What is Ferrite Telegram Server?

Ferrite is a .NET server implementing the MTProto protocol used by Telegram. It enables running the official Telegram mobile applications against a privately operated backend. The server provides messaging capabilities including private conversations, groups, channels, and supergroups. It handles media file transfers and supports secret chats with end-to-end encryption. Voice and video calling works for both individual and group conversations. Data storage options range from simple local files to distributed systems including Cassandra, Redis, Kafka, object storage, and Elasticsearch. Deployment options include a standalone .NET process, a Docker container, or a complete distributed stack via .NET Aspire. All configuration is done through environment variables prefixed with FERRITE_. The code is licensed under AGPL-3.0-or-later and has no connection to Telegram Messenger Inc.

Should you self-host Ferrite Telegram Server?

Ferrite Telegram Server scores 39/100 on selfhost.directory (how scoring works) and ranks #88 of 110 in Chat. It has 177 GitHub stars.

There was no stable release in the past 12 months, so check the repository's recent activity before you rely on it.

Setup is advanced: plan for several services and some ongoing maintenance. It is AGPL-3.0-licensed and written mostly in C#.

Its closest alternative on selfhost.directory is Zulip (82/100, 26 125 stars). It scores higher overall, so compare the two before you pick. See Ferrite Telegram Server vs Zulip side by side.

Features

Group callsRequires mediasoup worker
Media upload and download
MTProto protocol support
Multi-layer API support
Multiple Storage Backends
Official Telegram client compatibilityRequires rebuilding clients with custom keys
One-to-one and group messaging
Secret chats (E2EE)
Voice and video calls