GnuPG is the main free implementation of OpenPGP. You generate a key pair, then encrypt or sign files and email so only the holder of the matching key can prove or open them. It runs everywhere. Thunderbird can do basic OpenPGP without a separate GnuPG install. Plugins exist for other mail programs. Key management is […]
age encrypts a file to a small public key, or to an SSH key you already have. Filippo Valsorda designed it to avoid OpenPGP’s ceremony. One command encrypts, one decrypts. The format is documented and several apps speak it. Keys look like short strings starting with age1. It does not do the web of trust, […]
Have I Been Pwned, run by Troy Hunt, tells you if an email address shows up in breaches that have been shared with the site, and it can email you when a new one does. Pwned Passwords is the list managers query when you pick a password. The check uses k-anonymity: the site sees only […]
Deluge splits the BitTorrent work into a daemon and a face: a desktop window, a web page, or a terminal. Plugins add labels, schedules, and stats. It is open source and community run. A home server that downloads while the laptop is closed is the usual reason to pick it. The interface looks dated. Plugins […]
BiglyBT is the continuation of Vuze and Azureus, a Java BitTorrent client with a huge surface: tags, swarm tools, remote control, plugins. If a torrent feature exists, it is probably in a panel somewhere. The project is open source. Java and the dense window are the cost. New users get lost. Many switches interact. The […]
VeraCrypt encrypts a whole disk, a partition, or a file that mounts as a drive. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux. It is the maintained fork of TrueCrypt, which stopped in 2014. Hidden volumes exist so a forced password can open a decoy container. That feature is easy to get wrong and dangerous to […]
PhotoPrism is a self-hosted photo library with search for faces, places, objects, and colors, including RAW files. The recognition runs on your server. It is happy to index a folder you already sync with Nextcloud or Syncthing. It is a catalog, not a phone-backup service and not an offsite copy. The indexer is heavy. A […]
Stingle is a small open-source gallery with end-to-end encrypted backup for photos and videos. The project is not a large cloud company. Devices sync through storage that is supposed to be zero-knowledge, meaning the server holds ciphertext. Small means the apps are plainer than Ente or Immich, and a thin team is a bus-factor risk. […]
qBittorrent is a free, open-source BitTorrent client without ads or bundled offers. Search plugins, RSS, and sequential download are built in. It runs on the major desktops. The protocol is legal. The files you share may not be. That part is yours. The swarm sees your IP address. A VPN does not help until you […]
Transmission is a small open-source BitTorrent client, common on macOS and Linux desktops, with a daemon for a server that has no screen. It does less than qBittorrent on purpose. Remote control exists for a headless box. In 2016 the project’s Mac website was compromised and served a malicious installer. That was the download page, […]
BellCrier breach check
Most people are, and never hear about it. BellCrier checks your email against known data breaches for free, then alerts you when it turns up in a new one, with exactly what leaked and how to fix it.
