Rocket.Chat
Communications platform that puts data protection first (alternative to Gitter.im and Slack).
High commit volume, frequent releases and growing activity.
Commit activity more than 90% of tracked projects; popularity more than 96%. How this is calculated.
Commits, last 11 months
| Stars | 46k |
|---|---|
| Latest release | 8.9.0-rc.1 · 23 Sept 2026 |
| Repo updated | 26 Sept 2026 |
| Licence | MIT |
| Built with | Nodejs, Docker, K8S |
Is Rocket.Chat actively maintained?
Rocket.Chat is under active development: 2097 commits landed over the last 11 months, averaging roughly 210 commits a month in the most recent quarter.
The most recent tagged release, 8.9.0-rc.1, shipped within the last month — a current, installable version exists today.
Among the 46 communication - custom communication systems projects we track, Rocket.Chat currently has the highest health score.
What Rocket.Chat actually does
Rocket.Chat is a self-hosted communication platform designed to prioritise data protection as an alternative to proprietary services like Slack. It allows organisations to host their own chat infrastructure for team messaging and collaboration. The application is built using Node.js and supports deployment via Docker and Kubernetes.
Best fit: It is a strong fit for organisations that require a custom communication system and need strict control over their data privacy. It suits teams migrating away from third-party Software-as-a-Service chat tools.
Worth knowing: Managing a Node.js application at scale requires careful resource monitoring and regular maintenance to handle updates safely. It also overlaps heavily with well-established proprietary messaging tools, which may offer easier initial onboarding.
Deployment notes
You will typically need to configure persistent storage for your data, set up a database such as MongoDB, and place the application behind a reverse proxy for TLS termination. Using Docker or Kubernetes makes container orchestration straightforward, though environment variables must be configured carefully for proper startup.
Links
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