Palpo: A High-Performance Matrix Homeserver

Palpo is a next-generation Matrix homeserver implementation written in Rust, designed for high performance, scalability, and robust federation. Built on the Salvo web framework and PostgreSQL database, Palpo delivers enterprise-grade real-time messaging and collaboration while maintaining minimal operational overhead.

🌟 What is Matrix?

Matrix is an open standard for decentralized, real-time communication. It enables:

End-to-end encrypted messaging - Secure conversations by default
Federated architecture - No single point of control or failure
Interoperability - Bridge with other chat platforms (Slack, Discord, IRC, etc.)
VoIP and Video Calling - Built-in support for voice and video
Rich messaging - Reactions, threads, file sharing, and more

Learn more at matrix.org

✨ Why Palpo?

Performance First

Built with Rust for memory safety and zero-cost abstractions
Powered by Salvo web framework for high-throughput async I/O
PostgreSQL backend for reliable data persistence and ACID compliance
Optimized for low latency and high concurrency

Developer Friendly

Clean, modular codebase
Well-documented APIs
Docker-ready deployment

Resource Efficient

Minimal memory footprint compared to reference implementations
Efficient database query patterns
Smart caching strategies
Scales horizontally

🚀 Quick Start

Try Our Demo Server

⚠️ IMPORTANT: Test Server Notice

Our test server is for evaluation and testing purposes only:

URL: https://test.palpo.im
⚠️ All data on this server will be periodically deleted without notice
Do NOT use for production or store important conversations
Expected to be reset frequently for testing purposes

Connect with Cinny (Web Client)

Open Cinny
Click "Edit" on the homeserver selection
Enter https://test.palpo.im as your custom homeserver
Create a test account and start chatting!

Connect with Element (Desktop/Mobile)

Download Element
On login screen, click "Edit" next to the homeserver
Enter https://test.palpo.im
Register or login

📦 Installation

Prerequisites

Rust 1.93 or higher
PostgreSQL 16 or higher
Linux, macOS, or Windows (WSL2 recommended)

Build from Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/palpo-im/palpo.git
cd palpo

# Build the project
cargo build --release

# Copy example configuration
cp palpo-example.toml palpo.toml

# Edit configuration (set your domain, database credentials, etc.)
nano palpo.toml

# Run the server
./target/release/palpo

Docker Deployment

# Pull the image
docker pull ghcr.io/palpo-im/palpo:latest

# Run with docker-compose
cd deploy/docker
docker-compose up -d

See installation for detailed deployment instructions.

🧪 Current Progress

We use Complement for comprehensive end-to-end testing against the Matrix specification.

Test Results: test_all.result.jsonl
Test Coverage: Continuously improving compliance with Matrix spec
Federation: Active testing with other homeserver implementations

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions of all kinds! Whether you're:

🐛 Fixing bugs
✨ Adding features
📝 Improving documentation
🧪 Writing tests
🎨 Improving UX

Please read our Contributing Guide to get started.

🙏 Acknowledgments

Palpo stands on the shoulders of giants. We're grateful to these projects:

Conduit - Pioneering lightweight Matrix homeserver in Rust
Ruma - Essential Matrix types and protocol implementations
Tuwunel - Innovative Matrix server architecture insights
Salvo - High-performance async web framework
Matrix.org - For creating and maintaining the Matrix protocol

📄 License

Palpo is licensed under the Apache License 2.0. See LICENSE for details.

🔗 Links

Website: https://palpo.im
Source Code: https://github.com/palpo-im/palpo
Issue Tracker: https://github.com/palpo-im/palpo/issues
Demo Server: https://test.palpo.im ⚠️ Test data will be deleted

⚠️ Important Notices

Test Server Data Retention

The test server at test.palpo.im is for evaluation only.

All accounts, rooms, and messages may be deleted at any time
Data is not backed up
Service may be interrupted for updates
Do not rely on this server for any important communications

Production Use

Palpo is under active development. While we strive for stability:

Always backup your database
Test updates in a staging environment
Monitor server logs and performance

Built with ❤️ by the Palpo community

Palpo

Install / Use

README