Self-Hosting

Docker Compose (full stack)

make docker-up

This starts:

app - Go backend + built web frontend
postgres - PostgreSQL 16
valkey - Redis-compatible cache
minio - S3-compatible file storage
livekit - WebRTC SFU for voice/video
coturn - TURN/STUN for NAT traversal
caddy - Reverse proxy with auto-TLS (prod) or HTTP (dev)

Environment variables

Copy .env.example to .env and set:

# App
DUMPSTER_HOST=chat.your.domain
DUMPSTER_PORT=8080
DUMPSTER_SECRET=<random>

# Database
POSTGRES_HOST=postgres
POSTGRES_PORT=5432
POSTGRES_USER=dumpster
POSTGRES_PASSWORD=<random>

# Cache
VALKEY_URL=redis://valkey:6379

# File storage (optional)
MINIO_ENDPOINT=minio:9000
MINIO_ACCESS_KEY=<random>
MINIO_SECRET_KEY=<random>

# Voice/video (optional)
LIVEKIT_API_KEY=<random>
LIVEKIT_API_SECRET=<random>

# Giphy (optional)
GIPHY_API_KEY=<your-key>

# Push notifications (optional)
VAPID_PUBLIC_KEY=<generated>
VAPID_PRIVATE_KEY=<generated>
VAPID_SUBJECT=admin@your.domain

Ports required

Port	Service
80/443	Caddy reverse proxy
7880-7882	LiveKit signaling and media
3478/udp	coturn TURN
5349	coturn TURN TLS
50000-50100/udp	LiveKit relay
10000-20000/udp	coturn media relay

First run

# Start services
docker compose -f docker/compose.yml up -d

# Run migrations (creates tables)
go run ./cmd/migrate up

# Start the server
go run ./cmd/server

# In dev, start the web frontend separately
cd web && npm install && npm run dev

Production TLS

For production, update docker/Caddyfile:

chat.your.domain {
    reverse_proxy /api/* app:8080
    reverse_proxy /ws app:8080
    reverse_proxy /ws/bot app:8080
    reverse_proxy /webhooks/* app:8080
    reverse_proxy /files/* app:8080
    root * /srv/web
    file_server
}

Remove auto_https off and Caddy will fetch Let's Encrypt certificates.

Adding bots

Create a bot via the web UI (/bots page)
Copy the bot token (shown once)
Add the bot to a server

Run the bot:

BOT_TOKEN=*** go run ./examples/modbot/main.go

Webhooks

Create a webhook via the API or web UI
Copy the webhook URL (includes token)

POST to the URL:

curl -X POST https://chat.your.domain/webhooks/<id>/<token> \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"content": "Hello from webhook!", "username": "GitHub"}'

Push notifications

To enable push notifications:

Generate VAPID keys:
```
go run ./cmd/keygen
```
Add to .env:
```
VAPID_PUBLIC_KEY=<generated>
VAPID_PRIVATE_KEY=<generated>
VAPID_SUBJECT=admin@your.domain
```
Set VAPID_SUBJECT to your email address without the mailto: prefix (the library adds it automatically).
Users are auto-subscribed on login. On iOS, the prompt requires a tap gesture (a banner appears). On Android, notifications deliver through FCM when Chrome is running. Ensure Chrome battery optimization is set to Unrestricted for reliable delivery when the PWA is closed.

Roles & permissions

Default roles are seeded when creating a server:

@everyone - Basic permissions (view, send, voice)
Server owner can create additional roles via /servers/:id/roles

Permission bits:

VIEW_CHANNEL (1), SEND_MESSAGES (2), MANAGE_MESSAGES (4)
KICK_MEMBERS (8), BAN_MEMBERS (16)
MANAGE_SERVER (32), MANAGE_CHANNELS (64), ADMINISTRATOR (128)
CONNECT_VOICE (256), SPEAK_VOICE (512), SHARE_SCREEN (1024)

TUI client

# Build
make build-tui

# Run with env vars
DUMPSTER_SERVER=https://chat.your.domain \
DUMPSTER_TOKEN=*** \
./dumpster-tui

# Or with config file (~/.config/dumpster/config.yaml)
./dumpster-tui