CLI Relay Build (Go/Rust/C++) for Headless Deployment on Raspberry Pi

[amark2005]

I'd like to propose a CLI-only version of BitChat, written in Go, Rust, or C++, that can be compiled and run headlessly on devices like the Raspberry Pi.

The core idea is to let a Raspberry Pi act as a dedicated relay node rather than requiring another phone running the app to extend the mesh. Essentially, the Pi would function as a small, independent relay station for the network, passing messages between users who are otherwise out of range of each other, extending the effective coverage area of the mesh.

To make this genuinely useful, the relay would ideally support communication over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), the same unlicensed bands phones already use natively, so no special hardware or carrier involvement is needed on the client side. For longer range, it could optionally support LoRa (via an add-on HAT) as a backhaul between relay nodes, which operates in license-free ISM bands (433/868/915 MHz depending on region) and is a common, legal approach for exactly this kind of extended mesh relay use case.

A lightweight CLI build would make this kind of deployment much more practical — no display, no GUI dependencies, just a background process that keeps the relay alive and forwards traffic.

Curious to hear thoughts from the maintainers and community on feasibility, particularly around how a Pi-based relay would fit into the existing mesh protocol, and whether LoRa backhaul is worth exploring for extended-range hops between relay nodes.