How does it differ from Mattermost?

Both replace Slack for internal messaging. Rocket.Chat adds a customer-facing side out of the box — a live chat widget for your website plus WhatsApp, Telegram and e-mail in a shared inbox — where Mattermost stays focused on internal team chat and is lighter to run.

Why does it need MongoDB in replica-set mode?

Rocket.Chat follows MongoDB's oplog to push messages in real time, and the oplog only exists in a replica set. On a standalone MongoDB the server refuses to start. The recipe sets up the replica set for you.

Can Rocket.Chat handle support chat on my website?

Yes. The Omnichannel section provides a live chat widget to embed on your site, and connectors for WhatsApp, Telegram, Messenger and e-mail, all answered from the same interface as your internal channels.

Share information and collaborate.

Rocket.Chat

Real-time team messaging you host yourself — team chat and customer live chat in one server.

4 GB RAM 2 vCPU Port 3000 Available

Source code

Tech stack

DockerNode.jsMongoDB

Minimum RAM4 GB

Minimum CPU2 vCPU

Default port3000

Compatible OSChoice of Linux distributions

Rocket.Chat is an open-source communication platform that covers two needs a team usually splits across two products: internal messaging (channels, teams, threads, direct messages) and customer-facing live chat, through an omnichannel inbox that also receives WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook Messenger and email.

Run on your own VPS, every message, file and attachment stays on your infrastructure. The stack (Node.js server + MongoDB) runs in Docker containers. Official desktop and mobile apps connect to your server, and a full REST plus real-time API lets you plug in bots, alerts and your own tools. Rocket.Chat is heavier than a plain team messenger — MongoDB runs as a replica set and the server keeps a persistent WebSocket per client — so size the VPS accordingly.

Key features

Channels, teams, discussions and threads, plus direct messages

Omnichannel live chat: a widget for your website, plus WhatsApp, Telegram, Messenger and email in one inbox

Audio and video calls, screen sharing and conference integrations

Optional end-to-end encryption per room, and LDAP, SAML or OAuth single sign-on

Official desktop (Windows, macOS, Linux) and mobile (iOS, Android) apps

REST and real-time APIs, webhooks, bots and an app marketplace

When to use this solution?

1

Internal team messaging

Replace Slack or Teams with a server you own: unlimited history, no per-seat billing, no conversation leaving your infrastructure.

2

Customer support on your website

Drop the live chat widget on your site and answer from the same interface your team already uses, alongside WhatsApp and email.

3

Regulated or sovereign environments

Keep messages, files and metadata on a machine you control, with per-room end-to-end encryption where it matters.

Deploy Rocket.Chat on your VPS

Guide optimized for ServOrbit Cloud VPS.

01

Create the VPS

Plan for 4 GB of RAM and 2 vCPU: Rocket.Chat runs a Node.js server plus a MongoDB replica set, and keeps one persistent WebSocket per connected client. 2 GB is enough only for a handful of test users.

02

Install from the catalogue

The "Rocket.Chat" template installs the server and MongoDB in containers, in replica-set mode — Rocket.Chat reads the oplog and refuses to start on a standalone MongoDB.

03

Sign in for the first time

The administrator account is created on first boot: username admin, with a RANDOM password generated on your server and shown on your app's page in the client area. With a domain attached, Rocket.Chat answers on https://your-domain, with no port number. Without a domain no public access is opened: start an SSH tunnel with ssh -L 3000:127.0.0.1:3000 root@your-vps-ip, then open http://localhost:3000 (3000 is the catalogue port; use the one shown on your app's page). Change the password and the administrator e-mail straight away.

04

Set the site URL

In Administration → Settings → General, set Site URL to your HTTPS address. Rocket.Chat builds its WebSocket and its invitation links from this value: left on the install default, mobile apps and the live chat widget fail to connect.

05

Open it to your team

Close public registration, invite your colleagues, create your channels, then enable the live chat widget or the WhatsApp and e-mail bridges from the Omnichannel section if you need customer conversations.

Frequently asked questions

Rocket.Chat is an open-source, self-hosted communication platform combining internal team messaging (channels, threads, calls) and an omnichannel inbox for customer conversations.

Embed the deploy button

Maintaining a project that uses Rocket.Chat? This button lets your readers deploy it on a VPS in one click, without reading Docker documentation.

Markdown

[![Deploy Rocket.Chat on ServOrbit](https://servorbit.com/brand/deploy/button.svg)](https://servorbit.com/vps-cloud?template=rocket-chat&utm_source=deploy-badge&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=rocket-chat)

HTML

<a href="https://servorbit.com/vps-cloud?template=rocket-chat&utm_source=deploy-badge&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=rocket-chat"><img src="https://servorbit.com/brand/deploy/button.svg" alt="Deploy Rocket.Chat on ServOrbit" height="40"></a>

The button points to a VPS order with the template preselected. The image is served from servorbit.com — nothing to host on your side.

Complementary solutions

Collaboration & Productivity

Mattermost

Secure, self-hosted team messaging. Channels, threads, integrations — without depending on Slack or Teams.