ForgeDesk 🛡️⚡

ForgeDesk is a modern, high-performance, open-source remote desktop application designed as a private, self-hosted alternative to TeamViewer and AnyDesk.

ForgeDesk puts you in complete control of your own data, eliminating commercial telemetry, subscription paywalls, and closed-source relay servers. It connects peers out-of-the-box using a simple 9-digit ID and password, with seamless support for both the public network and completely isolated, self-hosted private rendezvous/relay servers.

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✨ Features

• 🚀 Performance-First Rust Core: Ultra-fast desktop capture, hardware-accelerated JPEG/tile compression, and asynchronous I/O driven by Tokio.
• 🎨 Modern Cross-Platform GUI: Built with Flutter featuring a sleek, responsive dark glassmorphism interface with fluid micro-animations.
• 🔢 Out-of-the-box ID & Password: Connect to any computer simply by entering their 9-digit ForgeDesk ID and one-time password.
• 🌐 Self-Hosted or Public Server:
  • Public Network: Default fallback for zero-configuration, instant connections.
  • Self-Hosted Server (forgedesk-server): Deploy your own rendezvous and relay node on your private VPS, Docker, or local LAN with full privacy.
• 🔒 Security & Privacy by Design:
  • End-to-end encrypted packet transmission.
  • One-time dynamic passwords + permanent access password support.
  • Access control policies (toggle remote input, clipboard sync, view-only mode).
• 🖥️ Remote Control Viewer:
  • Aspect-ratio responsive canvas (Fit to Window, 100% 1:1, Stretch).
  • Low-latency mouse tracking, scroll wheel, and full keyboard event forwarding.
  • Quick actions: Ctrl + Alt + Del, Lock Workstation, and Taskbar toggling.
  • Real-time in-session text chat and clipboard synchronization.
  • Live telemetry overlay: FPS, latency (ms), and network bitrate (kbps).
• 📱 True Cross-Platform: Structured for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS.

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🏛️ Architecture Overview

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                                  ForgeDesk Node                                   |
|                                                                                   |
|  +----------------------------+             +----------------------------------+  |
|  |     Flutter Frontend       |  WebSocket  |        ForgeDesk Core Daemon     |  |
|  |  (Windows/macOS/Linux/App) | <=========> |     (Capture / Input / Stream)   |  |
|  |  - Dashboard & Controls    |  IPC Port   |  - Win32/X11/Quartz Capture      |  |
|  |  - Remote Session Canvas   |    48123    |  - SendInput / Input Injection   |  |
|  |  - Telemetry & Chat Drawer |             |  - Frame Encoder (JPEG/Delta)    |  |
|  +----------------------------+             +-----------------+----------------+  |
+---------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------+
                                                                |
                                             Signaling & Relay  |
                                          (Port 21115 / 21117)  |
                                                                v
                                              +----------------------------------+
                                              |        forgedesk-server          |
                                              |    (Self-Hosted Rendezvous)      |
                                              |  - Peer ID Registration          |
                                              |  - NAT Traversal & Punching      |
                                              |  - Zero-Knowledge Relay Stream   |
                                              +----------------------------------+

Repository Structure

• crates/forgedesk-core: The core library containing the network protocol, GDI/DirectX desktop capture engine, input simulator, session lifecycle, and local IPC bridge.
• crates/forgedesk-server: Standalone, lightweight daemon providing Rendezvous (signaling) and Relay services for self-hosting.
• crates/forgedesk-ffi: C-ABI shared library (forgedesk_ffi.dll / .so / .dylib) for native bindings.
• crates/forgedesk-cli: Headless CLI tool to run the background service or host headless nodes.
• frontend/: The Flutter client application targeting Windows, macOS, Linux, Web, Android, and iOS.
• deploy/: Dockerfile, Docker Compose file, and server configuration templates.
• scripts/: Automated build and launch scripts for Windows and POSIX systems.

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🚀 Quick Start

1. Launching the Client

To launch the ForgeDesk client on Windows:

# Run using the automated script:
scripts\run_client.bat

# Or run manually:
# Step 1: Start background daemon
cargo run --bin forgedesk-cli -- bridge --port 48123

# Step 2: Launch Flutter GUI
cd frontend
flutter run -d windows

2. Hosting a Connection

1. Launch ForgeDesk.
2. In the "This Device" card, note your 9-Digit ID (e.g. 496 835 401) and One-Time Password.
3. Share your ID and password with your trusted partner.
4. Ensure the Host Service switch is enabled.

3. Controlling a Remote Machine

1. In the "Control Remote Desk" section, enter the partner's 9-Digit ID.
2. Enter their password.
3. Select your quality preset (Balanced, Low Latency, Ultra HD, or View Only).
4. Click "Connect to Remote Desk".

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🐳 Self-Hosting Guide

Run your own relay and rendezvous server with full control over server location, network speed, and privacy.

Method A: Docker Compose (Recommended)

1. Navigate to the deploy/ directory:

   cd deploy
   docker-compose up -d --build

2. Your server is now running on:
   • Rendezvous Service: ws://<YOUR_SERVER_IP>:21115
   • Relay Service: ws://<YOUR_SERVER_IP>:21117

Method B: Standalone Binary

Compile and run forgedesk-server directly on your server:

cargo build --release --bin forgedesk-server

# Run with custom ports and optional auth key
./target/release/forgedesk-server \
  --bind 0.0.0.0 \
  --rendezvous-port 21115 \
  --relay-port 21117 \
  --server-key "your-private-secret-token"

Method C: Configure Client for Self-Hosting

1. Open the ForgeDesk GUI.
2. Click the Gear icon (⚙️) in the top right to open Server & Privacy Settings.
3. Select "Private Self-Hosted Server".
4. Enter your server's IP/domain and ports:
   • Rendezvous Server: your-server.company.com:21115
   • Relay Server: your-server.company.com:21117
   • Server Key: your-private-secret-token (if configured)
5. Click "Save Configuration". Both peers will now route exclusively through your private infrastructure.

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🛠️ Building from Source

Prerequisites

• Rust toolchain (1.80+): rustup default stable
• Flutter SDK (3.24+): flutter doctor
• C/C++ Build Tools: MinGW-w64 (GCC) or Visual Studio MSVC on Windows; build-essential on Linux; Xcode CLI on macOS.

Building All Components

On Windows:

scripts\build_all.bat

On Linux / macOS:

chmod +x scripts/build_all.sh
./scripts/build_all.sh

Cross-Platform Targets

• Desktop (Windows / Linux / macOS):

  cd frontend
  flutter build windows
  flutter build linux
  flutter build macos

• Mobile (Android / iOS):

  cd frontend
  flutter build apk --release
  flutter build ipa --release

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🔐 Security Specifications

Feature	Implementation
ID Format	9-digit spaced integer (xxx xxx xxx)
Authentication	Dynamic cryptographic challenge + SHA-256 password hash
Transport Encryption	TLS 1.3 / End-to-End WebSocket stream
Relay Privacy	Zero-knowledge payload routing (server cannot decrypt frames)
Input Sandboxing	Host-configurable input permissions (Mouse, Keyboard, Clipboard)

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📄 License

ForgeDesk is open-source software licensed under the MIT License. Feel free to fork, customize, and self-host for personal or enterprise use.