Has anyone tried this? It's discord reverse engineered.
GitHub - spacebarchat/spacebarchat: 📬 Spacebar is a free open source selfhostable discord compatible communication platform
https://github.com/spacebarchat/spacebarchat
https://github.com/spacebarchat/spacebarchat
Has anyone tried this? It's discord reverse engineered.
57 Comments
wreckedcarzz@lemmy.world · 76 pts · 184d
I set this container up yesterday. Technically it's running. But all the settings are in the fucking sql db, and I know fuck all about sql other than drop tables is funny meme from xkcd. But also, ignoring the settings, I would like to point out that there is effectively no client. I mean, there are two official ones - the depreciated one, and the alpha one, and the alpha one has a total of 4 releases with the newest being two years ago. How do you deprecate a client when the server is still in alpha? What the fuck? And on all pages it screams 'this is alpha testing software, do not use as a daily'. Also the docs are, uhh... rough. If rough was falling 4 stories into a bed of poisonous cacti. It took me 3 hours to get the container running properly and finally poking at the db. It's as organized as my bedroom ('it's somewhere in this dresser, I think...').
The idea, the potential, is brilliant. Literally everything about getting it working though...
paraphrand@lemmy.world · 36 pts · 183d
Lots of great software ideas out there. It’s always the execution, availability of resources, and the reality of capitalism getting in the way.
30p87@feddit.org · 8 pts · 183d
Until I get in the way of capitalism (with a shotgun)
Neptr@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 4 pts · 183d
You can use the WebCord app for Spacebar.
wreckedcarzz@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 183d
I don't see any options or mention of changing instances, beyond discord canary and public testing...? I might be blind
PointyFluff@lemmy.ml · -28 pts · 183d
Containers = Yet Another Attack Surface.
wreckedcarzz@lemmy.world · 17 pts · 183d
So you're offering to manage my ~40 services, and make sure that all the dependencies are met - and none conflict...?
I mean, I enjoy hosting things myself, but I'm not going to invite issues that have been resolved by simple solutions. I've been around the block with dependency hell, fuck all of that. Now if I was getting paid like 6 figures instead of zero, sure boss, whatever the fuck you say boss, job security all day long. But unless you're offering, I'm sticking with the easy way.
Mic_Check_One_Two@reddthat.com · 13 pts · 183d
I mean, that’s true regardless of how it is running. If the service is externally available, it will be probed for vulnerabilities. At least with a container, you can ward off what files it has access to, so an attacker can’t just ransomware your entire NAS with a single vulnerable service.
MonkeMischief@lemmy.today · 3 pts · 183d
And thaaaat's why it's head/tailscale or nothing for me. I'm smart enough to know I don't know enough to be absolutely confident I won't get SHODAN'd and end up crying over a home network catastrophe, never feeling truly secure ever again.
Every now and then it's tempting to get those fun features in containers like Nextcloud, like public links and federation, but it's not worth the risk IMHO. Not when there's state-class adversarial bots written by stupidly smart people roaming the landscape. <_<
4am@lemmy.zip · 4 pts · 183d
Eh, containers are fine if you know what you’re doing. Just run them in a VM if you want more isolation.
Definitely not for the average user though.
CoreLabJoe@piefed.ca · 69 pts · 184d
HHhhmm... Do container/docker install option. This is why it's probably stagnated in adoption from the selfhosted community.
It needs a container based install, no one likes installing dependencies and crud onto their pristine environments any longer.
tofu@lemmy.nocturnal.garden · 37 pts · 184d
It's just not mentioned prominently https://github.com/spacebarchat/docker
hexagonwin@lemmy.today · 26 pts · 184d
last commit 3yrs ago.. seems unmaintained
moonpiedumplings@programming.dev · 82 pts · 184d
Docker compose's don't really need to be maintained though. As long as the app doesn't need new components old docker composes should work.
EDIT: Oops, it does look like spacebarchat's docker images have last been updated over 2 years ago:
https://hub.docker.com/r/spacebarchat/server
EDIT2: Although this is outdated, I think their github repo has an action to autobuild docker images on pushes. Still investigating.
