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Understanding the Matrix protocol vs Matrix server and what can be implemented from scratch
Since Matrix messenger offers only a protocol,[1] as a software engineer I can choose to:
- Write my own client or use an existing client
- Write my own server with my own server logic or join an existing server
I'm confused. Is the Matrix protocol kind of similar to email server protocol?
If I write up my own server, will it still be able to talk to other users from other servers because it uses the same Matrix protocol? This is similar to how users with different email providers (Yahoo, Google) can still send emails to each other since they both use same protocol, right?
Is it correct? I can still write my own server from scratch in whatever language I want?
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As I understand it, Matrix is similar to POP3, HTTPS, etc. ↩︎
1 answer
The following users marked this post as Works for me:
| User | Comment | Date |
|---|---|---|
| erjcan | (no comment) | Apr 8, 2024 at 17:17 |
Specification
You understand correctly. Matrix is an interface for federated encrypted communication. From the first page of the spec:
Matrix defines a set of open APIs for decentralised communication, suitable for securely publishing, persisting and subscribing to data over a global open federation of servers with no single point of control.
Implementation
Servers
Matrix also distributes Python code for a reference homeserver called Synapse and has another experimental homeserver project in Go. They also maintain a list of known server implementations. If you write your own server, let them know to put it on the list.
Clients
Matrix likewise maintains clients for a variety of platforms[1] and keeps a list of known client implementations. If you write your own client, it should go on the list, too.
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Android, iOS, anything that runs Electron ↩︎
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