Fluxer — Open Source Instant Messaging and VoIP Platform

Introduction

Fluxer is an open-source, self-hosted instant messaging and VoIP platform designed for friends, groups, and communities. It provides a familiar server-and-channel experience with text chat, voice calls, media sharing, and role management, all under your control on your own infrastructure.

What Fluxer Does

• Provides real-time text messaging with channels, threads, and direct messages
• Supports voice and video calling with WebRTC-based VoIP
• Allows creating servers with custom roles, permissions, and invite links
• Handles file and media uploads with inline previews for images, videos, and links
• Offers markdown formatting, emoji reactions, and message pinning

Architecture Overview

Fluxer is built with TypeScript across the stack. The back-end uses a Node.js server with WebSocket connections for real-time message delivery and WebRTC signaling for voice channels. Data is stored in a relational database, and media files are saved to configurable storage backends. The front-end is a single-page application that maintains persistent WebSocket connections for instant updates.

Self-Hosting & Configuration

• Deploy with Docker Compose using the provided configuration files
• Set environment variables for database connection, storage paths, and TURN server settings
• Configure a reverse proxy (Nginx or Caddy) with SSL for production deployments
• Adjust rate limits and file upload size caps in the server configuration
• Back up the database and media storage directory on a regular schedule

Key Features

• Server-and-channel model familiar to users of Discord-style platforms
• End-to-end voice communication with configurable TURN/STUN relay servers
• Granular role-based permissions per server and per channel
• Self-hosted with full data ownership and no telemetry
• Active open-source development with community contributions

Comparison with Similar Tools

• Rocket.Chat — mature enterprise chat with Omnichannel support; Fluxer focuses on community and friend-group use cases with a simpler UX
• Matrix/Element — federated protocol with broad interoperability; Fluxer is a single-instance app that is simpler to deploy
• Revolt — similar Discord alternative; Fluxer differentiates with its VoIP integration and TypeScript-first codebase
• Mattermost — targets enterprise teams with compliance features; Fluxer is lighter weight for personal and community servers
• Zulip — threaded conversation model for large organizations; Fluxer uses a channel-based layout closer to Discord

FAQ

Q: Is Fluxer a Discord clone? A: Fluxer draws inspiration from Discord's server-and-channel model but is fully open-source and self-hosted, giving you complete control over your data and infrastructure.

Q: Does Fluxer support federation? A: Currently Fluxer operates as a single-instance platform. Federation is not supported, keeping the deployment and admin experience simple.

Q: What are the hardware requirements? A: A small VPS with 1-2 GB RAM is sufficient for small communities. Voice channels require additional bandwidth, and a TURN server is recommended for NAT traversal.

Q: Can I customize the look and feel? A: The front-end source is included in the repository. You can modify themes, branding, and layout by editing the TypeScript/CSS source and rebuilding.

Sources

• https://github.com/fluxerapp/fluxer
• https://fluxer.app