. If you want nobody else holding keys then run your own server. The security page has the detail.
Which devices does it run on?
The desktop app runs on Windows 10 and 11 and on Linux. Any recent browser works too. That includes phones. The server runs on Windows or Linux or Docker.
Is there a phone app?
Not yet. Open veiled.contact/app in your phone's browser to chat and join calls. Android and iOS apps are planned.
How big can a server get?
Out of the box it allows 500 members and 200 channels. Each channel keeps its latest 5000 messages. All three are settings you can change. For voice the real limit is the host's upload speed. A small rented server copes with a few dozen people talking.
Can I run it behind a tunnel or reverse proxy?
Yes for the web side on port 8443. Voice on 8444/udp is best forwarded directly. Without it browser voice falls back to the main connection with a little more delay. Sample Caddy and nginx configs come with the container files. The hosting guide covers it.
Is Veiled open source?
No. It's free to use and free to host. That includes commercial use. The source isn't published but the specifications are. You can see exactly how it works. Read the specs.