mattermost self hosted

Setting up a self-hosted team communication platform can be daunting for many organizations.

Luckily, Mattermost's open source self-hosted solution makes it simple to get an affordable, secure, customizable, and scalable messaging system up and running quickly.

In this comprehensive guide, you'll learn all about Mattermost self-hosting capabilities, including infrastructure requirements, configuration steps, customization options, security best practices, troubleshooting advice, community support resources, and more.

Introduction to Mattermost Self-Hosted Solutions

Mattermost is an open source, self-hosted team communication service. As an open source platform, Mattermost provides businesses and developers full control and flexibility to deploy the software on their own infrastructure.

What is Mattermost Open Source?

Mattermost open source is the free edition of Mattermost's team chat platform. Being open source means the source code is publicly available for anyone to access, modify, and distribute.

As an open source solution, Mattermost offers several key benefits:

Cost savings: Businesses can host Mattermost on their own servers rather than paying for a proprietary SaaS solution. There are no per user fees.
Customizability: Companies can modify Mattermost to suit their specific needs and integrate it with internal tools/workflows.
Security: Source code transparency allows security audits. Users retain data ownership and control.
Community: Mattermost benefits from contributor support and feature development.

Advantages of Mattermost Self-Hosted Free Version

The free self-hosted version still includes the core Mattermost platform with enterprise-grade capabilities:

Secure team messaging and file sharing
Video calling
Desktop and mobile apps
Integrations with GitHub, Jira, Jenkins etc.

Other advantages include:

Avoid vendor lock-in - export data anytime
Scale to serve organizations of any size
Meet legal and compliance standards
Maintain uptime reliability standards

The self-hosted free version offers businesses an affordable, customizable, and secure team communication solution without having to compromise key features.

Is Mattermost free self-hosted?

Yes, Mattermost offers a free self-hosted open source version for teams to collaborate. Dubbed "Mattermost Free", it allows anyone to download, install, and host the Mattermost platform on their own servers at no cost.

Some key highlights of Mattermost Free:

Available for self-hosting under an MIT license
Support for team messaging, file sharing, search, and integrations
Modern web, desktop, and mobile apps included
No user, message, or storage limits imposed
Optional enterprise add-ons available via subscription

As an open source alternative, Mattermost Free focuses on providing core team communication capabilities without restrictions. You retain complete control and flexibility to manage your private cloud or on-premises deployment as needed.

The free self-hosted option does lack certain advanced features offered in the paid Mattermost Enterprise Edition like corporate SSO, LDAP directory integration, advanced permissions, and customer support. However, it serves well for most basic to intermediate collaboration use cases.

So if you want to avoid vendor lock-in or have specific data residency needs, Mattermost's free self-hosted open source software is a great way to enable teamwork across your organization. The GitHub repository has documentation to guide you through installation, configuration, and administration.

How do I host a Mattermost server?

Mattermost is an open source, self-hosted team communication service. To host your own Mattermost server, you will need to:

Download the Mattermost server package:

wget https://releases.mattermost.com/X.X.X/mattermost-X.X.X-linux-amd64.tar.gz

Extract the compressed file:

tar xvzf mattermost-X.X.X-linux-amd64.tar.gz

Move the Mattermost directory to the desired install location (we'll use /opt):

sudo mv mattermost /opt

Create the data directory that Mattermost will use:

sudo mkdir /opt/mattermost/data

Configure Mattermost by editing config.json. Set bind address, database connection, file storage directory, etc.
Start the Mattermost server process:

sudo start mattermost

When started, Mattermost will listen on the configured port and you can connect via web browser to finish setup.

Hosting your own Mattermost instance gives you full control and customization. You manage the server, authentication, storage, and more. This allows Mattermost to be tailored to your specific communication needs. The open source community also provides security updates and feature improvements.

Self-Hosting Considerations

Some things to consider when self-hosting Mattermost:

Server setup and management requires technical expertise
You need to handle backups, upgrades, monitoring etc
Scaling to multiple servers involves configuration
Integrations may require development work

For small teams with technical resources, self-hosted Mattermost can be a great open source alternative to proprietary options.

