Backspace # Backspace **An open, self-hosted communication platform — text, voice, video, and federation — that you own.** [![License: Elastic License 2.0](https://img.shields.io/badge/license-Elastic%20License%202.0-2563eb.svg)](LICENSE) [![TypeScript](https://img.shields.io/badge/TypeScript-strict-3178c6.svg)](https://www.typescriptlang.org/) [![Node.js](https://img.shields.io/badge/node-%E2%89%A520-339933.svg)](https://nodejs.org/) [![Status](https://img.shields.io/badge/status-active%20development-f59e0b.svg)](#project-status)
--- Backspace is a Discord-style chat platform you run on your own hardware. Spaces, channels, roles, voice and video, screen sharing, direct messages, friends, file sharing, and full-text search — plus **server-to-server federation**, so independent Backspace instances can talk to each other while each stays under its own control. It is **source-available**: free to self-host, modify, and use — including inside a business — but not to resell as a hosted service. See [License](#license) for the exact terms. > **Project status** > Backspace is in active development and runs on live test instances, but has not > had a tagged public release yet. Expect rough edges, and pin to a specific > commit if you deploy it. ## Screenshots _Screenshots coming soon._ ## Features ### Communication - Real-time text channels over WebSocket - Voice and video channels via [LiveKit](https://livekit.io/) - Screen sharing with configurable quality (VP9, up to 4K/120fps depending on instance limits) - Direct messages — 1-on-1 and group DMs (up to 10 people) - DM voice/video calls with ring / accept / reject - Message reactions, replies, editing, and deletion - Markdown formatting with syntax highlighting - Typing indicators, read states, and presence - Rich link embeds (YouTube, Vimeo, Spotify, and generic OpenGraph) with SSRF-protected scraping - GIF search (Klipy) ### Organization - Spaces with channel categories and folders - Role-based permissions — bitwise RBAC with category- and channel-level overrides - Customizable user sidebar layout - Space discovery (public, request-to-join, and private) - Shareable invite codes ### Social - Friend requests and friendships - User search and discovery - Mutual friends and mutual spaces - User profiles with banner, bio, and accent color ### Moderation - Bans with reason and audit trail - Voice restrictions (space-level mute/deafen, persisted) - Member move and force-disconnect - Join-request approval for gated spaces ### Federation - Multi-instance peering with HMAC-signed server-to-server requests - Federated identity resolution (`username@instance`) - Cross-instance DMs — messages, reactions, and membership relay - Cross-instance friends and presence - File replication with size validation - Background workers for outbox delivery, file download, peer health, and cleanup ### Platform - File uploads with image thumbnails (via `sharp`) - Full-text search with `from:`, `has:`, `before:`, and `after:` filters, plus jump-to-message - Admin panel — user management, storage management, streaming/quality config, instance settings - Automatic SQLite backups (pre-migration, scheduled, and manual) with restore tooling - Electron desktop app (Windows, macOS, Linux) with global keybinds and activity detection - Mobile-responsive web UI - Account management — password change and account deletion with safeguards ## Quick Start The fastest path for a real deployment is the interactive installer, which generates your `.env`, configures HTTPS, and optionally enables voice. ```bash git clone https://github.com/TheZwiss/backspace.git cd backspace ./install.sh ``` The installer asks for your domain, generates a secure `JWT_SECRET`, and brings the stack up with Docker. When it finishes, open `https://your-domain` and **create the first account — it automatically becomes the instance admin.** There is no default username or password. ### Manual Docker deployment If you'd rather configure it yourself: ```bash git clone https://github.com/TheZwiss/backspace.git cd backspace cp .env.example .env # Set DOMAIN, and generate a secret: echo "JWT_SECRET=$(openssl rand -hex 32)" >> .env docker compose up -d ``` The stack runs three services via Docker Compose: | Service | Role | |-------------|---------------------------------------------------| | `backspace` | The app (API + WebSocket + built web client) on internal port `3000` | | `caddy` | Reverse proxy with automatic HTTPS for your `DOMAIN` (ports `80`/`443`) | | `livekit` | Voice/video server — optional, enabled with `COMPOSE_PROFILES=voice` | Point your domain's DNS at the host and open ports `80`/`443`. Caddy obtains a TLS certificate automatically. The first account you register becomes admin. ### Backups & restore The app takes automatic SQLite snapshots (before every migration, on a schedule, and on demand via `./backup.sh`). Restore from a snapshot with `./restore.sh`. See [`docs/systems/deployment.md`](docs/systems/deployment.md) for the full backup/restore and image-pinning guide. ## Development Requirements: **Node.js 20+** and **pnpm 8+**. ```bash pnpm install cp .env.example .env # set JWT_SECRET (openssl rand -hex 32) pnpm dev # API server on :3005, Vite dev server on :5173 ``` Run the halves separately if you prefer: ```bash pnpm dev:server # API + WebSocket on :3005 pnpm dev:web # Vite dev server on :5173 ``` Build