EDIT3: Okay, they don't seem to be actually ran.
But using nix to build a docker image is pretty cool.
EDIT4: Oh shit, the docker image build workflows were added just 2 hours ago. Of course they haven't been ran!
Docker support soon, probably.
EDIT5: the workflow ran, but it looks like it's private for now.
Railcar8095@lemmy.world · 69 pts · 184d
You got my heart racing with the twists!
Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafe · 21 pts · 184d
Right? Reading that was like watching an action movie!
rudyharrelson@lemmy.radio · 12 pts · 184d
Perhaps more relevantly, the Docker image itself has not been updated in over 2 years: https://hub.docker.com/r/spacebarchat/server
moonpiedumplings@programming.dev · 9 pts · 184d
Faster than my edits, I see.
Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world · 15 pts · 184d
It’s weird that the server has a .dockerignore file without a Dockerfile.
4am@lemmy.zip · 6 pts · 183d
Seems like they’re working on Docker build actions right now according to some other comments
irmadlad@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 183d
It just depends, however, containers sure do make things a lot cleaner.
30p87@feddit.org · 4 pts · 183d
I do. I just completed pulling the core piped components (piped-backend, -frontend and -prox as well as -html-proxy) from Docker to native installs from the AUR, as well as installing searxng without a venv. Spacebar (the server and client) even have AUR pkgs, but they're unmaintained... I'm gonna change that.
savvywolf@pawb.social · 21 pts · 183d
Why would one use this rather than just using something like Matrix or self-hosted Stoat? I'm not sure what it being "Discord compatible" really gets this project. Bot compatibility is nice, but aren't most Discord bots closed source anyway?
Natanox@discuss.tchncs.de · 18 pts · 183d
Because Stoat is also riddled with problems and Matrix is a dysfunctional hot mess.
traxex@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 5 pts · 183d
How is Matrix dysfunctional?
Natanox@discuss.tchncs.de · 44 pts · 183d
Where do I even start…
I really tried to like it, I even attempted to move a community over, attempted to self-host, all the jazz. It's a steaming mess for years now with no end in sight, and literally everyone who tried it eventually left disenchanted. Don't even bother trying it.
dev_null@lemmy.ml · 20 pts · 183d
This was my experience. Every time people suggest it as a Discord alternative I'm like, have you actually tried it? I hate Discord as much as the next guy but Matrix doesn't get anywhere close. I tried really hard to like it and give it a chance, but no.
fastfomo7@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 8 pts · 183d
They mock people for not self-hosting it, calling it a 'skill issue.' I mean, not everyone has the time and energy to deal with that level of friction.
ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 183d
In the proper timeline the superior proprietary platform Axon beat out Discord.
Willdrick@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 183d
The cumulative hours we've lost screwing around with the manual placement spacial audio on Axon... When it went tits up we switched to Mumble tho
u_tamtam@programming.dev · 1 pts · 182d
I mean, if you want Matrix AND that it works, you just install ejabberd or prosody and go on with your life. But then there's nothing fancy to report or brag about, it just works.
Telodzrum@lemmy.world · 12 pts · 183d
scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech · 15 pts · 184d
There is a direct server though, is it federated? The readme doesn't say it's federated at all
moonpiedumplings@programming.dev · 13 pts · 184d
It's not federated, just easy to self host and point custom clients at.
scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech · 3 pts · 184d
That's too bad, that's a hard line for me, it has to have the option of federation.
Also, so it's a direct server, so it is centralized, there's nothing decentralized about it
aBundleOfFerrets@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 182d
It is decentralized in the respect that communities run their own servers, in comparison to discord where there is an overarching corporation managing everything
scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech · 1 pts · 182d
But that's not decentralized. It's the same as discord, only instead of a corporation now you have a server admin.
