Matrix (An open network for secure, decentralized communication) server setup using Ansible and Docker
This Ansible playbook is meant to help you run your own Matrix homeserver, along with the various services related to that.
That is, it lets you join the Matrix network using your own @<username>:<your-domain> identifier, all hosted on your own server (see prerequisites).
We run all services in Docker containers (see the container images we use), which lets us have a predictable and up-to-date setup, across multiple supported distros (see prerequisites) and architectures (x86/amd64 being recommended).
Installation (upgrades) and some maintenance tasks are automated using Ansible (see our Ansible guide).
This Ansible playbook tries to make self-hosting and maintaining a Matrix server fairly easy. Still, running any service smoothly requires knowledge, time and effort.
If you like the FOSS spirit of this Ansible playbook, but prefer to put the responsibility on someone else, you can also get a managed Matrix server from etke.cc - a service built on top of this Ansible playbook, which can help you run a Matrix server with ease.
If you like learning and experimentation, but would rather reduce future maintenance effort, you can even go for a hybrid approach - self-hosting manually using this Ansible playbook at first and then transferring server maintenance to etke.cc at a later time.
Using this playbook, you can get the following list of services configured on your server. Basically, this playbook aims to get you up-and-running with all the necessities around Matrix, without you having to do anything else.
Note: the list below is exhaustive. It includes optional or even some advanced components that you will most likely not need. Sticking with the defaults (which install a subset of the above components) is the best choice, especially for a new installation. You can always re-run the playbook later to add or remove components.
The homeserver is the backbone of your matrix system. Choose one from the following list.
| Name | Default? | Description | Documentation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Synapse | ✓ | Storing your data and managing your presence in the Matrix network | Link |
| Conduit | x | Storing your data and managing your presence in the Matrix network. Conduit is a lightweight open-source server implementation of the Matrix Specification with a focus on easy setup and low system requirements | Link |
| Dendrite | x | Storing your data and managing your presence in the Matrix network. Dendrite is a second-generation Matrix homeserver written in Go, an alternative to Synapse. | Link |
Web clients for matrix that you can host on your own domains.
| Name | Default? | Description | Documentation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Element | ✓ | Web UI, which is configured to connect to your own Synapse server by default | Link |
| Hydrogen | x | Lightweight matrix client with legacy and mobile browser support | Link |
| Cinny | x | Simple, elegant and secure web client | Link |
| SchildiChat | x | Based on Element, with a more traditional instant messaging experience | Link |
Services that run on the server to make the various parts of your installation work.
| Name | Default? | Description | Documentation |
|---|---|---|---|
| PostgreSQL | ✓ | Database for Synapse. Using an external PostgreSQL server is also possible. | Link |
| Coturn | ✓ | STUN/TURN server for WebRTC audio/video calls | Link |
| Traefik | ✓ | Web server, listening on ports 80, 443 and 8448 - standing in front of all the other services. Using your own webserver is possible | Link |
| nginx | x | (Deprecated) Web server, listening on ports 80, 443 and 8448 - standing in front of all the other services. Deprecated in favor of Traefik | Link |
| Let's Encrypt | ✓ | Free SSL certificate, which secures the connection to all components | Link |
| ma1sd | x | Matrix Identity Server | Link |
| Exim | ✓ | Mail server, through which all Matrix services send outgoing email (can be configured to relay through another SMTP server) | Link |
| Dimension | x | An open source integrations manager for matrix clients | Link |
| Sygnal | x | Push gateway | Link |
| ntfy | x | Push notifications server | Link |
Extend and modify how users are authenticated on your homeserver.
| Name | Default? | Description | Documentation |
|---|---|---|---|
| matrix-synapse-rest-auth (advanced) | x | REST authentication password provider module | Link |
| matrix-synapse-shared-secret-auth (advanced) | x | Password provider module | Link |
| matrix-synapse-ldap3 (advanced) | x | LDAP Auth password provider module | Link |
| matrix-ldap-registration-proxy (advanced) | x | A proxy that handles Matrix registration requests and forwards them to LDAP. | Link |
| matrix-registration | x | A simple python application to have a token based matrix registration | Link |
Use alternative file storage to the default media_store folder.
