We built a P2P app with no servers. 1M users didn't miss them [Video]
The video showcases a peer-to-peer application built without any central servers, which successfully attracted over one million users. It explores how the app functions entirely through direct user connections and the implications of serverless architecture.
Background
This video is from the LOCALS CODE TALK channel, run by an indie developer who built a peer-to-peer (P2P) messaging app called "Near" entirely without servers — meaning no company-owned backend, cloud, or central database. "Serverless" usually means using cloud functions (e.g. AWS Lambda); here it means truly serverless: devices connect directly via WebRTC and a DHT (distributed hash table) for discovery. The project attracted over 1 million users and is a proof-of-concept that decentralized, privacy-focused apps can scale. Key context: mainstream messaging apps (WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram) still rely on servers for message relay, user lookup, and push notifications, making them vulnerable to surveillance, censorship, or shutdown. Near showed that a P2P alternative is technically viable, though it faced challenges like NAT traversal (getting through firewalls) and battery drain on mobile. The video also discusses the trade-offs — no moderation, no account recovery, no offline messages — that pure P2P imposes.