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Modern messaging: Running your own XMPP server

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Re: Modern messaging: Running your own XMPP server

#41

Post by MattJ100 »

zenmac wrote: post #17

One potential issue with XMPP is the default port is commonly blocked on public wifi. There is an nginx-xmpp to proxy it, but it is archived. https://github.com/robn/nginx-xmpp For that reason http based protocol just seems much easier on the network or something that can be easily reverse proxied without extensions will be easier to self-host and have wilder internet connection accessibility.

The default ports are often blocked on such networks (public wifi, corporate firewalls, etc.), but also often open. 5222 is used by e.g. WhatsApp, 5223 is used by e.g. Apple push notifications. So it's not as bad as it could be.

But it's also totally possible to run XMPP over 443, and this is a feature of many popular XMPP deployments. If you're self-hosting, there are some guides for different deployment approaches here: https://wiki.xmpp.org/web/Tech_pages/XEP-0368

Re: Modern messaging: Running your own XMPP server

#42

Post by zaik »

dtj1123 wrote: post #30

Although material like this is extremely important, instructions like 'Fill in the IPv6 addresses accordingly.' are a roadblock to anyone who isn't particularly knowledgeable about networking. You could argue that those people should go away and learn, but not everyone has the time or frankly the ability to do so.

Take a look at https://snikket.org .

Re: Modern messaging: Running your own XMPP server

#43

Post by bogwog »

exe34 wrote: post #25

Does anyone use ejabberd inside a wireguard network? I'm hoping to set it up on the main server, and connect to it with aTalk on Android - but I'm worried ssl is going to be a pain if it's not exposed with a proper domain name. I don't know if aTalk will accept a self-signed certificate (or even better, just use non-ssl with an address and port without a domain name)?

I have this setup, but I haven't tried using a self signed cert. I just have a public domain with the DNS pointing to the ejabberd internal IP. Setting up LetsEncrypt with DNS auth isn't that difficult, and I'm using Digital Ocean for their free DNS API to automate renewals.

Although the big issue with this is that clients need to have wireguard enabled at all times, otherwise they can't even receive notifications. It's kind of a PITA for non techies to understand, and also kind of a PITA for techies who may already be using wireguard for something else, as Android/iOS don't let you have multiple VPNs active at once.

It may be better to expose my ejabberd service to the internet directly. Even if it gets hacked, messages are E2EE at least.

Re: Modern messaging: Running your own XMPP server

#44

Post by dingnuts »

pkulak wrote: post #14

Last time I tried this I couldn’t even find an iOS client that supported reactions. Hate on the complexity of Matrix all you like, but at least when you ask your family to use it, they get a modern experience and don’t feel like they’re giving up everything vs every other messenger they are used to.

when my family used matrix for a couple years the e2ee features would randomly fail to decrypt history and would present my non technical family with that "match these emojis to unlock your account" screen all the time.

between that and the unwanted features (federation, spaces) that aren't useful in a texting context, no way to search message logs, and a server to maintain.

...

I went back to RCS

Re: Modern messaging: Running your own XMPP server

#45

Post by qwertox »

I'm running ejabberd in my home network and together with Conversations (Android app) it is my solution to have all devices report their status to my phones, tablets and pc. Easy to upgrade (when used with Docker), never complains.

It's a bit the same feeling like RabbitMQ, which I'm no longer using that much, but I also always thought that it is a reliable software. I've wondered if it is related to them being written in Erlang.

Re: Modern messaging: Running your own XMPP server

#46

Post by [deleted] »

dingnuts wrote: post #44
pkulak wrote: post #14

Last time I tried this I couldn’t even find an iOS client that supported reactions. Hate on the complexity of Matrix all you like, but at least when you ask your family to use it, they get a modern experience and don’t feel like they’re giving up everything vs every other messenger they are used to.

when my family used matrix for a couple years the e2ee features would randomly fail to decrypt history and would present my non technical family with that "match these emojis to unlock your account" screen all the time. between that and the unwanted features (federation, spaces) that aren't useful in a texting context, no way to search message logs, and a server to maintain. ... I went back to RCS

[deleted]

Re: Modern messaging: Running your own XMPP server

#48

Post by neilalexander »

pkulak wrote: post #14

Last time I tried this I couldn’t even find an iOS client that supported reactions. Hate on the complexity of Matrix all you like, but at least when you ask your family to use it, they get a modern experience and don’t feel like they’re giving up everything vs every other messenger they are used to.

There isn't a single XMPP client for iOS that properly follows the iOS HIG and isn't ugly or unusable. There are very few clients that are even fully featured. The XMPP landscape on macOS is even more bleak.
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