Ricochet Refresh Server VPS for Anonymous Messaging

Ricochet Refresh is a desktop application by default. Running it on a laptop means the user is only reachable when the laptop is online and on a network that can reach Tor. For collectives and organizations that depend on Ricochet for incident response, an always on VPS provides a stable presence that does not depend on a single operator. Messages queue when the VPS receives them and are forwarded to authorized peers when they connect.

We provide a hardened Linux image with Tor and Ricochet Refresh prebuilt and running under a dedicated unprivileged user. The application has no clearnet exposure and only reaches the Tor SOCKS port on localhost. Remote administration happens over SSH on a non default port or, for higher threat models, only over an admin facing onion.

Operators commonly run multiple Ricochet identities on a single VPS, each in a separate user account, to keep pseudonyms cleanly separated. We supply systemd templates that run each identity under its own unit with isolated home directories, separate Tor data directories, and separate onion v3 keys. A breach of one identity does not implicate the others on the same box.

For organizations that distribute Ricochet IDs publicly, like investigative journalists or human rights defenders, the VPS hosted identity is shared as a tip line and rotates only when operationally necessary. The cost of running a tip line on AnubizHost is a fraction of similar offerings on KYC providers, and the contact remains anonymous from the AnubizHost side as well.

Paying for a Ricochet host with a credit card defeats the entire threat model. AnubizHost accepts Bitcoin, Monero, and stablecoin payments without KYC. Invoices are tied to the anonymous customer account, not to a bank or card processor. We never share customer data with payment networks. For operators whose adversary is well resourced, Monero remains the highest assurance payment method available on our platform.

If a Ricochet identity needs to be retired, the corresponding VPS can be wiped and reissued in minutes. The new VPS receives a fresh onion v3 and fresh Tor authentication, with no carry over from the previous deployment.