OpenDesk documentation
OpenDesk is a remote desktop app. One computer hosts (shares its screen and accepts input), the other views (sees that screen and controls it). The same app does both. The two computers find each other through a relay, a small server that you can run yourself, and encrypt everything between themselves so the relay can’t read it.
OpenDesk is in beta. The builds aren’t code-signed, and Windows and Linux hosting has had less testing than macOS.
Start here
Section titled “Start here”- Getting started: install the app on Windows, macOS or Linux, get past the unsigned-app warnings, and make a first connection.
- Connecting and the session toolbar: what each toolbar button does, file transfer, recording, and what Direct and Relayed mean.
- Unattended access and 2FA: reach your own computer when nobody is there to click Allow.
- Browser viewer: control a computer from a browser, and what it can’t do yet.
Running and trusting it
Section titled “Running and trusting it”- Self-hosting a relay: Docker Compose with automatic HTTPS, the prebuilt image, and the settings.
- Security model: what is encrypted, what the relay can still see, and the known limits.
- Updates: how the app updates itself.
- Troubleshooting and FAQ: wrong passwords, offline devices, macOS permissions, Linux keyrings and relay errors.
Words used in these docs
Section titled “Words used in these docs”| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Host | The computer being viewed and controlled. |
| Viewer | The computer (or browser) doing the controlling. |
| ID | A 9-digit number that identifies a host, like 482 913 075. |
| Session password | A one-time password shown on the host. It changes after every session. |
| Relay | The server both sides connect to. It forwards encrypted data and can’t decrypt it. |
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