74 lines
3.7 KiB
Markdown
74 lines
3.7 KiB
Markdown
+++
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title = "Introduction"
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aliases = ["/docs/guides/introduction"]
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+++
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## What is Matrix?
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Matrix is an **open standard** for **interoperable**, **decentralised**,
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**real-time** communication over IP.
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* there exists an **open standard** in the form of the
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[Matrix Specification](https://matrix.org/docs/spec/)
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* it's **interoperable**, meaning it is designed to *interoperate* with other
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communication systems, and being an Open Standard means it's easy to see how
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to interoperate with it
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* Matrix is **decentralised**, which means there is *no central point* - anyone
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can host their own server and have control over their data
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* it is designed to function in **real-time**, which means it is ideal for
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building systems that require immediate exchange of data, such as Instant
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Messaging
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## How does it work?
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Each user connects to a single server, this is their *homeserver*. Users are
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able to participate in *rooms* that were created on any Matrix server since
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each server *federates* with other Matrix servers. This means you can talk to
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anyone on any server. It also means you can host your own server, giving you
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control over all of your data. Self hosting also gives you the ability to
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customize your server to fit your needs including giving you the ability to
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bridge to other chat networks (such as IRC, XMPP, Discord, Telegram, etc) or to
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host bots.
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Each message that is sent in a room is synchronized to all of the other servers
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that participate in that room. If one server goes offline, everyone else in the
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room can continue talking. Once that server comes back online it will be sent
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all of the messages that it missed while it was down.
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Did we mention it is secure? Your private conversations can be secured by end
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to end encryption so the server has no idea what you are talking about.
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> For a more detailed introduction to this topic see <https://hacks.mozilla.org/2018/10/dweb-decentralised-real-time-interoperable-communication-with-matrix/>
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## How can I try it out?
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To start chatting on Matrix you’ll need to sign up for a user account.
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On Matrix a user account is associated with a single server, referred to as a
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*homeserver*. You can find a [small list of some publicly-available homeservers
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to choose from here](https://joinmatrix.org/servers/).
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The simplest way to sign up and try Matrix out is to use Element, a web-based
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client. Go to [app.element.io](https://app.element.io/) to get started - this will
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allow you to sign up for a new account on Matrix.org, and get chatting right
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away. There are also native Element apps for [Android](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=im.vector.app) and [iOS](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/element-previously-riot-im/id1083446067).
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Don’t like web based clients? Not a problem! Since Matrix is an open standard
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there are dozens of clients to choose from, each built for a different type of
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user. Check out our [list of a few popular Matrix clients](https://matrix.org/clients/) and [Try Matrix Now](https://matrix.org/docs/projects/try-matrix-now/) for a list of everything that’s out there.
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## How can I get my own server?
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If you’d like to host your own server then the reference implementation,
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[Synapse](https://github.com/matrix-org/synapse), is what you want to install.
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The [Installing Synapse](https://matrix.org/docs/guides/installing-synapse)
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page should be everything you need to get started. There are several other
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servers implementations in progress but they aren’t quite ready for production
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use yet.
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## What is 'Bridging'? How can I bridge to other Services?
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Bridging is our term for connecting Matrix to other services. You can connect
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Matrix to chat systems such as IRC, Slack, Telegram and many more. Take a look
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at [matrix.org/bridges/](https://matrix.org/bridges/) for a more complete list.
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