RetroShare Server VPS for Always On F2F Networks

RetroShare networks rely on the friend graph staying reachable. If all friends are on laptops, the network is only as available as the laptops themselves. An always on VPS acts as a stable rendezvous: messages queue when peers are offline and are delivered when they reconnect. We deploy RetroShare in headless mode on Debian stable with a dedicated unprivileged user, no clearnet exposure on the JSON API, and SSH limited to a non default port.

Operators who maintain the central node for a small group commonly use the VPS as the durable mailbox of the network. The operator's friends connect on schedule and synchronize forum state, file lists, and mail through the always on node.

RetroShare encrypts content end to end inside the friend graph but the operator of a hosted node is only anonymous if the hosting is. AnubizHost provides anonymous signup, crypto only billing, and no KYC. The RetroShare identity is independent of the AnubizHost account and is only shared inside the friend graph the operator chose. The hosting layer cannot serve as a backchannel for identity correlation.

Crypto only billing through Bitcoin or Monero keeps the financial trail out of mainstream surveillance pipelines. Operators in regions with active intelligence interest in P2P networks find this critical.

RetroShare nodes accumulate state over years: forum posts, mail archives, file lists, and channel content. We size offshore VPS for long term retention with NVMe storage from 80 GB at the entry tier up to several terabytes for larger groups. Backups can be encrypted at rest and shipped to a separate AnubizHost storage VPS for off site retention without breaking the friend graph anonymity model.

If the node operator changes within a collective, the VPS and the RetroShare identity can transfer to a new pseudonymous AnubizHost account without forcing disclosure of the old identity. Continuity of friend graph state is preserved through the transfer.