im-server

IM Chat, High-performance, scalable, self-hosted instant messaging server in Go — private chat, groups, chatrooms, WebSocket and REST APIs.

⭐ 3,532 stars on GitHub · 🍴 375 forks · 📜 License: apache-2.0 · 💻 Language: Go

What is im-server?

This is a powerful opensource communication platform — self-host it to keep full control over your team's chat data.

Main components

• Protobuf + WebSocket long connections — low bandwidth, high throughput, and reliable connectivity even on poor networks
• Professional edition supports clustered deployment with unlimited horizontal scaling, powering apps with hundreds of millions of DAU
• Handles large groups of 10,000–100,000 members without losing messages, plus unlimited-size live chat rooms
• Tenant-scoped credentials and token-based client authentication, with HTTPS/WSS recommended for production transport security
• Multi-device online presence and message sync keep state consistent across all endpoints
• Supports public cloud, private cloud, and managed cloud deployment models
• Global link acceleration for worldwide-scale applications
• SDKs for Android, iOS, Web, PC, Flutter, and HarmonyOS, each with a demo and docs

The biggest strength is full control over chat data — something no commercial alternative grants you.

Best for remote teams, tech companies, communities — anyone who wants chat history kept private.

Topics: the project is tagged with popular topics:

• 🏷️ chat
• 🏷️ chat-server
• 🏷️ golang
• 🏷️ im
• 🏷️ imsdk
• 🏷️ imserver
• 🏷️ instant-messaging
• 🏷️ messenger
• 🏷️ multi-tenant
• 🏷️ open-source

Quick install

The project supports Docker Compose:

git clone https://github.com/juggleim/im-server.git
cd im-server
docker compose up -d

Check the README in the repo for required env variables.

Minimum system requirements

⚡ Deploy fast on VSIS

Use the VSIS VPS Lite 2GB RAM / 2 vCPU / 25GB SSD (~104k/tháng) plan from VSIS.NET — high-speed VN-based VPS, 24/7 support, ideal for running im-server smoothly.

🎯 Benefits:

• One-command docker compose up -d deploy in 2 minutes
• Dedicated IPv4, root access, unmetered domestic bandwidth
• Daily snapshot backup
• Free install assistance from the VSIS team

👉 See matching VPS plans at vsis.net

Resources

• 🔗 GitHub: juggleim/im-server
• 🌐 Homepage: https://www.juggle.im/docs/guide/intro/
• 📚 Official docs: see README in the repo
• 💬 Community: GitHub Issues + Discussions

Article compiled from GitHub data on 27/10/2026. Star/fork counts may have changed — see live numbers via the GitHub link.