get yoursA radical, uncompromising, plug and play personal server, offering one-click installation and simple configuration of open source software services that run over Tor V3. The Embassy is your sovereign territory in the land of the Internet. No technical expertise required.
bitcoin
An innovative payment network and new kind of money. Bitcoin uses peer-to-peer technology to operate with no central authority or banks ‐ managing transactions and the issuing of bitcoins is carried out collectively by the network.
cups
A peer-to-peer, encrypted instant messaging service. Unlike other encrypted messaging services, with Cups there are no central servers or trusted third parties. Messages are relayed by and saved on the two communicating servers and nowhere else.
bitwarden
A password manager for Firefox and Tor Browser that helps you create and manage secure passwords. Bitwarden on the Embassy is totally self-hosted ‐ passwords do not leave the confines of the physical device.
file browser
A file management interface that enables you to store, organize, edit, and share your files. Rather than using a hosted cloud solution, File Browser provides the same benefits but under your control and on your Embassy.
Architecture
privacy without trust
Embassy
The Embassy implements commodity hardware that can be purchased online or at most electronics stores. Our specifications include:
raspberry pi 4b
cortex-a72 cpu
4gb ram
128gb high endurance microsd
bluetooth 5.0
2.4ghz and 5.0ghz ieee 802.11ac wireless
ble internal speaker buzzer for audio feedback
Embassy OS
The Embassy comes pre-installed with Start9's own Embassy OS, a stripped-down and augmented version of Raspbian Buster Lite. Embassy OS handles Embassy setup, owner authentication, Tor Hidden Service management, networking, and the installation, configuration, and hosting of services. Embassy OS is at the core of Start9's technology stack and what makes our unprecedented user experience possible.
TOR
Tor is woven into the fabric of Embassy OS. Each service running on the Embassy receives its own unique Tor Hidden Service address. All communications to and from the Embassy, between Embassies, and between services running on the Embassy are done over Tor. Even potentially compromised Tor exit nodes are kept out of the loop.
Services
The world of free and open source software is rich and expanding. These software solutions are often difficult to install and configure, which is why most of the world runs on trusted third party servers. With the Embassy device and platform, Start9 aims to unleash open source software and usher in a new era of sovereign computing.
As the world has migrated to the cloud, we've lost something critical: digital privacy. For everyone who doesn't care about that, the Embassy won't be interesting. For everyone else, the Embassy is your new best friend.
The Embassy is a project I'm very excited about. With a promising roadmap ahead of powerful applications that empower the individual, Embassy may be the first private server that even your mom will want to run. Simple plug-n-play installation of apps makes the Embassy a delight.
By far the easiest internet connected appliance I've ever set up, and when you consider that it's running a Bitcoin node, an encrypted messaging service, and communicating entirely over TOR... Well that's just crazy impressive.
If you want to support Bitcoin by running Bitcoin Core on your own node it can't and won't get any easier than the Embassy from Start 9. The Embassy is definitely Bitcoin For Boomers approved.
Community
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