Is Mattermost a copy of slack?

No, Mattermost is an open source alternative to Slack that was built from the ground up as an open source messaging platform. While both Slack and Mattermost provide team messaging and collaboration features, Mattermost is licensed under an AGPLv3 open source license while Slack uses a proprietary license.

Here are some key differences between Mattermost and Slack:

Licensing: As mentioned, Mattermost is fully open source while Slack is proprietary. This means Mattermost gives you full control and flexibility over the source code.
Hosting: Mattermost is designed to be self-hosted on your own servers, giving you control over your data and servers. Slack hosts your data on their cloud.
Customizability: Since Mattermost is open source, you can deeply customize and integrate it into your infrastructure. Slack customizations are limited by their platform.
Security: With Mattermost, all your messages and files stay within your infrastructure allowing full control. Slack hosts your data externally with limited transparency.
Cost: Mattermost is free to self-host while Slack has monthly fees that go up with more users and features. For large teams, Mattermost can be far more cost effective.

So in summary, Mattermost provides the team messaging capabilities of Slack while being open source for greater control, customization, and cost savings. If you want an open source alternative you host and manage, Mattermost is a fantastic option comparable to Slack.

Does Mattermost have a desktop app?

Yes, Mattermost offers desktop apps for Linux, Mac, and Windows operating systems. The desktop apps provide the full Mattermost experience with some added benefits:

Key Features

Connect to multiple Mattermost servers from a single interface
Navigate between servers using keyboard shortcuts
Receive desktop notifications
Launch on system startup
Controlled updates from the app directly

The desktop app supports all the core features of Mattermost, including:

Group and private chat
File sharing
Code snippets
@mentions
Search
Emojis

By installing the desktop app, you can access your Mattermost workflows from your computer desktop without having to log into the web interface each time. This allows you to stay connected no matter where you are.

The desktop apps are open source and available for download on the Mattermost download page. Setup takes just a couple of minutes.

So if you use Mattermost regularly, the desktop app is highly recommended for productivity and convenience. It brings key collaboration tools right to your fingertips.

Setting Up Your Mattermost Self-Hosted Environment

Mattermost is an open source, self-hosted team chat and collaboration platform. Setting up your own Mattermost server provides greater control, customization, and data privacy compared to using the Mattermost SaaS offering. However, self-hosting does require more hands-on server and infrastructure management.

Preparing Your Mattermost Server Infrastructure

To self-host Mattermost, you need a server with the following minimum requirements:

2 CPU cores
4GB of RAM
10GB disk space

The server should run Linux or Docker on a public cloud provider like AWS, Azure, GCP or a private data center. Enable HTTPS with a valid SSL certificate for secure access.

For high availability, use a load balancer and set up Mattermost in high availability mode across multiple servers. Configure firewall rules to allow traffic on ports 80 and 443.

Choosing the Right Mattermost Hosting Solution

The easiest self-hosted Mattermost deployment option is to use Docker, which packages all the components into isolated containers. Download the Mattermost Docker image and launch it with optimal resource allocation and network port mapping.

Alternatively, compile and configure the Mattermost binary directly on a Linux system. Or use orchestration platforms like Kubernetes to automate deploying Mattermost containers across a cluster.

Managed Kubernetes services like Amazon EKS, Google GKE and Azure AKS simplify Mattermost orchestration. Heroku, AWS Elastic Beanstalk and AWS App Runner also offer automated Mattermost deployments.

Initial Mattermost Server Configuration

After installation, open the Mattermost web interface to finish setup. Create administrator credentials, set up SMTP mail delivery for notifications, enable multi-factor authentication for security, and configure file storage via local storage or S3.

Integrate Mattermost with GitLab, Jenkins, Jira and other tools using webhooks. Customize the user interface text and theme colors to match branding. Restrict account creation or invites only via email domains to limit access.

Ongoing Management of Your Mattermost Server

Use system monitoring tools to track Mattermost resource usage, latency metrics, error logs and more. Set up automated alerts to detect problems early.