Lumisal@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 184d
Are you sure? Because they also seem to be behind Fermi which sounds federated
moonpiedumplings@programming.dev · 7 pts · 183d
Fermi is just a custom client for discord/spacebar. It's not federated.
jjlinux@lemmy.zip · 11 pts · 183d
3 years of abandonment? Absolutely not.
SleveMcDichael@programming.dev · 7 pts · 183d
Where are you getting three years of abandonment from? The branding repo OP linked was last updated 10 months ago, while the server repo appears to have had pretty steady development for the last month at least (as far back as I bothered checking on mobile)
nfreak@lemmy.ml · 8 pts · 184d
Interesting, seems like this has been around for a while but I haven't heard of it until now. With how much Discord's shitting the fan and becoming (well, always has been) a privacy nightmare, this seems worth a try. The alternatives out there either need time to mature (Stoat) or don't really fill the same role (Matrix).
lemming@anarchist.nexus · 12 pts · 184d
Huh, like a more disastrous and direct combo-approach. I like it.
nfreak@lemmy.ml · 6 pts · 183d
You know I didn't even realize I said this and I'm gonna start using this one LMFAO
Lemmchen@feddit.org · 8 pts · 184d
Spacebar was called Fosscord before. Maybe you have heard of that.
mrnobody@reddthat.com · 3 pts · 184d
Never heard of it either. Will check out cuz initially sounded like some vibecode app to quickly replace Discord since the news.
wreckedcarzz@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 184d
It's been around a few years. I investigated it last year. It had a name change some times ago.
I can't vouch for the code quality, but it's too old to be slop.
Comrade_Spood@quokk.au · 7 pts · 183d
This wont go anywhere until they have an app that is easy to download. And then everyone says Revolt/Stoat but that doesnt even fucking work cause their verification system is ass (probably because they use gen AI to code) and also is difficult to download the mobile app
em2@lemmy.ml · 4 pts · 183d
Their verification system has been my boss fight the last 48 hours. I want to get off of discord. PLEASE LET ME!
Truscape@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 1 pts · 183d
Stoat has 3rd party clients that are easy to install, I already got the Clerotri app downloaded directly from Accrescent on GrapheneOS (although I believe they have an F-Droid release).
Comrade_Spood@quokk.au · 5 pts · 183d
Still has AI generated code. I tried setting up an account and despite it saying the email to verify your account would take up to 10 minutes, it actually would take hours. And I can't sign up with my proton email (managed to get it to work with my gmail), while my friend cant get it to verify with their gmail.
Edit: Also have I have not found clients on fdroid or aurora store. I could only find the old Revolt app by adding its own fdroid repository and it hasnt been updated in years
Truscape@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 1 pts · 183d
Ah on the storefront side, sorry. I made an educated guess, but I guess it's not a good one XD.
Here is the Stoat/Revolt wiki with a complete list of clients (official and 3rd party) that you can check btw: https://wiki.rvlt.gg/index.php/Stoat_Clients
I wasn't aware of the AI-generated code part, I'll take a look at source to verify.
Yttra@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 182d
Does any of that actually indicate AI generated code, or was that just unrelated/speculation?
I feel I can't really blame them for having horribly delayed verification, thanks to the sudden influx of users. I signed up nearly a year ago and it was normal then.
ulkesh@piefed.social · 3 pts · 184d
Doesn't seem terribly well-maintained.
EDIT>> As was properly pointed out to me, I was judging based on the wrong repo. The server repo indeed has work being done on it, so it looks like this is getting updates and moving forward.
priapus@piefed.social · 1 pts · 183d
This is just a link to the branding repo. There isnt much to maintain in there.
ulkesh@piefed.social · 1 pts · 183d
I see, thank you. I withdraw my comment since the server repo certainly looks more maintained. The client repo seems stale, but the software does seem to be getting work on it, so that's great!
rainbowbunny@slrpnk.net · 1 pts · 183d
The Spacebar alternative client, Fermi, is more actively maintained from my understanding
https://fermi.chat/ https://github.com/MathMan05/Fermi
PointyFluff@lemmy.ml · 2 pts · 183d
So is IRC and Matrix.