Jannis Braun
9279ac78e5
The old 2x2 grid for 3+ members produced a cramped, misaligned look
(circles cut off inside their own border, no overlap, just four small
disks in a grid). The 2-member overlap aesthetic — equal-size tiles
that overlap diagonally — was the visual gold standard but only
existed for that one count.
Extend the same "huddle of overlapping faces" aesthetic to all
member counts:
• 3 members → equilateral triangle of 62%-size tiles (top, bl, br)
• 4 members → diamond of 58%-size tiles (top, right, bottom, left)
• 5-10 members → diamond with `+N` overflow occupying the bottom
slot (z-index boosted above neighbors so the digit is never clipped)
Tiles are positioned radially around the box center on a circle of
radius (S − T) / 2 so the farthest edges of each tile graze the
bounding rect — no clipping, no wasted whitespace. Z-index descends
clockwise from the top slot so each tile tucks slightly under its
clockwise neighbor, mirroring the 2-member z-stack.
The 0/1/2-member cases and the icon-override branch are unchanged.
Props interface unchanged — no call-site updates needed.
Tests updated to assert the new layout markers (`triangle`, `diamond`)
and to verify the geometry (top tile in triangle has smallest `top`;
overflow tile in diamond has largest `top`). 11/11 AvatarStack tests
pass; 360/360 web tests pass; typecheck clean.
design-system.md spec updated with the new layout table + geometry
section.
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