Schedule regular Mattermost binary and database upgrades to stay up-to-date on the latest security patches and feature releases. Back up Mattermost data daily both on-disk and to an offsite location.

Consider enrolling in the enterprise edition for priority support and management features like advanced analytics for usage insights.

Customizing and Extending Your Mattermost Server

Tailoring the Mattermost Experience

Mattermost is highly customizable to fit the needs of your organization. With themes, plugins, and over 200 integrations, you can tailor Mattermost for improved productivity and collaboration.

To customize the user interface, Mattermost offers both pre-made and custom themes. Apply a theme to brand your Mattermost instance or design your own CSS theme for complete control over colors, fonts, and more.

Plugins extend Mattermost's functionality with new capabilities like slash commands, notifications, workflows, and custom interfaces. Choose from over 100 plugins in the Mattermost app directory or build your own using Mattermost's developer toolkit.

Integrations connect Mattermost to your existing software stack for centralized communication. Integrate popular tools like GitHub, Jira, Jenkins, and more to bring collaboration right into Mattermost conversations. With over 200 pre-made integrations and webhook support, you can easily embed notifications and updates from your favorite services.

Leveraging Mattermost GitHub Integration

The Mattermost GitHub integration enables developers to centrally manage GitHub repositories from within Mattermost channels and direct messages.

To set up the integration:

Install the GitHub plugin from the Mattermost app directory
Connect your GitHub account in Account Settings > Integrations > GitHub
Configure repository subscriptions in the Integration Management section

Once connected, Mattermost can send notifications on GitHub activities like opened pull requests, new commits, releases, comments, reviews, and more. Simply @-mention the bot to post updates or run GitHub slash commands like:

/github subscribe https://github.com/mattermost/mattermost-server

Bring developers and non-developers together in Mattermost channels to increase transparency into development workflows. Embed GitHub content into Mattermost for faster collaboration without switching between apps.

Building Custom Mattermost Integrations and Plugins

Mattermost provides SDKs for building custom integrations and plugins to extend functionality:

Integrations sync data between external systems and Mattermost via webhooks and slash commands. Use the Go and JavaScript SDKs to post messages, load data, interact with users, and more.

Plugins add new UI components and capabilities using React and JavaScript. Access posts, users, preferences, and events to manipulate Mattermost from a plugin.

Review the developer documentation to leverage guides, API references, and code samples for building on Mattermost. Join the Integrations channel on the Mattermost community server to ask questions and showcase your projects.

With custom development, you can unlock workflows like automatic ticket creation, custom slash commands, UI enhancements, bots, notifications, and more. Integrate your custom tools or tailor Mattermost to your team's specific needs.

Securing and Scaling Your Mattermost Installation

Implementing Security Best Practices for Mattermost

As a self-hosted messaging platform, Mattermost gives you control over data security and access controls. Here are some best practices to lock down your Mattermost installation:

Enable SSL/TLS encryption for your Mattermost server. Require HTTPS connections to prevent eavesdropping. Use Let's Encrypt for free SSL certificates.
Configure multi-factor authentication (MFA). Require users to authenticate with a second factor beyond just a password.
Restrict account creation and email invites to admins only. This prevents unauthorized users from signing up.
Segment permissions by team and channel. Don't give all users full admin access.
Regularly audit permissions and logins to identify anomalies. Removing inactive users reduces your attack surface.
Keep Mattermost up-to-date to benefit from latest security fixes. Consider enabling automated updates.
Isolate your Mattermost database into its own subnet with restricted access. Never expose the DB to the public internet.

Following these guidelines makes it much harder for attackers to breach your Mattermost server or access sensitive data. Customize security settings to match tolerance levels.