| Name | Default? | Description | Documentation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goofys | x | Amazon S3 (or other S3-compatible object store) storage for Synapse's content repository (media_store) files |
Link |
| synapse-s3-storage-provider | x | Amazon S3 (or other S3-compatible object store) storage for Synapse's content repository (media_store) files |
Link |
| matrix-media-repo | x | matrix-media-repo is a highly customizable multi-domain media repository for Matrix. Intended for medium to large deployments, this media repo de-duplicates media while being fully compliant with the specification. | Link |
Bridges can be used to connect your matrix installation with third-party communication networks.
Bots provide various additional functionality to your installation.
| Name | Default? | Description | Documentation |
|---|---|---|---|
| matrix-reminder-bot | x | Bot for scheduling one-off & recurring reminders and alarms | Link |
| matrix-registration-bot | x | Bot for invitations by creating and managing registration tokens | Link |
| maubot | x | A plugin-based Matrix bot system | Link |
| honoroit | x | A helpdesk bot | Link |
| Postmoogle | x | Email to matrix bot | Link |
| Go-NEB | x | A multi functional bot written in Go | Link |
| Mjolnir | x | A moderation tool for Matrix | Link |
| Draupnir | x | A moderation tool for Matrix (Fork of Mjolnir) | Link |
| Buscarron | x | Web forms (HTTP POST) to matrix | Link |
| matrix-chatgpt-bot | x | ChatGPT from matrix | Link |
Services that help you in administrating and monitoring your matrix installation.
| Name | Default? | Description | Documentation |
|---|---|---|---|
| synapse-admin | x | A web UI tool for administrating users and rooms on your Matrix server | Link |
| Metrics and Graphs | x | Consists of the Prometheus time-series database server, the Prometheus node-exporter host metrics exporter, and the Grafana web UI | Link |
| Borg | x | Backups | Link |
| Rageshake | x | Bug report server | Link |
Various services that don't fit any other category.
| Name | Default? | Description | Documentation |
|---|---|---|---|
| sliding-sync | x | Sliding Sync support for clients which require it (e.g. Element X) | Link |
| synapse_auto_compressor | x | A cli tool that automatically compresses state_groups database table in background. |
Link |
| synapse-simple-antispam (advanced) | x | A spam checker module | Link |
| Matrix Corporal (advanced) | x | Reconciliator and gateway for a managed Matrix server | Link |
| Etherpad | x | An open source collaborative text editor | Link |
| Jitsi | x | An open source video-conferencing platform | Link |
| Cactus Comments | x | A federated comment system built on matrix | Link |
To configure and install Matrix on your own server, follow the README in the docs/ directory.
This playbook evolves over time, sometimes with backward-incompatible changes.
When updating the playbook, refer to the changelog to catch up with what's new.
-
Matrix room: #matrix-docker-ansible-deploy:devture.com
-
IRC channel:
#matrix-docker-ansible-deployon the Libera Chat IRC network (irc.libera.chat:6697) -
GitHub issues: spantaleev/matrix-docker-ansible-deploy/issues
You may also be interested in these other Ansible playbooks:
-
gitea-docker-ansible-deploy - for deploying a Gitea git version-control server
-
nextcloud-docker-ansible-deploy - for deploying a Nextcloud server
-
peertube-docker-ansible-deploy - for deploying a PeerTube video-platform server
-
vaultwarden-docker-ansible-deploy - for deploying a Vaultwarden password manager server (unofficial Bitwarden compatible server)
They're all making use of Traefik as their reverse-proxy, so it should be easy to host all these services on the same server. Follow the docs/configuring-playbook-interoperability.md documentation in each playbook.