# rosterchirp A modern, self-hosted team messaging Progressive Web App (PWA) built for small to medium teams. rosterchirp runs entirely in a single Docker container with no external database dependencies — all data is stored locally using SQLite. --- ## Features ### Messaging - **Real-time messaging** — WebSocket-powered (Socket.io); messages appear instantly across all clients - **Image attachments** — Attach and send images via the + menu; auto-compressed client-side before upload - **Camera capture** — Take a photo directly from the + menu on mobile devices - **Emoji picker** — Send standalone emoji messages at large size via the + menu - **Message replies** — Quote and reply to any message with an inline preview - **Emoji reactions** — Quick-react with common emojis or open the full emoji picker; one reaction per user, replaceable - **@Mentions** — Type `@` to search and tag users using `@[Display Name]` syntax; autocomplete scoped to group members; mentioned users receive a notification - **Link previews** — URLs are automatically expanded with Open Graph metadata (title, image, site name) - **Typing indicators** — See when others are composing a message - **Image lightbox** — Tap any image to open it full-screen with pinch-to-zoom support - **Message grouping** — Consecutive messages from the same user are visually grouped; avatar and name shown only on first message - **Last message preview** — Sidebar shows "You:" prefix when the current user sent the last message ### Channels & Groups - **Public channels** — Admin-created; all users are automatically added - **Private groups / DMs** — Any user can create; membership is invite-only by the owner - **Direct messages** — One-to-one private conversations; sidebar title always shows the other user's real name - **Duplicate group prevention** — Creating a private group with the same member set as an existing group redirects to the existing group automatically - **Read-only channels** — Admin-configurable announcement-style channels; only admins can post - **Support group** — A private admin-only group that receives submissions from the login page contact form - **Custom group names** — Each user can set a personal display name for any group, visible only to them ### Users & Profiles - **Authentication** — Email/password login with optional Remember Me (30-day session) - **Forced password change** — New users must change their password on first login - **User profiles** — Custom display name, avatar upload, About Me text - **Profile popup** — Click any user's avatar in chat to view their profile card - **Admin badge** — Admins display a role badge; can be hidden per-user in Profile settings ### Notifications - **In-app notifications** — Mention alerts with toast notifications - **Unread indicators** — Private groups with new unread messages are highlighted and bolded in the sidebar - **Web Push notifications** — Badge and push notifications for mentions and new private messages when the app is backgrounded or closed (requires HTTPS) ### Admin & Settings - **User Manager** — Create, suspend, activate, delete users; reset passwords; change roles - **Bulk CSV import** — Import multiple users at once from a CSV file - **App branding** — Customize app name and logo via the Settings panel - **Reset to defaults** — One-click reset of all branding customizations - **Version display** — Current app version shown in the Settings panel - **Default user password** — Configurable via `USER_PASS` env var; shown live in User Manager ### Help & Onboarding - **Getting Started modal** — Appears automatically on first login; users can dismiss permanently with "Do not show again" - **Help menu item** — Always accessible from the user menu regardless of dismissed state - **Editable help content** — `data/help.md` is edited before build and baked into the image at build time ### PWA - **Installable** — Install to home screen on mobile and desktop via the browser install prompt - **Adaptive icons** — Separate `any` and `maskable` icon entries; maskable icons sized for Android circular crop - **Dynamic app icon** — Uploaded logo is automatically resized and used as the PWA shortcut icon - **Dynamic manifest** — App name and icons update live when changed in Settings - **Pull-to-refresh disabled** — In PWA standalone