Campfire

Campfire 1-Click Application

Looking for an alternative to expensive, subscription-based chat services? Campfire is a simple, self-hosted group chat platform designed by 37signals for teams who want to own their data. With no recurring fees, it provides all the essential features you need, including real-time messaging, direct messages, private rooms, file sharing, powerful search, and even chatbot support. Get complete control over your data and deploy Campfire with a single click from the DigitalOcean Marketplace for a secure and private chat solution you control.

What is Campfire?

Campfire is Basecamp’s elegant group chat solution that emphasizes simplicity and usability. Built on modern web technologies, it offers:

• Real-time messaging - Instant communication with your team
• Clean interface - Distraction-free design focused on conversation
• File sharing - Easy drag-and-drop file uploads
• Search functionality - Find messages and files quickly
• Mobile responsive - Works seamlessly across devices
• Self-hosted - Complete control over your data and privacy

Key Features

• Simple, intuitive chat interface
• Real-time messaging with WebSocket support
• File uploads and sharing
• Message search and history
• Mobile-responsive design
• Docker-based deployment for easy management
• Automated SSL/TLS configuration
• Built-in user management

System Requirements

Campfire is packed as a Docker container image and runs on your own droplet on DigitalOcean. Use this guide to choose the appropriate size droplet for your needs:

Software Included

Creating an App using the Control Panel

Click the Deploy to DigitalOcean button to create a Droplet based on this 1-Click App. If you aren’t logged in, this link will prompt you to log in with your DigitalOcean account.

Creating an App using the API

In addition to creating a Droplet from the Campfire 1-Click App using the control panel, you can also use the DigitalOcean API. As an example, to create a 4GB Campfire Droplet in the SFO2 region, you can use the following curl command. You need to either save your API access token) to an environment variable or substitute it in the command below.

curl -X POST -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
         -H 'Authorization: Bearer '$TOKEN'' -d \
        '{"name":"choose_a_name","region":"sfo2","size":"s-2vcpu-4gb","image": "sharklabs-campfire"}' \
        "https://api.digitalocean.com/v2/droplets"

Getting Started After Deploying Campfire

Getting Started

Quick Start

1. Deploy the Droplet - Select this 1-Click App from the DigitalOcean Marketplace
2. Access Campfire - Navigate to your Droplet’s IP address in a web browser (e.g., http://your-droplet-ip)
3. Configure your team - Set up user accounts and start chatting

Setting Up a Custom Domain (Recommended)

For a professional setup with automatic SSL/TLS certificates:

1. Point your domain to the Droplet

   • In your DNS provider, create an A record pointing your domain (e.g., chat.yourcompany.com) to your Droplet’s IP address
   • Wait for DNS propagation (usually 5-15 minutes)

2. Configure Campfire for your domain

   • SSH into your Droplet: ssh root@your-droplet-ip
   • Edit the configuration file: nano /opt/campfire.env
   • Uncomment and update the TLS_DOMAIN line:

   TLS_DOMAIN=chat.yourcompany.com

   • Comment out the DISABLE_SSL line by adding # at the beginning:

   # DISABLE_SSL=true

3. Restart Campfire to apply changes

/opt/restart-campfire.sh

4. Access your secure Campfire installation- Visit https://chat.yourcompany.com in your browser
   • SSL certificates will be automatically generated and configured

Note: The initial SSL certificate generation may take a few minutes. If you encounter any SSL errors, wait a moment and refresh the page.

Updating Campfire

Your Campfire installation automatically updates to the latest version on first boot. To manually update to the latest version at any time:

1. SSH into your Droplet

ssh root@your-droplet-ip

2. Run the update script

/opt/update-campfire.sh

The update script will:

• Pull the latest code from GitHub
• Rebuild the Docker image
• Restart Campfire with the updated code
• Preserve all your configuration and data

Note: Updates may take a few minutes to complete. Your chat history and configuration will be preserved during updates.

Post-Deployment

After deployment, Campfire will be accessible via HTTP on port 80. The application includes:

• Automatic firewall configuration
• Docker container with restart policies
• Persistent data storage via Docker volumes
• Generated secure session keys

For production use, consider:

• Configuring a custom domain with SSL/TLS
• Setting up regular backups of the data volume
• Configuring email notifications (if needed)

Support

Campfire is an open-source project by Basecamp. For technical support:

• Official Campfire Repository
• DigitalOcean Community
• DigitalOcean Documentation

Perfect for small teams, startups, and organizations looking for a simple, self-hosted chat solution without the complexity of larger enterprise platforms.