viny

Early preview — expect rough edges.

A local-network messaging CLI. Run a server on one machine, connect from others on the same network — no internet, no cloud, no setup beyond Node.

Install

npm install -g viny-cli

Quick start

1. Start a server (the machine that will host messages):

viny serve --name "my-server" --port 4000

The terminal must stay open while the server is running. To run it in the background, use pm2:

npm install -g pm2
pm2 start "viny serve --name my-server --port 4000" --name viny
pm2 save          # survive reboots
pm2 logs viny     # see logs
pm2 stop viny     # stop the server

2. Connect from any machine on the same network:

viny

This opens the interactive REPL. From there:

use 192.168.1.100 4000   # connect to the server
register alice secret    # create an account
login alice secret       # log in

3. Start chatting:

dm bob                   # open a direct message with bob
# now just type — every line is sent as a message
leave                    # exit the conversation

Example walkthrough

Machine A — start the server

$ viny serve --name "office" --port 4000
VinyServer listening on 0.0.0.0:4000

Machine B — discover and connect

$ viny

viny> [no-host] anonymous ›  discover
Found: office  192.168.1.10:4000

viny> [no-host] anonymous ›  use 192.168.1.10 4000
Connected to 192.168.1.10:4000

viny> [192.168.1.10:4000] anonymous ›  register alice p4ssword
Registered alice (#1)

viny> [192.168.1.10:4000] anonymous ›  login alice p4ssword

Machine C — another user joins

$ viny

viny> [no-host] anonymous ›  use 192.168.1.10 4000
Connected to 192.168.1.10:4000

viny> [192.168.1.10:4000] anonymous ›  register bob p4ssword
Registered bob (#2)

viny> [192.168.1.10:4000] anonymous ›  login bob p4ssword

Machine B — send a DM

viny> [192.168.1.10:4000] alice ›  dm bob
(no previous messages)

viny> [192.168.1.10:4000] alice  DM#bob ›  hey bob, are you there?

Machine C — bob receives and replies

# message appears instantly:
[10:42:01] alice › hey bob, are you there?

viny> [192.168.1.10:4000] bob ›  dm alice
viny> [192.168.1.10:4000] bob  DM#alice ›  yes, loud and clear!

Commands

CLI

viny                          Start the interactive REPL
viny serve -n <name>          Start a server on this machine
viny discover                 Discover Viny servers on the local network

REPL

| Command | Description | | ----------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- | | use <address> [port] | Connect to a Viny server (port optional for URLs) | | register <username> <password> | Create an account | | login <username> <password> | Log in | | logout | Log out | | dm <username> | Open a direct message | | create-room <name> | Create a group room | | enter-room <name> | Enter a room | | add-participant <room> <username> | Add a user to a room | | show-participants <room> | List members of a room | | conversations | List your conversations | | users <query> | Search users | | discover | Discover servers on the network | | leave | Leave the active conversation | | help | Show available commands | | exit | Quit |

SDK usage

You can also embed a Viny server or use the client programmatically:

import { createVinyServer, VinyClient } from "viny-cli";

// Start a server
const server = await createVinyServer({ port: 4000, address: "0.0.0.0", name: "my-server", mode: "LOCAL" });
server.start();

// Use the client
const client = VinyClient.getInstance({ address: "localhost", port: 4000 });
await client.login("alice", "secret");

Connecting over the internet (ngrok)

By default viny works on a local network. To expose a server publicly, use ngrok's HTTP tunnel — it provides HTTPS automatically, which prevents ISP-level interception:

ngrok http 4000
# → https://abc123.ngrok-free.app

Then connect with the full URL (no port needed):

use https://abc123.ngrok-free.app

Requirements

• Node.js 20+
• Local network usage: all devices on the same network
• Internet usage: a tunnel (ngrok) or a VPS

License

ISC