Endurain: Self-hosted Strava like service

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

A new open-source project, Endurain, aims to provide a self-hosted alternative interface to fitness-tracking platforms like Strava, sparking interest from users who want more control over their activity data and privacy. Commenters question its reliance on Strava’s API, note gaps such as smartwatch integrations and missing screenshots, and point out potential legal and technical limits of cloning Strava-like features. The conversation broadens into how social and privacy trade-offs shape fitness platforms, and how tools like ChatGPT are increasingly used by non-professional developers to build complex web apps.

Project positioning, README, and UX

  • Many commenters like the idea but feel the README is weak:
    • Lacks screenshots and a live demo.
    • Assumes familiarity with Strava; several ask for a one-line description of what the app itself does, not just “Strava-like.”
  • Some are confused whether this is:
    • A true self-hosted Strava replacement, or
    • Mainly an alternative frontend/backup for Strava data.
      Clarification is requested early in the README/title.

Dependence on Strava and API/legal concerns

  • A number of comments note that if data must first go to Strava, this isn’t a full replacement.
  • One commenter points to Strava’s API agreement, which forbids replicating Strava’s features, and suggests this project may be in a legally gray area if it mirrors too much functionality.

Smartwatch and data integration

  • A key missing capability: direct, automatic import from smartwatches and vendor platforms.
  • Current workaround appears to be: device → vendor cloud (Garmin, Suunto, Apple, etc.) → Strava → Endurain.
  • Discussion of:
    • Apple Watch via Health app and/or Strava app.
    • Garmin’s official API (business-focused, hard for hobby projects).
    • Reverse-engineered libraries for Garmin.
    • Tools like RunGap, Gadgetbridge, and custom exports/GPX workflows.
  • Several note that a web app can technically integrate directly if APIs or reverse-engineered clients are used.

Strava’s role: social, segments, privacy, and cost

  • Explanations for readers unfamiliar with Strava: fitness tracking plus strong social-network aspect.
  • “Segments” (time comparisons on defined route sections) are seen as the killer feature and a main reason people pay; some want an open, central segment hub.
  • Opinions split on value of Strava’s subscription:
    • Some say $80/year is minor relative to gear costs.
    • Others find little added value over watch ecosystems and cancel.
  • Multiple comments on privacy/security risks:
    • Revealing home locations, expensive gear, and regular routes.
    • Military bases and sensitive sites exposed by heatmaps.
    • Risks for vulnerable users (e.g., women running alone).
    • Mitigations: default start/end location fuzzing, privacy controls, pseudonyms, delayed uploads.

Alternatives and related projects

  • Mentioned tools: intervals.icu, Golden Cheetah, Runalyze (older OSS), GPX-based CLI tools, cubetrek, football-specific Strava-like apps.
  • Distinctions drawn between:
    • Social platforms (Strava-like) and
    • Deep training/analysis tools (e.g., Golden Cheetah, intervals.icu).

Implementation quality, AI assistance, and security

  • The author (per README) is not a professional developer and used ChatGPT heavily; commenters:
    • Praise the achievement and honesty.
    • Emphasize that all developers make mistakes; what matters is finding and fixing them quickly with tests, linters, CI, type systems.
  • Some worry about security:
    • Noting SHA-2 for password hashing and PHP as potential red flags.
    • Others argue fear of future bugs shouldn’t stop shipping and learning.

Architecture, federation, and Fediverse

  • Several suggest building on XMPP or ActivityPub for federation and interoperability.
  • Some explicitly want an ActivityPub-based, FOSS Strava alternative.
  • It is unclear from the thread whether Endurain currently supports any Fediverse protocol.

Name and cycling-culture side discussion

  • The name “Endurain” is praised as a play on “endurance” and a famous cyclist’s surname; alternative puns (“endure the rain,” “Endurian”) are proposed.
  • A tangent dives into 1990s cycling physiology, EPO-era doping, and associated health risks, mostly as context for the name reference.