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Aeterna

Some messages should only arrive if you cannot send them yourself, and Aeterna is a self-hosted dead man's switch that makes sure they do. You write the messages, attach the files that matter, name the people who should receive them, and check in on a rhythm you choose. Keep checking in and nothing happens. Stop, and Aeterna delivers what you left behind. Each switch pairs your words with documents, photos, or instructions for specific recipients, and switches can address multiple recipients so one message can reach a partner, a sibling, and a lawyer at the same time. File attachments are stored encrypted and are automatically deleted from the server right after delivery, so sensitive material does not linger once it has done its job. Check-ins take seconds through the web interface or a quick link in your email, which keeps the heartbeat habit painless. When a switch fires it can also call webhooks, triggering home automation or custom scripts alongside the emails. Your SMTP settings live in the settings screen with live testing, and reverse proxy templates for Nginx, Traefik, and Caddy help you put the service behind your own domain with proper certificates. Running on a dedicated VPS on RepoCloud with guaranteed CPU, RAM, and SSD, full root SSH access, and a browser serial console. GPL-3.0 licensed.

Aeterna
Aeterna
Aeterna
Aeterna

Benefits

  • Your Words Arrive Anyway
  • If you stop checking in, Aeterna sends your prepared messages and files to the people you named. The delivery does not depend on anyone finding a password or guessing your wishes.
  • Encrypted Until The Moment
  • Messages and attachments rest under AES-256-GCM encryption on your server, decrypt only at delivery, and attachments are deleted from disk immediately afterward. Nothing readable lingers.
  • Check In In Seconds
  • The heartbeat is deliberately trivial: open the web interface or tap a quick link in your email. A check-in habit that takes seconds is one you will actually keep.
  • More Than Email Fires
  • Alongside recipient emails, a triggered switch can call webhooks into home automation or custom scripts. Your digital legacy can lock doors, archive accounts, or notify services too.

Features

  • Dead Man's Switches
  • Create switches pairing messages and recipients with your own check-in interval. Miss the heartbeat and delivery happens automatically, to one recipient or many at once.
  • Encrypted File Attachments
  • Attach documents, photos, and instructions with SMTP validated at creation. Files sit encrypted at rest and are permanently deleted immediately after successful delivery.
  • Webhook Triggers
  • Fire external services when a switch activates: home automation, custom scripts, or any HTTP endpoint. Email delivery and automation happen together on the same trigger.
  • Optional Database Encryption
  • Beyond per-message AES-256-GCM, the whole SQLite database file can be encrypted with automatic migration between plain and encrypted modes, keyed from a protected secrets file.
  • Guided Installation Wizard
  • A one-click install script sets up Docker containers, generates your encryption key, and offers production mode with reverse proxy and Let's Encrypt, or a simple local mode.

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