100 lines
3 KiB
Markdown
100 lines
3 KiB
Markdown
# Nitter (WIP)
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A free and open source alternative Twitter front-end focused on privacy. \
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Inspired by the [invidio.us](https://github.com/omarroth/invidious) project.
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- No JavaScript or ads
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- All requests go through the backend, client never talks to Twitter
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- Prevents Twitter from tracking your IP or JavaScript fingerprint
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- Unofficial API (no rate limits or developer account required)
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- AGPLv3 licensed, no proprietary instances permitted
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- Dark theme
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- Lightweight (for [@nim_lang](https://twitter.com/nim_lang), 36KB vs 580KB from twitter.com)
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- Native RSS feeds
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## Installation
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To compile Nitter you need a Nim installation, see here for details: https://nim-lang.org/install.html
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You also need to install `libsass` to compile the scss files.
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It is possible to install Nim system-wide or in the user directory you create below.
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```bash
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# useradd -m nitter
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# su nitter
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$ git clone https://github.com/zedeus/nitter
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$ cd nitter
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$ nimble build -d:release -d:hostname="..."
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$ nimble scss
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$ mkdir ./tmp
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```
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Change `-d:hostname="..."` to your instance's domain, eg. `-d:hostname:"nitter.net"`.
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Set your port and page title in `nitter.conf`, then run Nitter by executing `./nitter`.
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You should run Nitter behind a reverse proxy such as nginx or Apache for better
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security.
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To run Nitter via systemd you can use this service file:
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```bash
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[Unit]
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Description=Nitter (An alternative Twitter front-end)
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After=syslog.target
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After=network.target
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[Service]
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Type=simple
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# set user and group
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User=nitter
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Group=nitter
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# configure location
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WorkingDirectory=/home/nitter/nitter
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ExecStart=/home/nitter/nitter/nitter
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Restart=always
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RestartSec=15
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[Install]
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WantedBy=multi-user.target
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```
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Then enable and run the service:
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`systemctl enable --now nitter.service`
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## Todo (roughly in this order)
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- More caching (waiting for [moigagoo/norm#19](https://github.com/moigagoo/norm/pull/19))
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- Simple account system with customizable feed
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- Json API endpoints
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- Themes
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- Nitter logo
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- Emoji support (WIP, uses native font for now)
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## Why?
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It's basically impossible to use Twitter without JavaScript enabled. If you try,
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you're redirected to the legacy mobile version which is awful both functionally
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and aesthetically. For privacy-minded folks, preventing JavaScript analytics and
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potential IP-based tracking is important, but apart from using the legacy mobile
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version and a VPN, it's impossible.
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Using an instance of Nitter (hosted on a VPS
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for example), you can browse Twitter without JavaScript while retaining your
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privacy. In addition to respecting your privacy, Nitter is on average around 15
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times lighter than Twitter, and in some cases serves pages faster.
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In the future
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a simple account system will be added that lets you follow Twitter users,
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allowing you to have a clean chronological timeline without needing a Twitter
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account.
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## Contact
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Feel free to join our Freenode IRC channel at #nitter, or our
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[Matrix server](https://riot.im/app/#/room/#nitter:matrix.org).
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## Screenshot
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