Loft

Loft Chat docs

Loft Cloud is the fastest default. These docs focus on the self-hosted path for teams that need Docker deployment, infrastructure control, and deeper configuration.

Try Loft CloudSelf-host Loft

What Loft Chat includes

  • Real-time messaging via WebSockets and PostgreSQL LISTEN/NOTIFY.
  • Channels, DMs, starred lists, archiving, and thread replies.
  • Unread badges, browser notifications, reactions, mentions, pinning, and bookmarks.
  • File uploads with local or S3-compatible storage backends.
  • Custom emoji, presence, typing indicators, user management, and multi-organization support.
  • React frontend, Fastify backend, BetterAuth, PostgreSQL, and Docker-based self-hosting.

Quickstart

git clone https://github.com/loft/loft-open-source.git
cd loft-open-source
docker-compose up --build

Frontend: `http://localhost:5173` · Backend API: `http://localhost:4000` · PgAdmin: `http://localhost:5050`

Railway deployment

Backend service root directory: `/server`.

Required backend variables: `DATABASE_URL`, `BETTER_AUTH_SECRET`, `BETTER_AUTH_URL`, `FRONTEND_URL`.

Optional backend variables: `GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID`, `GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET`, `UPLOAD_DIR`, `STORAGE_BACKEND`, `MAX_UPLOAD_SIZE_MB`, `ORG_STORAGE_QUOTA_MB`, `USER_STORAGE_QUOTA_MB`.

Frontend service root directory: `/client` with `VITE_API_URL` pointing at the backend URL.

Environment and auth setup

Copy `server/.env.example` to `server/.env` and `client/.env.example` to `client/.env` before starting services.

Google OAuth is optional. Set the frontend origin to your app URL and the backend callback to `/api/auth/callback/google` on your API domain.

The first workspace bootstrap stays email/password only. Google OAuth works for normal sign-in and invite-based sign-up afterward.

Project structure

loft-open-source/
├── client/
│   └── src/
│       ├── components/
│       ├── contexts/
│       ├── hooks/
│       ├── lib/
│       ├── pages/
│       └── types/
├── server/
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── routes/
│   │   ├── schemas/
│   │   ├── plugins/
│   │   ├── errors/
│   │   ├── utils/
│   │   ├── config/
│   │   ├── realtime.ts
│   │   ├── auth.ts
│   │   └── app.ts
│   └── prisma/
│       └── schema.prisma
└── docker-compose.yml