Jannis Braun
7351b3d90d
Three layered bugs all manifesting as "the group name doesn't show / the
placeholder is a 40-character wall of names":
1. **WS ready payload was missing `name`/`icon`.** The handler serialized
DmChannel rows with only `id, federatedId, ownerId, createdAt, members,
lastMessage`. The optional metadata fields were silently dropped, so
the client store never received `dm.name` until a subsequent
`dm_channel_updated` event fired (i.e. only mid-session renames worked,
never the initial render). `ownerHomeUserId`, `ownerHomeInstance`, and
`metadataUpdatedAt` were also missing — added too because federated
routing depends on `ownerHomeInstance` (`getDmOwnerHomeInstance`).
2. **Header surfaces silently dropped `dm.name`.** `MainContent` (desktop
chat header) and `MobileChatScreen` always rendered the joined member
names, even when `dm.name` was set. Five other surfaces (`DmListItem`,
`MobileDmsScreen`, `MessageList` welcome hero, `MobileGroupDmInfo`,
`GroupDmSettings`) honored it correctly, so a renamed group showed
different titles depending on which surface you looked at.
3. **Message-input placeholder rendered joined names.** Once a group
has 4+ members "Message #Alice, Bob, Charlie, Dave" overflows the
textarea and obscures the call-to-action.
Consolidates the display-name logic behind two utilities in
`dmFormatters.ts`:
- `formatDmHeaderName(dm, currentUser)` — `dm.name` verbatim if set,
else joined names (excluding self); falls back to `'Group'` /
`'Direct Message'`. Used by all 5 header surfaces (was inlined
5 different ways).
- `formatDmInputLabel(dm, currentUser)` — `'#<name>'` if set,
`'the group'` for unnamed groups (collapses the unreadable
joined-names form), `'@<partner>'` for 1-on-1.
`MessageInput` accepts an optional `placeholder` prop that bypasses the
default `Message {#|@}<channelName>` derivation; DM call sites use it
to inject the `formatDmInputLabel`-based form. 1-on-1 DMs keep the
canonical-view lookup so replicated aliases still surface the home
account's displayName; the placeholder reuses the canonical `dmName`
so header + placeholder stay aligned even when raw partner ≠ canonical.
13 new unit tests covering `formatDmHeaderName` (8 cases: named, blank,
joined, federated-username base, empty group, 1-on-1, no-displayName,
no-partner) and `formatDmInputLabel` (4 cases: named, unnamed,
whitespace-only, 1-on-1). 365 → 377 web tests, 1053 server tests,
typecheck clean.
Backspace
Open-source, self-hosted Discord alternative built with TypeScript.
Features
- Real-time text messaging with WebSocket
- Servers, channels, and role-based permission management
- Voice and video chat via LiveKit
- Screen sharing with configurable quality (VP9)
- Direct messages (1-on-1 and group DMs up to 10)
- DM voice/video calls with ringing
- Friend system with requests
- File uploads and image sharing
- Markdown message formatting with syntax highlighting
- Message reactions, replies, and editing
- Typing indicators, presence status, and read states
- Invite system with shareable codes
- Instance-level admin panel (streaming limits)
- Desktop app (Electron)
- Mobile-responsive web UI
- Docker deployment
Tech Stack
| Layer | Technology |
|---|---|
| Backend | Fastify + TypeScript |
| Database | SQLite (better-sqlite3) + Drizzle ORM |
| Auth | JWT + bcrypt |
| Real-time | WebSocket (ws) |
| Frontend | React 18 + Tailwind CSS + Zustand |
| Voice/Video | LiveKit |
| Desktop | Electron |
| Build | Vite + pnpm workspaces |
Quick Start with Docker
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/your-username/backspace.git
cd backspace
# Create environment file
cp .env.example .env
# Generate a JWT secret
echo "JWT_SECRET=$(openssl rand -hex 32)" >> .env
# Start Backspace
docker compose up -d
Open http://localhost:3000 in your browser. A default server "Backspace" is created automatically.
Default admin account: admin / admin123 (change this after first login).
Development Setup
Prerequisites
- Node.js 20+
- pnpm 8+
Install
pnpm install
Configure
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your settings (generate a JWT_SECRET)
Run
# Start both server and web dev server
pnpm dev
# Or start individually
pnpm dev:server # API server on :3005
pnpm dev:web # Vite dev server on :5173
Build
pnpm build
This builds the shared types, server, and web frontend. The server serves the built frontend in production mode.
Project Structure
Backspace/
├── packages/
│ ├── shared/ # Shared TypeScript types & permissions
│ ├── server/ # Fastify API + WebSocket server
│ ├── web/ # React frontend (Vite + Tailwind)
│ └── desktop/ # Electron desktop app
├── data/ # SQLite DB + uploads (created at runtime)
├── Dockerfile
├── docker-compose.yml
└── .env.example
Voice & Video
Voice and video requires a LiveKit server. Set these in your .env:
LIVEKIT_URL=wss://your-livekit-server
LIVEKIT_API_KEY=your-api-key
LIVEKIT_API_SECRET=your-api-secret
Without LiveKit configured, text chat works fully but voice/video channels will not connect.
API
The server exposes a REST API and WebSocket endpoint:
- REST API:
http://localhost:3000/api/* - WebSocket:
ws://localhost:3000/ws - Health check:
GET /api/health
See CLAUDE.md for the full API reference.
Desktop App
The Electron desktop app wraps the web UI and adds system tray, notifications, and native window controls.
cd packages/desktop
pnpm build:ts # Compile TypeScript
pnpm dev # Run in development
pnpm build # Package for distribution
License
MIT