Planning for Mattermost Server Scalability

As your userbase grows, a single Mattermost server may struggle to handle increased users and message volumes. Here are some tips for scaling Mattermost:

Vertical scaling: Allocate more CPU cores, RAM, SSD storage to handle more simultaneous users. But hardware has limits.
Horizontal scaling: Set up a cluster of multiple Mattermost application servers behind a load balancer to distribute traffic.
Shard your database if write throughput becomes a bottleneck. A separate DB server also improves redundancy.
Enable caching for frequently accessed data like profiles and channels. This reduces database load.
Resize database RAM and IOPS capacity to levels sufficient for peak usage times.
Set resource usage alerts to proactively identify scaling bottlenecks before they degrade performance.
Evaluate switching to a PostgreSQL cluster for higher throughput and redundancy at scale.
Assess whether cloud hosted Mattermost solutions simplify scaling without capacity planning overhead.

Proactively scale out Mattermost infrastructure to ensure acceptable performance as business reliance increases.

Automating Backup and Recovery for Mattermost

Unplanned outages can disrupt internal communications or lead to permanent data loss without Mattermost backups:

Full Database Dumps: Schedule pg_dump to create daily database backups. Copy these to separate backup storage.
File Storage Snapshots: Use filesystem snapshots to protect uploaded files and attachments.
Automated Monitoring: Get alerts if backups fail for troubleshooting. Monitor disk usage.
Remote Replication: Continuously replicate DB and file storage volumes to a disaster recovery (DR) site.
Test Restore Process: Validate you can restore to a point in time from backups quickly. Measure recovery time objective (RTO).
Document Recovery Steps: Create an emergency runbook detailing restoration procedures, so admins can easily follow.
Off-Site Backups: Ensure backups are copied to an off-site location in case of physical disasters like fires or floods.

Automating backups and testing recovery reduces risk of permanent data loss. Documented disaster recovery plans also enable restoring service rapidly after outages or incidents.

Administrative Insights: Managing and Troubleshooting Mattermost

Routine Mattermost Server Maintenance

Regular maintenance is key to keeping your Mattermost server running smoothly. Here are some best practices:

Keep Mattermost and dependencies up-to-date to get the latest features, security updates, and bug fixes. Review the changelog to determine if an upgrade is worthwhile.
Monitor disk space usage and clear out old files if needed. Mattermost can generate a large volume of logs over time.
Optimize the database regularly by running mmctl db optimize to prevent performance degradation over time.
Watch vital system metrics like CPU, memory usage, and network bandwidth to catch problems early. Consider tools like netdata or Prometheus for monitoring.
Back up the Mattermost database, configuration files, and file uploads regularly to facilitate restores. The frequency depends on your change tolerance.
Test backups periodically by restoring them to a staging server and confirming everything works properly after a server migration.

Troubleshooting Common Mattermost Server Issues

If your Mattermost server exhibits problems, these tips may help diagnose and resolve common issues:

Check the logs located in /var/log/mattermost for errors that indicate the root cause. The mattermost.log file records application activity details.
Use the mmctl diagnostics tool to check for misconfigurations or system issues Mattermost depends on. Review the full diagnostic output.
If the server is slow or unresponsive, verify the system has sufficient CPU, memory, network, and disk I/O resources using a tool like top. Upgrade capacity if overloaded resources are identified.
For database-specific problems like slow queries, use built-in database tooling like MySQL's Slow Query Log to identify optimization opportunities.
Search Mattermost forums, Stack Overflow, GitHub issues, and documentation for solutions to common problems that others have reported. Thorough issue investigation is key.

Optimizing Performance for a Smooth Mattermost Experience

To deliver a smooth experience for your Mattermost users, focus on these performance best practices:

Enable Mattermost High Availability mode to improve uptime and redundancy. Deploy peer servers acting as hot spares to failovers quickly if an issue arises.
Scale horizontally by adding more application servers behind a load balancer instead of having one giant server. This allows distributing load across cheaper commodity hardware.
Strip down unnecessary plugins and integrations if they add overhead without commensurate value. Disable unused features as well to reduce resource demands.
Set log levels only as verbose as needed. Debug logging has a high performance cost and should be avoided on production servers when unnecessary.

Following these guidelines will lead to a robust, optimized Mattermost deployment that delights end users with great reliability and performance. Let us know in the comments if you have any other Mattermost management best practices to share!

