# Shimmer

> Shimmer is a human-first, end-to-end encrypted social platform for trusted circles. It emphasizes authentic human connection through invite-only communities with cryptographic verification, trust lineage mapping, and a "Choose Your Vibes" theming system.

Shimmer is a web application at https://shimmer.ing. It is not open to public registration — users join through invitation by verified humans, creating a chain of trust (lineage). Every member must pass human verification; AI and bot accounts are never allowed.

## Core Features

- [Circles](https://shimmer.ing): Encrypted group conversations within invite-only communities. Each circle has its own symmetric encryption key, rotated automatically when membership changes.
- [Direct Messages](https://shimmer.ing): Private one-to-one encrypted messaging between verified humans.
- [Tapestry](https://shimmer.ing): Interactive network visualization showing how your circles interconnect. Includes depth-based exploration (1-7 levels), a "Circles Only" view, and connectors who bridge multiple communities.
- [Trust Map](https://shimmer.ing): Heatmap showing interconnectivity strength between circles, highlighting strongest connectors and isolated members.
- [Discover](https://shimmer.ing): Human-curated circle discovery. Named curators surface circles to their network with themed recommendations. No algorithmic ranking — discovery is social, not computed.
- [Lineage](https://shimmer.ing): Visual tree of invitation chains showing how each member joined the network, preserving the trust graph.
- [Choose Your Vibes](https://shimmer.ing): Seven visual themes (Shimmer, Solarpunk, Midnight, Rosewood, Coastal, Neon, Parchment) that completely reskin the interface with unique color palettes, typography, and aesthetics. Each theme has light and dark variants.

## Architecture

- **Frontend**: React SPA with D3.js visualizations, CSS custom properties for theming, Vite build system
- **Backend**: Python FastAPI with SQLite database
- **Encryption**: PyNaCl (libsodium) for end-to-end encryption with per-circle symmetric keys
- **Human Verification**: Email, SMS, WebAuthn, and optional KYC verification
- **Hosting**: shimmer.ing via GreenGeeks shared hosting with cPanel Passenger WSGI

## Key Principles

- Every interaction is human-to-human. No bots, no AI accounts.
- End-to-end encryption for all messages. Keys are rotated on membership changes.
- Invite-only with trust lineage. Every member traces back through a chain of verified humans.
- Privacy by default. Minimal data collection, no advertising, no data sales.

## Optional

- [GitHub Repository](https://github.com/ellen-gambrell/shimmerchat): Source code and development history