this post was submitted on 10 Feb 2026
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GitHub - spacebarchat/spacebarchat: πŸ“¬ Spacebar is a free open source selfhostable discord compatible communication platform (github.com)
submitted 2 months ago by moonpiedumplings@programming.dev to c/selfhosted@lemmy.world
54 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Has anyone tried this? It's discord reverse engineered.

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[–] wreckedcarzz@lemmy.world 62 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (7 children)

I set this container up yesterday. Technically it's running. But all the settings are in the fucking sql db, and I know fuck all about sql other than drop tables is funny meme from xkcd. But also, ignoring the settings, I would like to point out that there is effectively no client. I mean, there are two official ones - the depreciated one, and the alpha one, and the alpha one has a total of 4 releases with the newest being two years ago. How do you deprecate a client when the server is still in alpha? What the fuck? And on all pages it screams 'this is alpha testing software, do not use as a daily'. Also the docs are, uhh... rough. If rough was falling 4 stories into a bed of poisonous cacti. It took me 3 hours to get the container running properly and finally poking at the db. It's as organized as my bedroom ('it's somewhere in this dresser, I think...').

The idea, the potential, is brilliant. Literally everything about getting it working though...

[–] paraphrand@lemmy.world 28 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Lots of great software ideas out there. It’s always the execution, availability of resources, and the reality of capitalism getting in the way.

[–] 30p87@feddit.org 5 points 2 months ago

Until I get in the way of capitalism (with a shotgun)

[–] Neptr@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

You can use the WebCord app for Spacebar.

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[–] CoreLabJoe@piefed.ca 59 points 2 months ago (4 children)

HHhhmm... Do container/docker install option. This is why it's probably stagnated in adoption from the selfhosted community.

It needs a container based install, no one likes installing dependencies and crud onto their pristine environments any longer.

[–] tofu@lemmy.nocturnal.garden 32 points 2 months ago (1 children)

It's just not mentioned prominently https://github.com/spacebarchat/docker

[–] hexagonwin@lemmy.today 25 points 2 months ago (1 children)

last commit 3yrs ago.. seems unmaintained

[–] moonpiedumplings@programming.dev 72 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (2 children)

Docker compose's don't really need to be maintained though. As long as the app doesn't need new components old docker composes should work.

EDIT: Oops, it does look like spacebarchat's docker images have last been updated over 2 years ago:

https://hub.docker.com/r/spacebarchat/server

EDIT2: Although this is outdated, I think their github repo has an action to autobuild docker images on pushes. Still investigating.

EDIT3: Okay, they don't seem to be actually ran.

But using nix to build a docker image is pretty cool.

EDIT4: Oh shit, the docker image build workflows were added just 2 hours ago. Of course they haven't been ran!

Docker support soon, probably.

EDIT5: the workflow ran, but it looks like it's private for now.

[–] Railcar8095@lemmy.world 55 points 2 months ago (1 children)

You got my heart racing with the twists!

[–] Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafe 18 points 2 months ago

Right? Reading that was like watching an action movie!

[–] rudyharrelson@lemmy.radio 10 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Perhaps more relevantly, the Docker image itself has not been updated in over 2 years: https://hub.docker.com/r/spacebarchat/server

[–] moonpiedumplings@programming.dev 7 points 2 months ago

Faster than my edits, I see.

[–] Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 10 points 2 months ago (1 children)

It’s weird that the server has a .dockerignore file without a Dockerfile.

[–] 4am@lemmy.zip 5 points 2 months ago

Seems like they’re working on Docker build actions right now according to some other comments

[–] irmadlad@lemmy.world 7 points 2 months ago

no one likes installing dependencies and crud onto their pristine environments any longer

It just depends, however, containers sure do make things a lot cleaner.

[–] 30p87@feddit.org 4 points 2 months ago

I do. I just completed pulling the core piped components (piped-backend, -frontend and -prox as well as -html-proxy) from Docker to native installs from the AUR, as well as installing searxng without a venv. Spacebar (the server and client) even have AUR pkgs, but they're unmaintained... I'm gonna change that.

[–] savvywolf@pawb.social 14 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Why would one use this rather than just using something like Matrix or self-hosted Stoat? I'm not sure what it being "Discord compatible" really gets this project. Bot compatibility is nice, but aren't most Discord bots closed source anyway?

[–] Natanox@discuss.tchncs.de 12 points 2 months ago (3 children)

Because Stoat is also riddled with problems and Matrix is a dysfunctional hot mess.

[–] ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)

In the proper timeline the superior proprietary platform Axon beat out Discord.

[–] Willdrick@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago

The cumulative hours we've lost screwing around with the manual placement spacial audio on Axon... When it went tits up we switched to Mumble tho

[–] traxex@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)

How is Matrix dysfunctional?

[–] Natanox@discuss.tchncs.de 36 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Where do I even start…

  • The verification process constantly breaks
  • Sessions get randomly unverified
  • Pictures aren't being send occasionally
  • Their client is a UI/UX catastrophe
  • Room Events are incompatible (esp. w/ Element X)
  • The "experimental" voice rooms are total trash, settings are not working (e.g. auto-gain can't be disabled)
  • The Calls via Jitsi somehow have a worse UX than Skype had in its worst days
  • The verification via emojis uses different emoji styles, missing the point completely
  • Due to the session mess "Can't decrypt message" will be your best friend
  • Even if you got a verified session it sometimes fails to decrypt a message
  • The federation is SLOW. As in "wait many many minutes" slow.
  • The whole Spaces-with-detached-rooms concept is a mess
  • There're no proper moderation tools
  • There isn't even a god damn admin panel! For the longest time you had to MANUALLY CURL THE API. Even today you have to mess with third-party admin panels that usually don't have all options exposed
  • Encryption is nice, but Matrix leaking tons of metadata isn't.
  • They effectively stopped developing the Element client in favour of Element X, which isn't available in desktop. And also loves to break during verification.
  • Third-party clients sometimes work better, but certainly don't expect anything but text chats with pictures there.

