ɳChat

Feature: ɳChat

ɳChat is an open-source self-hosted messaging application built on ɳSelf. It provides real-time team and personal chat with video calls, bots, moderation, and white-label support.

Status: Active Repo: nself-org/nchat (Type C reference app) Marketing site: chat.nself.org (web/nchat/) Platforms: Web (Next.js 15). Mobile (Capacitor) and Desktop (Electron, Tauri) are scaffolded but not shipped.

What ɳChat Does

ɳChat is a self-hosted alternative to team messaging platforms. You run it on your own ɳSelf server, and your team connects via web browser or (eventually) native apps. All messages, files, and call recordings stay on your hardware.

Current Features

Real-time messaging. Powered by Hasura GraphQL subscriptions. Messages appear instantly across all connected clients.
Multi-workspace support. Run multiple isolated workspaces on a single server. Each workspace has its own channels, members, and settings.
White-label configuration. AppConfig-driven branding. Change name, logo, colors, and domain for each workspace.
8 test users (dev mode). FauxAuth provides instant login for development and testing without real authentication.
Production auth. Nhost authentication with OAuth providers, email/password, and MFA.
Web platform. Next.js 15 application with responsive design.

With Pro Plugin Bundle

The ɳChat plugin bundle adds:

Plugin	What It Adds
`chat`	Channel types (public, private, DM), typing indicators, read receipts, reactions, threads
`livekit`	Video and audio calls (WebRTC via LiveKit)
`recording`	Call recording and playback
`moderation`	Content filtering, user reports, admin actions
`bots`	Bot framework for automated responses and integrations
`realtime`	Enhanced WebSocket support for presence and live updates
`auth`	Advanced auth features (SSO, SAML, LDAP integration)

Architecture

ɳChat follows the standard ɳSelf reference app pattern:

┌──────────────────────────────────┐
│  nChat Client (Next.js 15)       │
│  - Channels, DMs, threads        │
│  - Video calls (LiveKit)         │
│  - File sharing                  │
│  - Emoji reactions               │
└──────────┬───────────────────────┘
           │ GraphQL subscriptions + REST
           ▼
┌──────────────────────────────────┐
│  nSelf Backend                    │
│  - Hasura (messages, channels)   │
│  - Auth (users, sessions)        │
│  - MinIO (file attachments)      │
│  - nChat plugins (chat, livekit) │
└──────────────────────────────────┘

The client connects to Hasura for all data operations. Real-time updates use GraphQL subscriptions over WebSocket. File uploads go through MinIO. Video calls use LiveKit’s WebRTC infrastructure, self-hosted on your server.

Setup

# Basic setup (free plugins only)
nself init
nself build && nself start
# nChat web app connects to Hasura directly

# With Pro plugins
nself license set nself_pro_xxxxx...
nself plugin install chat livekit recording moderation bots realtime auth
nself build && nself start

Distinction: chat/ vs chat.nself.org

These are two different things:

	chat/ repo	chat.nself.org
What	Open-source chat client app	Marketing website
Code	nself-org/nchat	web/nchat/ (in web monorepo)
Hosted by	Users, on their own servers	ɳSelf, on nself.org
Purpose	Production messaging app	Feature overview, download links

Pricing

ɳChat itself is free and open-source (MIT). The ɳChat plugin bundle for advanced features costs $0.99/mo or $9.99/yr. The ɳSelf+ subscription ($39.99/yr) includes the ɳChat bundle along with everything else.

Planned Features

Mobile apps. Capacitor (iOS/Android) shells are scaffolded. Native push notifications planned.
Desktop apps. Electron and Tauri shells are scaffolded.
React Native. Not started. Under consideration for native mobile .
End-to-end encryption. Planned for DMs and private channels.
Federation. Planned exploration of Matrix protocol compatibility for cross-server messaging.

Plugin-Licensing — bundle pricing
Feature-Auth — authentication setup
Feature-Storage — MinIO for file attachments
Feature-Plugins — plugin system overview

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