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Welcome to the Quack - private chatting application.
Welcome to Quack, a free and open-source chat application designed for private use. Quack offers an easy-to-use interface and seamless integration with web browsers, making it a Progressive Web Application accessible from any platform with a web browser, such as Chrome.
Inspired by Slack but more affordable for private use, Quack combines the best features from other communicators while prioritizing privacy and security. Users can host their own app, ensuring complete control over their data.
# Features
# Quick Start
## Using Docker Hub
[https://registry.hub.docker.com/r/codecat/quack](https://registry.hub.docker.com/r/codecat/quack)
## Using GitHub repository
The fastest way to get started is to use the Docker compose after the code checkout. Using following command will start the application with default settings in no time.
docker compose up -d
navigate to [http://localhost:8080](http://localhost:8080) and use default credentials to login `admin / 123`.
# Configuration
To override default settings `chat.config.ts` file can be created in root directory of the project. You can use `chat.config.example.ts` as a template.
File should export folowing object:
type Config = {
port?: number // default `PORT` env otherwise `8080`
sessionSecret?: string // auto generated on first run to `secrets.json` but can be overwritten here
trustProxy?: bool | string | number // default `uniquelocal` ref: https://expressjs.com/en/guide/behind-proxies.html
vapid?: { // auto generated on first run to `secrets.json` but can be overwritten here
publicKey: string
secretKey: string
},
databaseUrl?: string // default `DATABASE_URL` env
cors?: string[] // by default [ 'https?://localhost(:[0-9]{,4})' ],
storage?: { // Where uploaded files should be stored
type: 'memory' | 'gcs' | 'fs' // default `fs` / `memory` in tests
directory: string // where to save files when type `fs`
bucket: string // bucket name for `gcs`
}
apiUrl?: string // default 'http://localhost:8080' url of api
appUrl?: string // default 'http://localhost:8081' url for frontend app
};
## port
port on which application will start
## sessionSecret
this value will overwrite the one from `secrets.json`
## trustProxy
to trust proxy or not.
## databaseUrl
connection string to mongodb instance. By default this value is taken from env variable `DATABASE_URL`.
example:
mongodb://chat:chat@localhost:27017/chat?authSource=admin
## cors
This allows to host frontend and backend on different domains
For development this option is set to:
cors: [ 'https?://localhost(:[0-9]{,4})' ]
## storage
storage: {
type: 'memory' | 'fs' | 'gcs'
}
### memory
Used for tests no files need to be stored persistently
### FS
Store files in filesystem
You can configure folder in which files will be stored using `storage.directory` field.
### GCS
Save files in Google Cloud Storage good choice for prroduction use.
in this case you need to specify `storage.bucket` field and env variable needs to be defined
`GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS` [string] with path to google application credentials
### S3
Not implemented, I will implement it if there will be some interest in it.
Please create issue for it.
## apiUrl
url to the api if different than appUrl
## appUrl
url to the app used for links generation
# Running the Project
## Pre-requisites
- Install [Deno](https://deno.land/)
- Node.js and npm (for managing frontend dependencies and running React)
- MongoDB
## Backend
To start the server:
cd ./deno/server
deno task dev
## Frontend
Install dependencies and start the React app:
cd ./app
npm install
npm run dev
## Storybook
To start the storybook:
cd ./app
npm install
npm run storybook
## Mobile App
Build the native Android app with background push notifications:
cd ./mobile
npm install
export QUACK_SERVER_URL="https://your-quack-server.com"
npm run cap:sync
npm run cap:open # Opens Android Studio
See [Mobile App Documentation](docs/mobile-app.md) for detailed setup instructions.
# Documentation
- [System Architecture](docs/ARCHITECTURE.md) — Backend layers, frontend patterns, data flow, encryption
- [Coding Conventions](docs/CONVENTIONS.md) — File naming, component patterns, import order, git workflow
- [Architecture Decision Records](docs/adr/README.md) — 12 ADRs covering runtime, state management, encryption, and more
- [Mobile App](docs/mobile-app.md) — Capacitor Android build setup
# Plugins
Chat have plugin system. Example plugin can be found in `plugins/example`.
How to use plugins and plugin hook points TBA.
# Default credentials
admin / 123
New users can be invited with `/invite` command which will generate single use link for user registration.
# License
MIT License
Copyright (c) 2023 CodeCat
