Self hosted community chat inspired by Discord aesthetics
docker run -d --name yap -p 5221:8080 -v ./uploads:/app/wwwroot/uploads -v ./data:/app/Data ghcr.io/urza/yap:latestThere are two volumes:
- "uploads" which holds media (pictures) uploaded by users
- "data" which contains configuration (appsettings.json), SQLite db (if enabled), and custom emojis
Access at http://localhost:5221 - it's up to you how to make this accessible for others. For example use some reverse proxy like nginx proxy manager (https://nginxproxymanager.com/) or cloudflare tunnel.
cd Yap && dotnet runThe addresses are in Yap/Properties/launchSettings.json. No database is needed; see CONFIG_README.md for the options.
The GIF pipeline, video uploads and voice messages use ffmpeg and ffprobe from the PATH, the same binaries for all three. The Docker image ships them. A server without ffmpeg cannot take voice messages. The send of a voice message then fails with "Voice messages are unavailable on this server (ffmpeg missing)".
The launch profiles do not open a browser (launchBrowser: false). Open the address yourself. When Visual
Studio starts the browser as part of an F5 session, it attaches its JavaScript debugger to it, and on one
Windows machine (Brave, 2026-10-15) that session ended at the first picture upload and took the server
with it, exit code -1. Start Without Debugging and dotnet run were never affected.
- No registration required - Just log in with username, no passwords or social logins
- User profiles - Set profile picture, display name, and bio; avatars shown in chat
- Database optional - Everything can be ephemeral and live only in memory (wiped on app reset) or you can use SQLite for persistence
- Customizable labels in config - make it fun or serious
- Emoji support - Beautiful Twemoji rendering
- Custom emojis - Drop image files into
Data/custom-emojis/(data volume) folder and they become available for your users - Gifs - gifs by Klipy + your own, server collections curated by server admin, user favs + customs, bulk import / export
- Themes - Discord Dark, Midnight, Nord, Ocean, Sunset, Aurora, Terminal, Neon Glow, Tea House, Daylight, Solarized Light
- Multiple rooms/channels - admin can create new, nobody will come anyway
- Direct messages - Private conversations between users, not encrypted, treat accordingly
- Message actions - Discord-style hover popup with reactions, edit, delete
- Reactions - React to messages with emojis, even custom ones
- Tab notifications - Unread count in browser tab + audio notifications
- Typing indicators - See who's typing with customizable messages
- Mobile responsive - Works great(TM) on all devices with collapsible sidebar
- PWA installable - Add to home screen on mobile, install as app on desktop, get notifications
- Image/Video sharing - Upload image(s) or videos and see them in inline gallery
- Voice messages - Record from the + menu, up to 5 minutes, and play inline with a waveform and a speed button. Needs ffmpeg on the server
- Pinned messages - Up to 6 per conversation, in a panel behind the header's pin button. The admin picks who can pin in each room
- Social media previews/embeds - Yap downloads that tiktok/youtube video so users dont need to go to these evil sites
- The server is ASP.NET Core (.NET 10): a JSON API under
/api, one SignalR hub at/hub, SQLite as an optional store. Without a database everything lives in memory until the next restart. - The client is static files in
Yap/wwwroot: plain HTML, CSS and JavaScript modules, no framework and no build step. The SignalR and tus browser clients are vendored inwwwroot/lib. - Offline: a service worker keeps the shell, the emoji images and the media; the last messages and the unsent messages live in IndexedDB.
- The product spec is in
docs/spec, the design indocs/architecture. - Tests:
dotnet test Yap.Testsfor the server, and the Playwright scripts intests/browserfor the browser (node and npm are development tools only; seetests/browser/README.md).
YOU CAN USE THIS SOFTWARE "AS IS" (NO WARRANTY) IN ANY WAY YOU WANT, BUT BY DOING SO YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT:
Science is a force for human liberation and one of humanity's greatest inventions. Through open inquiry, evidence, and the willingness to correct our errors, we expand our understanding and our ability to improve the human condition.
Technology is the physical manifestation of our discoveries. By building better tools, we overcome limitations, reduce suffering, and create abundance.
Free markets enable cooperation on an extraordinary scale. Through competition, exchange, and entrepreneurship, they reward useful ideas, spread innovation, and help lift people out of poverty.