# Remark42 — Privacy-Focused Self-Hosted Comment Engine

> A lightweight, privacy-first commenting system that you host yourself, with no tracking, no ads, and full data ownership.

## Install

Save in your project root:

# Remark42 — Privacy-Focused Self-Hosted Comment Engine

## Quick Use
```bash
docker run -d --name remark42 
  -p 8080:8080 
  -e REMARK_URL=https://your-site.com 
  -e SECRET=your-secret-key 
  -v /var/remark42:/srv/var 
  umputun/remark42
```

## Introduction
Remark42 is a self-hosted commenting server designed as a privacy-respecting alternative to Disqus and similar third-party services. It stores all comments in a local BoltDB database, requires no external dependencies, and gives site owners complete control over their comment data without tracking visitors.

## What Remark42 Does
- Embeds a comment widget on any static or dynamic website via a JavaScript snippet
- Supports multiple authentication providers (Google, GitHub, Facebook, email, anonymous)
- Provides comment moderation tools including spam detection and admin panels
- Allows readers to vote, pin, and reply to comments in threaded conversations
- Exports and imports comments from Disqus, WordPress, and Commento formats

## Architecture Overview
Remark42 is a single Go binary with an embedded BoltDB storage engine. The server exposes a REST API consumed by a lightweight JavaScript frontend that site owners embed as a script tag. Authentication is handled through OAuth2 providers or a built-in email-based flow. An optional Telegram bot integration enables admin notifications.

## Self-Hosting & Configuration
- Deploy via Docker with a single container and a mounted volume for data persistence
- Set the REMARK_URL environment variable to match your site's public URL
- Configure OAuth2 credentials for each authentication provider you want to enable
- Add a small JavaScript snippet to your website pages where comments should appear
- Enable Telegram notifications by setting the bot token and chat ID variables

## Key Features
- Zero external tracking or analytics on commenters
- Embedded BoltDB requires no separate database server
- Multi-site support from a single Remark42 instance
- Built-in image proxy to prevent mixed-content warnings
- Automatic comment backups with configurable retention

## Comparison with Similar Tools
- **Disqus** — hosted third-party with ads and tracking; Remark42 is fully self-hosted and private
- **Isso** — similar self-hosted approach but Python-based; Remark42 uses Go with BoltDB
- **Commento** — privacy-focused but requires PostgreSQL; Remark42 needs no external database
- **Giscus** — uses GitHub Discussions; Remark42 stores data independently

## FAQ
**Q: Can I migrate from Disqus?**
A: Yes. Remark42 includes a built-in import tool that reads Disqus XML export files.

**Q: Does it support Markdown in comments?**
A: Yes. Commenters can use Markdown formatting with live preview.

**Q: How does moderation work?**
A: Admins can delete, pin, and block users from the admin panel or via the Telegram bot.

**Q: What happens if I lose the database?**
A: Remark42 supports automatic scheduled backups. Enable them to prevent data loss.

## Sources
- https://github.com/umputun/remark42
- https://remark42.com

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Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/asset-2e416221
Author: AI Open Source