What Is Dino (dino.im)?

Updated

Dino is a modern open-source chat client for the desktop, built on the Jabber/XMPP protocol. It is aimed at desktop users who want decentralized instant messaging with privacy in mind, and it is distributed through the repositories of many Linux distributions. If you already use XMPP or want a desktop client that does not depend on a single provider, Dino is designed for that use case.

What Dino actually is

Dino is a chat client, not a messaging service. It connects to the federated XMPP network, which the project describes as an internet standard for decentralized communication — the instant messaging pendant to email. That means you do not have to rely on a single provider or company; you can use a federated world-wide infrastructure, and you can even host your own server.

The website presents Dino around three main ideas:

  • Encryption. Stay private. Dino is secure by default: chats never leave your computer unencrypted. Once you enable end-to-end encryption via OMEMO or OpenPGP, only you and your chat partners can read your messages — not your server administrator or anyone else. You can also disable read and typing notifications globally or only for specific contacts.
  • Free Software. Being free and open-source, anyone can inspect and modify Dino. It is developed on GitHub by an open community where everyone can contribute through bug reports, translations, or pull requests.
  • Decentralization. Because it is built on XMPP, you are not tied to one provider. The project emphasizes that the infrastructure is powered by the people.

What you can do with it

Based on the release notes highlighted on the site, Dino's feature set has grown across versions:

Version Notable additions
Dino 0.5 Improved file transfers and two completely reworked dialogs
Dino 0.4 Message reactions and replies; switched to GTK4 and libadwaita
Dino 0.3 Video calls and conferences; calls are end-to-end encrypted, peer-to-peer, and compatible with other XMPP applications

So beyond text chat, Dino supports group calls and conferences, and it interoperates with other XMPP applications rather than locking you into its own ecosystem.

Who it is for

Dino fits desktop users who:

  • want a clean and reliable Jabber/XMPP experience;
  • care about privacy and want encryption enabled by default;
  • prefer decentralized communication over a single company's platform;
  • are comfortable installing software from Linux distribution repositories, or want to inspect and modify the source.

It is less suited to people looking for a mobile-first messenger or a service with a single sign-up account managed by one company, since Dino is a client for the federated XMPP world.

How to get started

  1. Get Dino from the repositories of many Linux distributions. The site points to a "Distribution Packages" wiki page for details.
  2. Connect it to an XMPP account. Because XMPP is federated, you can use an existing provider or host your own server.
  3. Enable end-to-end encryption via OMEMO or OpenPGP if you want only you and your chat partners to read messages.
  4. Optionally adjust privacy settings, such as disabling read and typing notifications globally or per contact.

The project also maintains a blog and release posts, so you can follow what's new — for example, the Dino 0.5 release post linked from the site.