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Communication

Self-host Mattermost on a VPS

Self-hosted team chat built for security-conscious organisations.

Channels, direct messages, file sharing and integrations that keep your team’s conversations on your own servers instead of a third party’s.

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Why self-host Mattermost?

Team chat holds your most sensitive discussions. Self-hosting keeps that history, and any secrets typed into it, entirely under your control.

How to install Mattermost

  1. 1

    Provision a VPS

    2 vCPU / 2 GB is a fine start for a small team.

  2. 2

    Install PostgreSQL

    Use the database for chat history and metadata.

  3. 3

    Install Mattermost

    Drop in the server binary or use the official packages.

  4. 4

    Configure TLS and the site URL

    Serve it over HTTPS on your own domain.

  5. 5

    Invite your team

    Create the first admin account and send invitations.

Practical tips

  • Put chat history in PostgreSQL, never the filesystem, for easy backups.
  • Use incoming webhooks to pipe alerts from your other services into channels.
  • Enable push notifications via a proxy if mobile push matters.

Frequently asked questions

Is it compatible with Slack integrations?
Mattermost has a very similar model and supports webhooks and many Slack-style integrations.
How many users fit on one VPS?
A 2 GB instance handles a small team; grow RAM and CPU with daily active users.
Can I keep chat history forever?
Yes — it lives in your own database, so retention is entirely your choice.

Looking for something else? Popular alternatives include Rocket.Chat, Zulip, Matrix/Synapse — browse all app guides.

About Mattermost

Mattermost is open-source software released under the MIT / AGPL (Team Edition) licence. HostingSwift does not maintain, sell or support Mattermost itself — you install and run it on your own VPS. These are the official links to the project:

Read the project's own documentation before deploying. We credit upstream projects because we genuinely run and recommend them — see our full open-source directory.