FAQ
Contents
Installation and configuration
How do I install Bitmessage?
A great write up for setting up and using Bitmessage can be found Here. Currently Bitmessage is Windows only. Other platform support is still under development. Several examples of how to install Bitmessage on *nix and OSX platforms can be found in the forums.
How do I become a node to help the network?
If your connection indicator is green then you are already accepting incoming connections and helping the Bitmessage network.
If your connection indicator is yellow, check your firewall settings and port forwarding to make sure incoming connections are allowed to your machine on the correct port (Default TCP 8444).
You can click on the indicator for more information about each color.
Why is my Connection Indicator Yellow?
Bitmessage will work normally with a yellow indicator. If your indicator is yellow, you can have up to 8 connections and you are not acting as a relay node for the network. To make your indicator green and act as a relaying node for the Bitmessage network, please forward TCP port 8444 (default).
How do I setup Bitessage to work with Tor?
Tor
If you are using the Tor Browser Bundle skip to the next section. In order for Bitmessage to use Tor as a proxy follow these steps.
- Navigate to Settings > Network Settings and select SOCKS5 from the Type: drop down under the Proxy server / Tor section.
- Next to 'Server hostname:' enter 'localhost' and next to 'Port:' enter '9050'.
- Select ok.
- Restart Bitmessage.
Tor Browser Bundle
- Navigate to Settings > Network Settings and select SOCKS5 from the Type: drop down under the Proxy server / Tor section.
- Next to 'Server hostname:' enter 'localhost' and next to 'Port:' enter '9150'.
- Select ok.
- Restart Bitmessage.
Usage
How many connections should I have?
As long as you have at least one connection, you can communicate with the network. If your connection indicator is yellow, you can have a maximum of 8 connections.
Can I send a message to someone that is offline?
Yes. However, if you go offline then they must come back online within 2 days of the message being sent. Nodes delete data, and do not accept data, older than 2 days.
How does Bitmessage work?
Startup
When you first start Bitmessage, your client connects itself to the network and starts downloading a list of known nodes. Each new node that you connect to shares its list of known nodes. In addition to the known nodes, you will also start receiving person-to-person messages, broadcasts, and public keys. If any of these messages are bound for you, they will be shown in your inbox. All of this data is exchanged between all of your connections to make sure that everyone has a copy.
Sending a Message
When you send a message, your client must first compute a Proof of Work (POW). This POW helps mitigate spam on the network. Nodes and other clients will not process your message if it does not show sufficient POW. After the POW is complete, your message is shared to all of your connections which in turn share it with all of their connections.
Where can I find more documentation about Bitmessage?
How does Bitmessage compare to other messaging methods?
Here is a table comparing Bitmessage to other common messaging services.
| Trustless | P2P | Open Source | Requires Proof of Work | Hide Sender? | Hide Receiver? | Mobile Version | Application or Web Based | Text Only Messages | Attachments | Acknowledge delivery | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bitmessage | Yes | Yes | MIT | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Application | No | Small only | Yes |
| Standard Email | No | Depends | No | No | No | Yes | Both | No | Yes | No | |
| Email + GPG | Yes | No | Depends | No | No | No | Yes | Application | Yes | No | No |
| OTR | Yes | No | GPL V2.1 | No | No | No | Yes | Application | Yes | No | |
| TorChat | Yes | Yes | GPL | No | Yes | Yes | No | Application | Yes | Yes | |
| Skype | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Application | No | Yes | |
| Scayl | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Alpha | Application | No | Very Large | |
| I2P Bote | Yes | Yes | GPL V3 | No | Yes | No | No | Application | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| CryptoCat | No | No | GPL | No | No | No | Yes | Both | Yes | No | |
| IRC | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Both | Yes | No | ||
| SMS | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Application | No | Yes | No | |
| RetroShare | |||||||||||
| Freenet + Frost | Yes | Yes | GPL | No | Yes | Yes | No | Application | Yes | Yes | |
| Freenet + FMS | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Application | Yes | No | ||
| Freenet + Freemail 0.2 | No | Yes | GPL | No | No | No | No | Application | No | Yes | No |
| Freenet + FLIP | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | Application | Yes | No |
Troubleshooting
My Connection Indicator is Red
Check your connection settings. Can you access the internet? Have you allowed Bitmessage through your firewall? Have you tried a different port number under Settings > Network Settings? Sometimes Bitmessage takes time to connect to the network. Please allow at least 30 minutes for it to connect before posting to the forum.
If none of that works, please visit the forum here.
I have not received a reply from the Echo Server
- Your connection indicator should be yellow or green.
- Make sure that your POW is complete and the message has been sent. You should see an acknowledgement under "Status" on the "Sent" tab.
- On average it should take 8 minutes from the time you click the send button to the time you receive a response. Be sure to allow extra time in the event that the server is under heavy traffic.
- You can always send a message to another echo server. Here are two additional echo addresses:
- BM-orkCbppXWSqPpAxnz6jnfTZ2djb5pJKDb
- BM-omXeTjutKWmYgQJjmoZjAG3u3NmaLEdZK
If you still do not receive a response, visit the forum to see if there is a current technical issue or to submit a new request for assistance.
