For self-hosting though, the project I work on - Snikket - uses XMPP but has all the nice modern things you’d expect ready to go right out of the box, more like a Matrix (Synapse/Element) setup. Probably the biggest thing missing for Snikket right now is an official web app (we currently have Android and iOS apps).
My personal feeling is that if you’re looking for something a bit more extensive, “team chat” style (such as Discord, Slack, that kind of thing), you’re better served by Element right now. However if you’re looking for something lightweight and simple for personal messaging in a group of family/friends (e.g. to replace WhatsApp/Telegram/Signal) then XMPP via Snikket is a great choice.
- The above is copied from someone else. Anyone have any experience running this for family / friends?
I wonder how does this differ from plain XMPP? There are tons of XMPP clients for every imaginable device, includong browser ones.
This is one-click install, easier for beginners / non-tech people.
Yeah, I get that. But since it’s (basically) XMPP, can’t it be used with such as Converse.js?
Tested Snikket self-hosting in the past. If I recall correctly one advantage was that it has the option for admins to create invite links for on-boarding new users which seems useful to me for “normies”.
I’ve tried to install it on my VPS behind Traefik but couldn’t get it working. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I installed it with a caddy proxy, works like a charm. I’ve used the Converse.js web client, Modal on iOS and Conversations for Android. The installation was quick and easy, file and photo sharing works, audio and video calls.
Really the hardest part is getting friends to use it.