Community Support and Resources for Mattermost Self-Hosted

Navigating the Mattermost Community Forums

The Mattermost community forums at https://forum.mattermost.org/ are the best place to ask questions, find answers, and collaborate with other Mattermost administrators and contributors. When posting in the forums, be sure to search existing threads first in case your question has already been answered. Use clear and descriptive thread titles and provide details on your Mattermost version, hardware specs, issue description, error messages, steps to reproduce, etc. Screenshots are also helpful. The forums have dedicated categories for troubleshooting, feature requests, integrations, announcements, and more. Review the forum guidelines before posting and be respectful when interacting with others.

For quick questions, the Mattermost public server at https://community.mattermost.com/ has chat channels dedicated to community support conversations. The ~Developers channel can also provide guidance on contributing to Mattermost's open source codebase on GitHub.

Finding Documentation and Best Practices

The Mattermost documentation at https://docs.mattermost.com/ covers installation, configuration, administration, integrations, troubleshooting guides, developer resources, security best practices, and more. It provides a wealth of information for operating a Mattermost server. Beyond the official documentation, many community members have shared tips and tricks for optimizing Mattermost performance based on their own self-hosted deployments. These community guides can offer useful configuration tweaks and infrastructure best practices worth reviewing.

When installing Mattermost, be sure to closely follow the latest installation guides matching your target platform and Mattermost version. Outdated guides can lead to unexpected issues.

Contributing to Mattermost Open Source

As an open source project, Mattermost welcomes code and documentation contributions to help improve the product for all users. Visit the Contribute page at https://mattermost.com/contribute/ to explore areas needing community contributions with the "Help Wanted" tag. You can also file feature requests and join discussions on the Mattermost forums.

If you know Go, JavaScript, React or TypeScript, you can contribute to Mattermost features and fix bugs by submitting pull requests on GitHub at https://github.com/mattermost/mattermost-server. Be sure to follow the contribution checklist when making submissions. Non-developers can contribute by improving documentation, reporting issues, assisting with quality assurance testing, and sharing feedback on new releases.

Building an engaged open source community strengthens Mattermost, so all contributions and collaboration is greatly appreciated!

Conclusion: The Path to Empowered Communication with Mattermost Self-Hosted

Summarizing the Mattermost Self-Hosted Journey

Mattermost offers organizations a powerful open-source alternative for team communication and collaboration. By self-hosting Mattermost, companies gain total control and customization over their chat platform. They can configure Mattermost to meet their specific needs around security, integrations, desktop/mobile experience, and more. The onboarding process does require some technical expertise to get a Mattermost server up and running. But once deployed, Mattermost provides a full-featured team chat solution comparable to proprietary SaaS options, while avoiding vendor lock-in or monthly per-user fees.

Overall, self-hosted Mattermost empowers organizations to take charge of their internal communication stack in a flexible and cost-effective manner. The open-source development model also allows companies to directly influence the product roadmap if they choose to contribute code back to the project. For the right team, Mattermost can be an incredibly enabling platform.

Further Steps to Mastering Mattermost

Once your Mattermost installation is live, there are additional steps to help your organization get the most out of the platform:

Encourage employee adoption by promoting Mattermost through internal comms and training
Set up integrations with key business systems to centralize workflows
Customize the Mattermost UI/UX to match internal branding
Automate tasks by building custom plugins and bots
Contribute to Mattermost's open-source codebase on GitHub
Engage with the Mattermost community forums to learn best practices

Taking these extra steps will empower your staff through seamless communication and ensure Mattermost remains a vital hub for organizational productivity.

Exploring Mattermost Self-Hosted Free Trial Options

For teams interested in evaluating Mattermost before fully self-hosting, there are a few quick trial options:

Deploy a free 60-day trial from the Azure Marketplace
Launch a temporary Docker container to demo Mattermost
Sign up for hosted Mattermost Basic plan trial (10 users free)

These low-commitment trials let you experience Mattermost capabilities firsthand. You can then decide if self-managed Mattermost aligns with your organization's communication needs.