Self-host marchat
v1.3.8Terminal chat with WebSocket server and TUI client
- Stars
- 139
- Ports
- 8080 (WebSocket server (ws://)), 8443 (HTTPS/WebSocket with Caddy reverse proxy (wss://))
codecodesxyz/marchat
What is marchat?
marchat is a command-line chat application aimed at developers. It provides a Go-based WebSocket server paired with a Bubble Tea terminal interface, plus separate graphical clients. The server can use SQLite, PostgreSQL, or MySQL for storage. Core capabilities include real-time messaging with editing, deletion, pinning, and emoji reactions, private direct messages, multi-room channels, typing indicators, and read receipts. Optional end-to-end encryption uses a shared ChaCha20-Poly1305 key. Files up to 1 MB can be transferred. A plugin system pulls extensions from a remote registry. Both terminal and web-based admin panels are included. Themes, notifications with scheduling, and health endpoints round out the feature set. Supported platforms include Linux, macOS, Windows, and Android via Termux. Deployment options cover Docker, Docker Compose, standalone binaries, and several package managers. The codebase is MIT-licensed and under active development.
Should you self-host marchat?
marchat scores 49/100 on selfhost.directory (how scoring works) and ranks #51 of 110 in Chat. It has 139 GitHub stars.
It shipped 12 stable releases in the past year. The latest, v1.3.8, came out on 1 October 2026. New versions land roughly every 2 weeks.
Setup is moderate: expect some configuration beyond a single command. An official Docker image is available. It is MIT-licensed and written mostly in Go.
Its closest alternative on selfhost.directory is Zulip (82/100, 26 127 stars). It scores higher overall, so compare the two before you pick. See marchat vs Zulip side by side.
Features
- Admin Controls
- Channels
- Direct Messages
- E2E EncryptionUses shared symmetric key model, not pairwise Signal-style key exchange
- File sharing
- Health Monitoring
- Message management
- Plugin System
- Read Receipts
- Real-time Chat
- Smart Notifications
- Terminal Admin PanelRequires terminal environment (auto-disabled in systemd/non-terminal)
- Terminal UI
- Typing Indicators
marchat README
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