**Real-time messaging** – typing indicators, reactions, and threaded replies.
**Voice & video** – calls in communities and DMs with screen sharing, powered by LiveKit.
**Rich media** – link previews, image and video attachments, and GIF search via KLIPY.
**Communities and channels** – text and voice channels organised into categories with granular permissions.
**Custom expressions** – upload custom emojis and stickers for your community.
**Self-hostable** – run your own instance with full control of your data and no vendor lock-in.
> [!NOTE]
> Native mobile apps and federation are top priorities. If you'd like to support this work, [donations](https://fluxer.app/donate) are greatly appreciated. You can also share feedback by emailing developers@fluxer.app.
## Self-hosting
> [!NOTE]
> New to Fluxer? Follow the [self-hosting guide](https://docs.fluxer.app/self-hosting) for step-by-step setup instructions.
TBD
### Deployment helpers
- [`livekitctl`](./fluxer_devops/livekitctl/README.md) – bootstrap a LiveKit SFU for voice and video
## Development
### Tech stack
- [TypeScript](https://www.typescriptlang.org/) and [Node.js](https://nodejs.org/) for backend services
- [Hono](https://hono.dev/) as the web framework for all HTTP services
- [Erlang/OTP](https://www.erlang.org/) for the real-time WebSocket gateway (message routing and presence)
- [React](https://react.dev/) and [Electron](https://www.electronjs.org/) for the desktop and web client
- [Rust](https://www.rust-lang.org/) compiled to WebAssembly for performance-critical client code
- [SQLite](https://www.sqlite.org/) for storage by default, with optional [Cassandra](https://cassandra.apache.org/) for distributed deployments
- [Meilisearch](https://www.meilisearch.com/) for full-text search and indexing
- [Valkey](https://valkey.io/) (Redis-compatible) for caching, rate limiting, and ephemeral coordination
- [LiveKit](https://livekit.io/) for voice and video infrastructure
### Devenv development environment
Fluxer supports development through **devenv** only. It provides a reproducible Nix environment and a single, declarative process manager for the dev stack.
1. Install Nix and devenv using the [devenv getting started guide](https://devenv.sh/getting-started/).
2. Enter the environment:
```bash
devenv shell
```
If you use direnv, the repo includes a `.envrc` that loads devenv automatically – run `direnv allow` once.
### Getting started
Start all services and the development server with:
```bash
devenv up
```
Open the instance in a browser at your dev server URL (e.g. `http://localhost:48763/`).
Emails sent during development (verification codes, notifications, etc.) are captured by a local Mailpit instance. Access the inbox at your dev server URL + `/mailpit/` (e.g. `http://localhost:48763/mailpit/`).
### Voice on a remote VM
If you develop on a remote VM behind Cloudflare Tunnels (or a similar HTTP-only tunnel), voice and video won't work out of the box. Cloudflare Tunnels only proxy HTTP/WebSocket traffic, so WebRTC media transport needs a direct path to the server. Open these ports on the VM's firewall:
| Port | Protocol | Purpose |
| ----------- | -------- | ---------------- |
| 3478 | UDP | TURN/STUN |
| 7881 | TCP | ICE-TCP fallback |
| 50000-50100 | UDP | RTP/RTCP media |
The bootstrap script configures LiveKit automatically based on `domain.base_domain` in your `config.json`. When set to a non-localhost domain, it enables external IP discovery so clients can connect directly for media while signaling continues through the tunnel.
### Devcontainer (experimental)
There is experimental support for developing in a **VS Code Dev Container** / GitHub Codespace without Nix. The `.devcontainer/` directory provides a Docker Compose setup with all required tooling and backing services.
```bash
# Inside the dev container, start all processes:
process-compose -f .devcontainer/process-compose.yml up
```
Open the app at `http://localhost:48763` and the dev email inbox at `http://localhost:48763/mailpit/`. Predefined VS Code debugging targets are available in `.vscode/launch.json`.
> [!WARNING]
> Bluesky OAuth is disabled in the devcontainer because it requires HTTPS. All other features work normally.
### Documentation
To develop the documentation site with live preview:
```bash
pnpm dev:docs
```
## Contributing
Fluxer is **free and open source software** licensed under **AGPLv3**. Contributions are welcome.
See [`CONTRIBUTING.md`](./CONTRIBUTING.md) for development processes and how to propose changes, and [`CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md`](./CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md) for community guidelines.
## Security
Report vulnerabilities at [fluxer.app/security](https://fluxer.app/security). Do not use public issues for security reports.