I really tried to like it, I even attempted to move a community over, attempted to self-host, all the jazz. It's a steaming mess for years now with no end in sight, and literally everyone who tried it eventually left disenchanted. Don't even bother trying it.

[–] dev_null@lemmy.ml 16 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

This was my experience. Every time people suggest it as a Discord alternative I'm like, have you actually tried it? I hate Discord as much as the next guy but Matrix doesn't get anywhere close. I tried really hard to like it and give it a chance, but no.

[–] fastfomo7@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

They mock people for not self-hosting it, calling it a 'skill issue.' I mean, not everyone has the time and energy to deal with that level of friction.

[–] u_tamtam@programming.dev 1 points 2 months ago

I mean, if you want Matrix AND that it works, you just install ejabberd or prosody and go on with your life. But then there's nothing fancy to report or brag about, it just works.

[–] Telodzrum@lemmy.world 10 points 2 months ago

Well, Stoat sucks and has no vision or history of reasonably paced development. So, it’s more of a vaporware wish then actual software.

[–] scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech 13 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Decentralized (no abuse of power and doesn't have a single point of failure)

There is a direct server though, is it federated? The readme doesn't say it's federated at all

[–] moonpiedumplings@programming.dev 11 points 2 months ago (2 children)

It's not federated, just easy to self host and point custom clients at.

[–] Lumisal@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Are you sure? Because they also seem to be behind Fermi which sounds federated

[–] moonpiedumplings@programming.dev 6 points 2 months ago

Fermi is just a custom client for discord/spacebar. It's not federated.

[–] scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

That's too bad, that's a hard line for me, it has to have the option of federation.

Also, so it's a direct server, so it is centralized, there's nothing decentralized about it

[–] aBundleOfFerrets@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 months ago

It is decentralized in the respect that communities run their own servers, in comparison to discord where there is an overarching corporation managing everything

[–] jjlinux@lemmy.zip 10 points 2 months ago (1 children)

3 years of abandonment? Absolutely not.

[–] SleveMcDichael@programming.dev 6 points 2 months ago

Where are you getting three years of abandonment from? The branding repo OP linked was last updated 10 months ago, while the server repo appears to have had pretty steady development for the last month at least (as far back as I bothered checking on mobile)

[–] Comrade_Spood@quokk.au 6 points 2 months ago (2 children)

This wont go anywhere until they have an app that is easy to download. And then everyone says Revolt/Stoat but that doesnt even fucking work cause their verification system is ass (probably because they use gen AI to code) and also is difficult to download the mobile app

[–] em2@lemmy.ml 3 points 2 months ago

Their verification system has been my boss fight the last 48 hours. I want to get off of discord. PLEASE LET ME!

[–] Truscape@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Stoat has 3rd party clients that are easy to install, I already got the Clerotri app downloaded directly from Accrescent on GrapheneOS (although I believe they have an F-Droid release).

[–] Comrade_Spood@quokk.au 5 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

Still has AI generated code. I tried setting up an account and despite it saying the email to verify your account would take up to 10 minutes, it actually would take hours. And I can't sign up with my proton email (managed to get it to work with my gmail), while my friend cant get it to verify with their gmail.

Edit: Also have I have not found clients on fdroid or aurora store. I could only find the old Revolt app by adding its own fdroid repository and it hasnt been updated in years

[–] Truscape@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Ah on the storefront side, sorry. I made an educated guess, but I guess it's not a good one XD.

Here is the Stoat/Revolt wiki with a complete list of clients (official and 3rd party) that you can check btw: https://wiki.rvlt.gg/index.php/Stoat_Clients

I wasn't aware of the AI-generated code part, I'll take a look at source to verify.

[–] nfreak@lemmy.ml 6 points 2 months ago (3 children)

Interesting, seems like this has been around for a while but I haven't heard of it until now. With how much Discord's shitting the fan and becoming (well, always has been) a privacy nightmare, this seems worth a try. The alternatives out there either need time to mature (Stoat) or don't really fill the same role (Matrix).

[–] lemming@anarchist.nexus 8 points 2 months ago (1 children)

shitting the fan

Huh, like a more disastrous and direct combo-approach. I like it.

[–] nfreak@lemmy.ml 4 points 2 months ago

You know I didn't even realize I said this and I'm gonna start using this one LMFAO

[–] Lemmchen@feddit.org 8 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Spacebar was called Fosscord before. Maybe you have heard of that.

[–] mrnobody@reddthat.com 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Never heard of it either. Will check out cuz initially sounded like some vibecode app to quickly replace Discord since the news.

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[–] ulkesh@piefed.social 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Doesn't seem terribly well-maintained.

[–] rainbowbunny@slrpnk.net 1 points 2 months ago

The Spacebar alternative client, Fermi, is more actively maintained from my understanding

https://fermi.chat/ https://github.com/MathMan05/Fermi

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