everything for production (shared types → server → web): ```bash pnpm build ``` In production the server serves the built web client directly. ## Configuration All configuration is via environment variables (see [`.env.example`](.env.example)). The most important: | Variable | Required | Default | Description | |----------------------|----------|-------------|-------------| | `DOMAIN` | yes | — | Public domain name of your instance | | `JWT_SECRET` | yes | — | Auth signing secret, **min 32 chars** (`openssl rand -hex 32`) | | `PORT` | no | `3000` | App listen port (behind Caddy in Docker) | | `HOST` | no | `0.0.0.0` | Bind address | | `REGISTRATION_OPEN` | no | `true` | Set `false` to close signups after setup | | `MAX_UPLOAD_SIZE` | no | `104857600` | Max upload size in bytes (100 MB) | | `LIVEKIT_URL` / `LIVEKIT_API_KEY` / `LIVEKIT_API_SECRET` | no | — | Enable voice/video | | `COMPOSE_PROFILES` | no | — | Set to `voice` to start the bundled LiveKit service | ## Voice & Video Voice, video, and screen sharing require a [LiveKit](https://livekit.io/) server. The Docker Compose file bundles one — enable it by setting these in `.env`: ```bash COMPOSE_PROFILES=voice LIVEKIT_URL=wss://your-domain LIVEKIT_API_KEY=your-api-key LIVEKIT_API_SECRET=your-api-secret ``` Without LiveKit configured, everything else — text, federation, DMs, uploads, search — works fully; only voice/video channels won't connect. ## Federation Backspace instances can peer with each other so users on different servers can become friends, DM, and call across instances, while each instance stays independently owned and operated. Peering is mutual and authenticated with HMAC-signed requests; identities are addressed as `username@instance`. Manage peers from the **Connections** panel in settings. The protocol is documented in [`docs/systems/federation.md`](docs/systems/federation.md) and [`docs/systems/client-federation.md`](docs/systems/client-federation.md). ## Desktop App The Electron desktop app wraps the web client and adds a system tray, native notifications, global keybinds, and activity detection. ```bash cd packages/desktop pnpm build:ts # compile TypeScript pnpm dev # run in development pnpm build # package for distribution ``` Cross-platform builds are produced for Windows, macOS, and Linux. See [`docs/systems/desktop.md`](docs/systems/desktop.md). ## Architecture Backspace is a TypeScript monorepo managed with pnpm workspaces. ``` packages/ shared/ — Shared types, permission bits, constants server/ — Fastify API + WebSocket server, Drizzle/SQLite, federation web/ — React 18 SPA (Vite, Tailwind, Zustand) desktop/ — Electron wrapper ``` | Layer | Technology | |--------------|------------| | Server | Node.js 20+, Fastify 4, TypeScript (strict) | | Database | SQLite (better-sqlite3) + Drizzle ORM | | Auth | JWT + bcrypt | | Frontend | React 18, Vite 6, Tailwind CSS 3, Zustand 5 | | Voice/Video | LiveKit | | Media | sharp (thumbnails), Cheerio (embeds) | | Desktop | Electron 40 | | Deployment | Docker Compose + Caddy (auto-HTTPS) | Every subsystem has a dedicated specification under [`docs/systems/`](docs/systems/) — database schema, REST API, WebSocket protocol, federation, permissions, voice, the design system, and more. **These are the reference for how Backspace works**; start there if you want to understand or extend a subsystem. ## Contributing Contributions are welcome. Please read [`CONTRIBUTING.md`](CONTRIBUTING.md) first. All contributors sign a [Contributor License Agreement](CLA.md) — a one-time comment on your pull request, handled automatically by a bot. You keep copyright to your work; the CLA grants the maintainer the rights needed to use and relicense the project. ## Security If you discover a security vulnerability, please **do not** open a public issue. Instead, report it privately to the maintainer via a GitHub security advisory on this repository, or by direct contact. We'll work with you on a fix and coordinated disclosure. ## License Backspace is licensed under the **[Elastic License 2.0](LICENSE)**. In plain terms: - ✅ You may self-host, run, and use it — including commercially and inside a business. - ✅ You may read, modify, and redistribute the source. - ❌ You may **not** provide Backspace to third parties as a hosted or managed service (i.e. you can't sell Backspace-as-a-service) without a separate commercial license from the maintainer. - ❌ You may not remove or obscure the license and copyright notices. This makes Backspace **source-available**, not OSI "open source" — the only practical difference is the hosted-service restriction above. If you want to offer Backspace as a commercial service, contact the maintainer ([@TheZwiss](https://github.com/TheZwiss)) about a commercial license. Bundled third-party components (the DM Sans font, etc.) retain their own licenses; see [`NOTICE`](NOTICE). "Backspace" and the Backspace logo are trademarks of Jannis Braun and are not covered by the code license. ## Acknowledgements Built on the shoulders of [Fastify](https://fastify.dev/), [Drizzle ORM](https://orm.drizzle.team/), [React](https://react.dev/), [LiveKit](https://livekit.io/), [Tailwind CSS](https://tailwindcss.com/), [Electron](https://www.electronjs.org/), and the broader open-source ecosystem. The interface uses the [DM Sans](https://github.com/googlefonts/dm-fonts) font (SIL Open Font License 1.1).