In simple English
This program gives your team a private place to chat, share files and send direct messages. You install it on your own server and run it forever without paying monthly fees. It works in any web browser and supports multiple chat rooms. You need a server to run it on and a little technical skill to set it up.
What it is
Campfire is a web-based group chat application built with Ruby on Rails that runs inside a Docker (a way to run a program inside its own sealed box, so it cannot break anything else on your server) container. It provides rooms, file attachments, search, and direct messaging without relying on an external cloud service.
What it is good for
Small teams and communities who want their own private chat room without paying software companies a monthly subscription fee for each user.
- No monthly subscription fees to keep your chat running.
- Runs on a single server using Docker for simple installation.
- Includes direct messages, file previews, search, and bot support.
- Requires your own server and ongoing maintenance to keep it online.
- Needs basic knowledge of the command line and server administration.
- Uses memory on your server for caching and background tasks.
Slack or Discord
Docker
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curl https://get.once.com | sh once deploy ghcr.io/basecamp/once-campfire --host chat.example.com