mode, pull-to-refresh is disabled to prevent a layout shift bug on mobile ### Contact Form - **Login page contact form** — A "Contact Support" button on the login page opens a form that posts directly into the admin Support group --- ## Tech Stack | Layer | Technology | |---|---| | Backend | Node.js, Express, Socket.io | | Database | SQLite (better-sqlite3) | | Frontend | React 18, Vite | | Markdown rendering | marked | | Emoji picker | emoji-mart | | Image processing | sharp | | Push notifications | web-push (VAPID) | | Containerization | Docker, Docker Compose | | Reverse proxy / SSL | Caddy (recommended) | --- ## Requirements - **Docker** and **Docker Compose v2** - A domain name with DNS pointed at your server (required for HTTPS and Web Push notifications) - Ports **80** and **443** open on your server firewall (if using Caddy for SSL) --- ## Building the Image All builds use `build.sh`. No host Node.js installation is required. > **Tip:** Edit `data/help.md` before running `build.sh` to customise the Getting Started help content baked into the image. ```bash # Build and tag as :latest only ./build.sh # Build and tag as a specific version ./build.sh 1.0.0 ``` --- ## Installation ### 1. Clone the repository ```bash git clone https://your-gitea/youruser/rosterchirp.git cd rosterchirp ``` ### 2. Build the Docker image ```bash ./build.sh 1.0.0 ``` ### 3. Configure environment ```bash cp .env.example .env nano .env ``` At minimum, change `ADMIN_EMAIL`, `ADMIN_PASS`, and `JWT_SECRET`. ### 4. Start the container ```bash docker compose up -d docker compose logs -f rosterchirp ``` ### 5. Log in Open `http://your-server:3000`, log in with your `ADMIN_EMAIL` and `ADMIN_PASS`, and change your password when prompted. --- ## HTTPS & SSL rosterchirp does not manage SSL itself. Use **Caddy** as a reverse proxy. ### Caddyfile ``` chat.yourdomain.com { reverse_proxy rosterchirp:3000 } ``` ### docker-compose.yaml (with Caddy) ```yaml version: '3.8' services: rosterchirp: image: rosterchirp:${rosterchirp_VERSION:-latest} container_name: rosterchirp restart: unless-stopped expose: - "3000" environment: - NODE_ENV=production - ADMIN_NAME=${ADMIN_NAME:-Admin User} - ADMIN_EMAIL=${ADMIN_EMAIL:-admin@rosterchirp.local} - ADMIN_PASS=${ADMIN_PASS:-Admin@1234} - USER_PASS=${USER_PASS:-user@1234} - ADMPW_RESET=${ADMPW_RESET:-false} - JWT_SECRET=${JWT_SECRET:-changeme} - APP_NAME=${APP_NAME:-rosterchirp} - rosterchirp_VERSION=${rosterchirp_VERSION:-latest} volumes: - rosterchirp_db:/app/data - rosterchirp_uploads:/app/uploads caddy: image: caddy:alpine container_name: caddy restart: unless-stopped ports: - "80:80" - "443:443" - "443:443/udp" volumes: - ./Caddyfile:/etc/caddy/Caddyfile:ro - caddy_data:/data - caddy_certs:/config depends_on: - rosterchirp volumes: rosterchirp_db: rosterchirp_uploads: caddy_data: caddy_certs: ``` --- ## Environment Variables | Variable | Default | Description | |---|---|---| | `rosterchirp_VERSION` | `latest` | Docker image tag to run | | `TZ` | `UTC` | Container timezone (e.g. `America/Toronto`) | | `ADMIN_NAME` | `Admin User` | Display name of the default admin account | | `ADMIN_EMAIL` | `admin@rosterchirp.local` | Login email for the default admin account | | `ADMIN_PASS` | `Admin@1234` | Initial password for the default admin account | | `USER_PASS` | `user@1234` | Default temporary password for bulk-imported users when no password is specified in CSV | | `ADMPW_RESET` | `false` | If `true`, resets the **admin** password to `ADMIN_PASS` on every restart. Emergency access recovery only. Shows a warning banner when active. | | `JWT_SECRET` | *(insecure default)* | Secret used to sign auth tokens. **Must be changed in production.