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|
+++
date = 2023-06-23T20:50:00
title = "Self-Hosting Convos IRC Web Client"
description = ""
+++
## Convos
[Convos](https://convos.chat/) is an always-online web client for IRC. It
has a few features that made it attractive to me as a self-hosted option:
- Extremely simple Docker Compose installation method.
- Runs in the background and monitors chats even while you're not logged in.
- Neatly organized sidebar for conversation and client settings.
- Ability to connect to different hosts and create profiles for hosts.
- By default, registration is closed to the public. You can enable public
registration on the Settings page or generate invitation links on the
Users page.
- Customization of the client theme, organization name and URL, admin email,
and video service.
## Docker Installation
To install Convos, simply create a directory and a `docker-compose.yml` file:
```sh
mkdir ~/convos && cd ~/convos
nano docker-compose.yml
```
With the `docker-compose.yml` file open, paste the configuration below into
the file.
You can customize the host port to be something unique, such as `21897:3000`.
You can also change the `data` folder to be a docker volume instead, if you
prefer.
```config
version: '3'
services:
convos:
image: 'convos/convos:stable'
ports:
- '3000:3000'
volumes:
- './data:/data'
environment:
- CONVOS_REVERSE_PROXY=1
restart: always
```
Save the `docker-compose.yml` file and bring the container up:
```sh
sudo docker-compose up -d
```
At this point, Convos is available at `<server_ip>:3000` but not available
to the public.
## Nginx Reverse Proxy
If you're using Nginx, you can create a configuration file for the convos
application.
Start by opening the file:
```sh
nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/convos
```
Within the nginx configuration file, paste the following content and be sure
to update `convos.example.com` to match your domain and `127.0.0.1:3000` to
match the port you opened in the `docker-compose.yml` file.
```config
# Host and port where convos is running
upstream convos_upstream { server 127.0.0.1:3000; }
server {
if ($host ~ ^[^.]+\.example\.com$) {
return 301 https://$host$request_uri;
}
listen [::]:80;
listen 80;
server_name convos.example.com;
return 404;
}
server {
listen [::]:443 ssl http2;
listen 443 ssl http2;
server_name convos.example.com;
access_log /var/log/nginx/convos.access.log;
error_log /var/log/nginx/convos.error.log;
location / {
proxy_pass http://convos_upstream;
proxy_http_version 1.1;
proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
client_max_body_size 0;
proxy_set_header Host $host;
proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
proxy_set_header X-Request-Base "$scheme://$host/";
}
ssl_certificate /etc/letsencrypt/live/example.com/fullchain.pem;
ssl_certificate_key /etc/letsencrypt/live/example.com/privkey.pem;
include /etc/letsencrypt/options-ssl-nginx.conf;
ssl_dhparam /etc/letsencrypt/ssl-dhparams.pem;
}
```
Once the file is saved, link it to the `sites-enabled` directory and restart
Nginx.
```sh
sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/convos /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/convos
sudo systemctl restart nginx.service
```
## Screenshots
See the screenshots below for an example of the Convos homepage and an
excerpt of the chat screen.
There are numerous themes to choose from; the theme shown in the images
below is Dracula.
## Registering a Nickname
Hop into the server channel so that you can message NickServ. In the case of
Convos, the default sever is libera.chat.
Simply click the `libera` conversation at the top of the sidebar to open it.
Once the chat is open, you can claim a nickname by typing:
```txt
/nick <nick>
```
If the nickname is available, and you'd like to register the nickname to
yourself, you'll need to type another command:
```txt
/msg NickServ REGISTER
<password> <email>
```
On libera.chat, the server will send a confirmation email with a command
that you must message in IRC to verify registration of the nickname:
```txt
/msg NickServ VERIFY REGISTER <nick> <verification_code>
```
Once entered, the server should confirm registration of the nickname to the
supplied email with the password specified.
|
