Fortress · private messenger

Your messages live on hardware a friend runs — not in a company's cloud.

Fortress is an invitation-only, self-hosted messenger. Every conversation is end-to-end encrypted by default; the server only ever stores ciphertext. This page takes you from invite to first message in about ten minutes.

Lion Lock Moon Key Turtle Piano Anchor

Seven emoji like these are how you and a friend prove no one sits between you. You'll compare them in step 3 — it's the whole ceremony.

What you need

There is no public sign-up — accounts are created for you. Whoever invited you gives you three things (in person or over a channel you already trust):

Server address
— on your invite —
Username
@yourname:quanta.pm
First password
— on your invite, change it after login —

You'll also need the free Element app — it's the client Fortress uses. No phone number, no email, no contact upload.

From invite to first message

  1. Install Element

    Get Element from element.io/download, the App Store, or Google Play. Desktop, phone, or both — every device you add gets verified the same way.

  2. Sign in to our server — not the default one

    On the sign-in screen, tap Edit next to the suggested server (it says matrix.org) and enter the server address from your invite. Then sign in with your username and first password.

    Change your password right away: Settings → General → Password.

    If sign-in fails, the server address is almost always the culprit — it must match your invite exactly. Ask the person who invited you; there's no support desk to guess at.

  3. Verify with emoji — the one ritual that matters

    When you message someone new (or add a second device), Element shows a Verify prompt. Both sides see seven emoji, like the row above. Read them aloud to each other — a call or in person. All seven match: tap They match. Anything differs: tap They don't match and tell the person who runs the server.

    This is how you know your encryption keys reached the right human. Do it once per person and once per new device — never skip it.

  4. Chat — encryption is already on

    Start a direct message or a room; everything is end-to-end encrypted by default — text, photos, files, voice messages. There's no setting to remember and no "secret chat" mode to opt into. The lock icon on the room means the server literally cannot read what's inside.

What's protected — honestly

Security claims are only worth the caveats printed next to them. Here is exactly where the line sits.

The server can never read

  • Your messages — stored only as ciphertext
  • Your photos, files, voice notes — encrypted before upload
  • Your encryption keys — they never leave your devices

The server does see

  • Metadata — who talks to whom, and when
  • Room shapes — sizes, membership, timestamps
  • Your IP address when you connect

Two more honest limits. Your device is the weak point: encryption cannot help if your phone is unlocked in someone else's hands — use a screen lock. And anyone you message can keep or screenshot what you send — end-to-end encryption protects the pipe, not the person at the other end.

House rules

  • Verify every new device with emoji. A new phone, a laptop session, a reinstall — each one gets the seven-emoji ceremony before it's trusted.
  • Use a password you use nowhere else. A password manager's random one is perfect.
  • Lost a device? Say so the same day. The operator removes it from your account and the encryption rotates — messages sent after removal stay unreadable to it.
  • Don't announce the server address publicly. It isn't a secret key, but a private server stays healthier unadvertised.