** | | `PORT` | `3000` | Host port to bind (without Caddy) | | `APP_NAME` | `rosterchirp` | Initial application name (can also be changed in Settings UI) | | `DEFCHAT_NAME` | `General Chat` | Name of the default public group created on first run | > `ADMIN_EMAIL` and `ADMIN_PASS` are only used on the **first run**. Once the database exists they are ignored — unless `ADMPW_RESET=true`. ### Example `.env` ```env rosterchirp_VERSION=1.0.0 TZ=America/Toronto ADMIN_NAME=Your Name ADMIN_EMAIL=admin@yourdomain.com ADMIN_PASS=ChangeThisNow! USER_PASS=Welcome@123 ADMPW_RESET=false JWT_SECRET=replace-this-with-a-long-random-string-at-least-32-chars PORT=3000 APP_NAME=rosterchirp DEFCHAT_NAME=General Chat ``` --- ## First Login & Setup Checklist 1. Log in with `ADMIN_EMAIL` / `ADMIN_PASS` 2. Change your password when prompted 3. Read the **Getting Started** guide that appears on first login 4. Open ⚙️ **Settings** → upload a logo and set the app name 5. Open 👥 **User Manager** to create accounts for your team --- ## User Management Accessible from the bottom-left menu (admin only). | Action | Description | |---|---| | Create user | Set name, email, temporary password, and role | | Bulk CSV import | Upload a CSV to create multiple users at once | | Reset password | User is forced to set a new password on next login | | Suspend | Blocks login; messages are preserved | | Activate | Re-enables a suspended account | | Delete | Removes account; messages remain attributed to user | | Change role | Promote member → admin or demote admin → member | ### CSV Import Format ```csv name,email,password,role John Doe,john@example.com,TempPass123,member Jane Smith,jane@example.com,,admin ``` - `password` is optional — defaults to the value of `USER_PASS` if omitted - All imported users must change their password on first login --- ## Group Types | | Public Channels | Private Groups | Direct Messages | |---|---|---|---| | Who can create | Admin only | Any user | Any user | | Membership | All users (automatic) | Invite-only by owner | Two users only | | Sidebar title | Group name | Group name (customisable per user) | Other user's real name | | Rename | Admin only | Owner only | ❌ Not allowed | | Read-only mode | ✅ Optional | ❌ N/A | ❌ N/A | | Duplicate prevention | N/A | ✅ Redirects to existing | ✅ Redirects to existing | ### @Mention Scoping - **Public channels** — all active users appear in the `@` autocomplete - **Private groups** — only members of that group appear - **Direct messages** — only the other participant appears --- ## Custom Group Names Any user can set a personal display name for any group: 1. Open the group and tap the **ⓘ info** icon 2. Enter a name under **Your custom name** and tap **Save** 3. The custom name appears in your sidebar and chat header only 4. Message Info shows: `Custom Name (Owner's Name)` 5. Clear the field and tap **Save** to revert to the owner's name --- ## Help Content The Getting Started guide is sourced from `data/help.md`. Edit before running `build.sh` — it is baked into the image at build time. ```bash nano data/help.md ./build.sh 1.0.0 ``` Users can access the guide at any time via **User menu → Help**. --- ## Data Persistence | Volume | Container path | Contents | |---|---|---| | `rosterchirp_db` | `/app/data` | SQLite database (`rosterchirp.db`), `help.md` | | `rosterchirp_uploads` | `/app/uploads` | Avatars, logos, PWA icons, message images | ### Backup ```bash # Backup database docker run --rm \ -v rosterchirp_db:/data \ -v $(pwd):/backup alpine \ tar czf /backup/rosterchirp_db_$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz -C /data . # Backup uploads docker run --rm \ -v rosterchirp_uploads:/data \ -v $(pwd):/backup alpine \ tar czf /backup/rosterchirp_uploads_$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz -C /data . ``` --- ## Upgrades & Rollbacks ```bash # Upgrade ./build.sh 1.1.0 # Set rosterchirp_VERSION=1.1.0 in .env docker compose up -d # Rollback # Set rosterchirp_VERSION=1.0.0 in .env docker compose up -d ``` Data volumes are untouched in both cases. --- ## PWA Icons | File | Purpose | |---|---| | `icon-192.png` / `icon-512.png` | Standard icons — PC PWA shortcuts (`purpose: any`) | | `icon-192-maskable.png` / `icon-512-maskable.png` | Adaptive icons — Android home screen (`purpose: maskable`); logo at 75% scale on solid background | --- ## ADMPW_RESET Flag Resets the **admin account** password to `ADMIN_PASS` on every container restart. Use only when the admin password has been lost. ```env # Enable for recovery ADMPW_RESET=true # Disable after recovering access ADMPW_RESET=false ``` A ⚠️ warning banner is shown on the login page and in Settings when active. --- ## Development ```bash # Backend (port 3000) cd backend && npm install && npm run dev # Frontend (port 5173) cd frontend && npm install && npm run dev ``` The Vite dev server proxies all `/api` and `/socket.io` requests to the backend automatically. --- ## License MIT