Self-host ɳChat in 5 minutes

The ɳChat client is MIT. The ɳSelf CLI manages your backend stack. Follow these steps and you have a full production-grade chat server on your own infrastructure.

Prerequisites

Docker 24+ and Docker Compose v2
A Linux VPS or local machine with 1 GB RAM (2 GB recommended for video)
A domain with DNS you control (for TLS and LiveKit)
The ɳSelf CLI (step 1 below)

Install the ɳSelf CLI

The ɳSelf CLI manages your backend stack.

# Homebrew (macOS / Linux)
brew tap nself-org/nself
brew install nself

# One-liner (Linux)
curl -fsSL https://install.nself.org | sh

Verify the install: nself --version

Clone the ɳChat repo

The MIT client repo contains the backend config.

git clone https://github.com/nself-org/nchat
cd nchat

Set your domain

Point an A record at your server IP. The CLI handles TLS automatically.

nself config set domain chat.yourdomain.com

DNS must propagate before you run the build step.

Set your bundle license key (optional)

The ɳChat Bundle key enables the paid plugins (LiveKit, bots, moderation). The free tier works without a key.

cd .backend
nself license set nself_pro_...

Get a key at nself.org/pricing — $0.99/mo, one key per workspace.

Install plugins and build

Install the chat plugin stack and build the Docker images.

nself plugin install chat livekit moderation bots
nself build

Start the server

Postgres, Hasura, Auth, Nginx, LiveKit, and the chat plugin all start with one command.

nself start

Tail logs with: nself logs --follow

Open the ɳChat client

Download the desktop app or open the web client. Point it at your server.

Desktop app

Download for macOS, Windows, Linux and enter your server URL on first launch.

Web client

The web build is served at https://your-domain.com/app by Nginx automatically.

You're running ɳChat

Invite your team, create channels, and start messaging. All data stays on your server.

Full documentation → Add the full Bundle →