Messages that can't be changed
Timestamped threads and live chat with "first viewed" read receipts. Nobody can edit or delete a sent message - amendments and retractions are added with a reason and the original stays.
Free · open source · self-hosted · beta
Calm, organised co-parenting - with a record you can trust.
ParallelPath gives separated parents one place to message, plan, share documents, split costs and talk - with messages that can't be altered, every change explained, and every piece of family content encrypted on a server you control.
Everything co-parents need
Tone Check
Flags hostile, blaming or pressuring wording before you send and suggests a calmer version. Runs on your server; optionally connect Ollama, any OpenAI-compatible model, or Claude.
Calendar & parenting time
Shared events, 2-2-3, 2-2-5-5, alternating weeks or custom schedules with approval, swap requests, overrides, check-ins and a private phone calendar feed.
Explorer-style documents
Folders, details/list/icon views, drag & drop, keyboard shortcuts, versions, recycle bin - and an access log on every file. Shared and private spaces.
Expenses
Log costs with receipts, split them, request reimbursement, approve or dispute, record and confirm payments. Always see who owes what.
Video & voice calls
In the browser on any phone, tablet or computer. Encrypted peer-to-peer, relayed by your own server when needed. Logged, and recorded only with both people's consent.
Info bank & journal
Doctors, school, allergies, sizes and documents for each child, plus private notes you can choose to share with professionals.
Court-ready reports
PDF, CSV or JSON reports of anything for any period, each with a SHA-256 fingerprint anyone can verify without seeing the contents.
Roles & professionals
Invite the other parent, family members, children and read-only, time-limited professionals. Mute or block people. Everyone controls their own data.
Everything audited
Every change needs a reason and keeps the previous version. A hash-chained audit trail - covering administrators too - makes tampering detectable.
Installs as an app
Install on Android, iPhone, Windows, macOS or Linux straight from the browser. Light and dark themes.
Accessible
Built for WCAG 2.2 AA: full keyboard use, screen-reader support, text size, high contrast, easier-to-read spacing and reduced motion.
Encrypted at rest and in transit - always
Encryption isn't an option you can forget to turn on: every message, file and personal detail is encrypted with AES-256-GCM, everything lives on a required LUKS2 encrypted volume (the app refuses to run without it), and every connection uses TLS. Server administrators can't read family content or personal details, can't open backups, and can't take over anyone's account.
Every release runs an automated attack suite covering the OWASP Top 10, privacy checks that scan the raw database and file store for anything unencrypted and test every admin page for leaks, static code analysis and a dependency vulnerability audit. Every finding and fix is published.
Attack & feature test suite passing0 known dependency vulnerabilities0 medium/high static-analysis issues
- Encrypted at rest: AES-256-GCM with a key per family and per file, encrypted personal details, and a mandatory LUKS2 volume.
- Backups: encrypted data inside an encrypted archive; scheduled copies to NAS/USB or SFTP; keys in a passphrase-protected recovery bundle.
- Encrypted in transit: TLS 1.2/1.3 with HSTS; calls use WebRTC DTLS-SRTP end to end.
- Keys sealed with systemd encrypted credentials (TPM2 when available) - never in the database.
- Strong sign-in: argon2id, mandatory two-step verification, lock-out and fail2ban.
- Jailed: dedicated user, systemd sandbox, AppArmor, least-privilege database roles.
- Tamper-evident: append-only evidence tables enforced by the database, hash-chained audit.
- Private from admins: separate portal; family content and personal details hidden; account recovery only with the person's consent.
- Your own backups: parents download everything that's theirs, optionally encrypted with their own passphrase.
- No trackers, ads or third-party requests. The exact running source is published on every server.
Screenshots
Host it yourself - free
Download
Latest release: see below
SHA-256: published alongside each download
Install
tar xzf parallelpath-VERSION.tar.gz
cd parallelpath
sudo bash install.shThe interactive installer checks your server first, asks whether this is a new site or a subdomain of a site you already host, sets up HTTPS (Let's Encrypt, an existing certificate, your own, or later), creates your admin account and shows a full summary before changing anything. Existing nginx sites are left untouched.
Prefer Docker? sudo bash docker/setup.sh runs the same hardened setup in non-root, read-only Ubuntu 24.04 containers (database with no network at all, everything connected by sockets).
Server requirements
| Minimum | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | Ubuntu 24.04 / 26.04 LTS |
| CPU | 1 vCPU | 2+ vCPU |
| RAM | 1 GB + swap | 2-4 GB |
| Disk | 10 GB SSD | 40 GB+ SSD |
| Network | Ports 80/443 | + UDP 3478, 49160-49200 for calls |
Optional AI for Tone Check runs best on a separate machine (Ollama / LM Studio on your desktop or a GPU box) - the built-in checker needs almost no resources.
Documentation
Questions
Is it really free?
Yes - free and open source under the GNU AGPL-3.0. No subscriptions, adverts or tracking. You host it yourself.
Do you (DarkCipher Systems) see our data?
No. Each server is run independently by whoever installs it. We don't run your server, and the software never contacts us.
Will a court accept it?
Courts decide what they accept. ParallelPath makes records tamper-evident and reports independently verifiable, which helps - but take legal advice.
Is it finished?
It's beta software, provided as-is. Read the disclaimer and keep backups.