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Tinode Instant Messaging Server

<img src="docs/logo.svg" align="left" width=128 height=128> Instant messaging full stack. Backend in pure Go (license GPL 3.0), clients for Android (Java), iOS (Swift), and web (ReactJS), as well as gRPC client support for C++, C#, Go, Java, Node, PHP, Python, Ruby, Objective-C, etc (all clients licensed under Apache 2.0). Wire transport is JSON over websocket (long polling is also available) or protobuf with gRPC.

This is beta-quality software: feature-complete and stable but probably with a few bugs or missing features. Follow instructions to install and run or use one of the cloud services below. Read API documentation.

Tinode is not XMPP/Jabber. It is not compatible with XMPP. It's meant as a replacement for XMPP. On the surface, it's a lot like open source WhatsApp or Telegram.

<a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tinode/id1483763538"><img src="docs/app-store.svg" height=36></a> <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=co.tinode.tindroidx"><img src="docs/play-store.svg" height=36></a> <a href="https://web.tinode.co/"><img src="docs/web-app.svg" height=36></a>

Why?

The promise of XMPP was to deliver federated instant messaging: anyone would be able to spin up an IM server capable of exchanging messages with any other XMPP server in the world. Unfortunately, XMPP never delivered on this promise. Instant messengers are still a bunch of incompatible walled gardens, similar to what AoL of the late 1990s was to the open Internet.

The goal of this project is to deliver on XMPP's original vision: create a modern open platform for federated instant messaging with an emphasis on mobile communication. A secondary goal is to create a decentralized IM platform that is much harder to track and block by the governments.

An explicit NON-goal: we are not building yet another Slack replacement.

Installing and running

See general instructions or docker-specific instructions.

Getting support

Helping out

Public service

A public Tinode service is available. You can use it just like any other instant messenger. Keep in mind that demo accounts present in sandbox are not available in the public service. You must register an account using valid email in order to use the service.

Web

TinodeWeb, a single page web app, is available at https://web.tinode.co/ (source). See screenshots below.

Android

Tinode for Android a.k.a Tindroid is stable and functional (source). See the screenshots below. A debug APK is also provided for convenience.

iOS

Tinode for iOS a.k.a. Tinodios is stable and functional (source). See the screenshots below.

Demo/Sandbox

A sandboxed demo service is available at https://sandbox.tinode.co/.

Log in as one of alice, bob, carol, dave, frank. Password is <login>123, e.g. login for alice is alice123. You can discover other users by email or phone by prefixing them with email: or tel: respectively. Emails are <login>@example.com, e.g. alice@example.com, phones are +17025550001 through +17025550009.

When you register a new account you are asked for an email address to send validation code to. For demo purposes you may use 123456 as a universal validation code. The code you get in the email is also valid.

Sandbox Notes

Features

Supported

Planned

Translations

All client software has support for internationalization. The following translations are provided:

LanguageServerWebappAndroidiOS
English
Chinese simplified
Chinese traditional
French
German
Hindi
Korean
Portuguese
Romanian
Russian
Spanish
Thai
Ukrainian
Vietnamese

More translations are welcome. In addition to languages listed above, particularly interested in Arabic, Bengali, Indonesian, Urdu, Japanese, Turkish, Persian.

Third-Party

Projects

Licenses

Screenshots

Android

<p align="center"> <img src="docs/android-contacts.png" alt="Android screenshot: list of chats" width=250 /> <img src="docs/android-chat.png" alt="Android screenshot: one conversation" width=250 /> <img src="docs/android-video-call.png" alt="Android screenshot: video call" width=250 /> </p>

iOS

<p align="center"> <img src="docs/ios-contacts.png" alt="iOS screenshot: list of chats" width=250 /> <img src="docs/ios-chat.png" alt="iOS screenshot: one conversation" width=250 /> <img src="docs/ios-video-call.png" alt="iOS screenshot: video call" width="250" /> </p>

Desktop Web

<p align="center"> <img src="docs/web-desktop.jpg" alt="Desktop web: full app" width=810 /> </p>

Mobile Web

<p align="center"> <img src="docs/web-mob-contacts.png" alt="Mobile web: contacts" width=250 /> <img src="docs/web-mob-chat.png" alt="Mobile web: chat" width=250 /> <img src="docs/web-mob-video-call.png" alt="Mobile web: topic info" width=250 /> </p>

SEO Strings

Words 'chat' and 'instant messaging' in Chinese, Russian, Persian and a few other languages.