# Matrix (Synapse backend)

Generated on 26 Nov 2024 from [the Matrix (Synapse backend) catalog page](https://marketplace.digitalocean.com/apps/matrix-synapse-backend)

Matrix is a decentralized, federated chat platform built on open standards. This 1-Click App includes everything you need to self-host your own Matrix system.

This image contains a database (PostgreSQL), a matrix server (Synapse), a matrix web client (Element Web), and a reverse proxy (Caddy). After walking through the simple setup procedure, you will be able to login to your own Matrix web client and chat on the fediverse!

## Software Included

| Package | Version | License |
|---|---|---|
| Synapse | 1.120.0 | [AGPL3](https://github.com/element-hq/synapse/blob/develop/LICENSE) |
| Element Web | 1.11.86 | [AGPL3](https://github.com/element-hq/element-web/blob/develop/LICENSE-AGPL-3.0) |
| Caddy | 2.8.4 | [Apache License 2.0](https://github.com/caddyserver/caddy/blob/master/LICENSE) |
| PostgreSQL | 15 | [PostgreSQL License](https://www.postgresql.org/about/licence/) |

## 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.

[![Deploy to DO](https://www.deploytodo.com/do-btn-blue.svg)](https://cloud.digitalocean.com/droplets/new?image=sharklabs-matrixsynapsebac-10)

## Creating an App using the API

In addition to creating a Droplet from the Matrix (Synapse backend) 1-Click App using the control panel, you can also use the [DigitalOcean API](https://docs.digitalocean.com/reference/api). As an example, to create a 4GB Matrix (Synapse backend) Droplet in the SFO2 region, you can use the following `curl` command. You need to either save your [API access token](https://docs.digitalocean.com/reference/api/create-personal-access-token/index.html.md) to an environment variable or substitute it in the command below.

```shell
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-matrixsynapsebac-10"}' \
        "https://api.digitalocean.com/v2/droplets"
```

## Getting Started After Deploying Matrix (Synapse backend)

## Hardware Requirements

Keep in mind when selecting a monthly plan that the more resources you can provide, the better the chat quality will be. 2GB+ RAM is highly recommended.

## Dependencies

- A new DNS domain you’d like to use exclusively for Matrix (it is recommended and also very cute to buy a .town, .space, or similar domain for this purpose)
- You must be capable of managing the DNS records for the domain you’d like to use
- openssh (or putty)
- 5 minutes

## Finishing Setup

1. Login to your droplet via `ssh root@your_droplet_public_ipv4`
2. Run `./finish-setup`
3. When directed, set up your DNS records
4. Read the operation guide `cat /root/README.txt`
5. ???
6. Profit!

## Upgrades

It is recommended to upgrade your system once a month.

Please watch out for security vulnerabilities: [https://matrix.org/blog/category/security](https://matrix.org/blog/category/security)

Upgrading is fairly straightforward:

```
# upgrade the OS, synapse, and caddy
apt update
apt upgrade
# upgrade element
./upgrade-element <version>
```