A free and open source alternative Twitter front-end focused on privacy.
Inspired by the invidio.us project.
- No JavaScript or ads
- All requests go through the backend, client never talks to Twitter
- Prevents Twitter from tracking your IP or JavaScript fingerprint
- Unofficial API (no rate limits or developer account required)
- AGPLv3 licensed, no proprietary instances permitted
- Dark theme
- Lightweight (for @nim_lang, 36KB vs 580KB from twitter.com)
git clone https://github.com/zedeus/nitter
cd nitter
nimble build
To run, ./nitter
. It's currently not possible to change any settings or things
like the title, this will change as the project matures a bit. For now the focus
is on implementing missing features.
- "Show Thread" button
- Twitter "Cards" (link previews)
- Nitter link previews
- Search (+ hashtag search)
- Emoji support (WIP, needs font)
- Twitter polls
- Server configuration
- Simple account system with feed (excludes retweets)
- Hiding retweets from timelines
- Video support with hls.js
- Media-only view
- Themes
- File caching
- Json API endpoints
- Nitter logo
It's basically impossible to use Twitter without JavaScript enabled. If you try, you're redirected to the legacy mobile version which is awful both functionally and aesthetically. For privacy-minded folks, preventing JavaScript analytics and potential IP-based tracking is important, but apart from using the legacy mobile version and a VPN, it's impossible. Using an instance of Nitter (hosted on a VPS for example), you can essentially browse Twitter without JavaScript, while retaining your privacy. In the future a simple account system will be added that lets you follow Twitter users, allowing you to have a clean chronological timeline without needing a Twitter account.