← Directory

Databag

Databag is a lightweight federated messenger for self-hosting that provides end-to-end encrypted messaging, audio and video calls, and topic-based group…

  • Communication
  • Media Applications
  • Other
  • Productivity
Databag is a lightweight federated messenger for self-hosting that provides end-to-end encrypted messaging, audio and video calls, and topic-based group threads across independent server nodes.

Platform availability

Available on 3 of 9 platforms

  • Unraid
  • TrueNAS (not listed)
  • Umbrel
  • ZimaOS
  • Proxmox (not listed)
  • Helm (not listed)
  • Mac (not listed)
  • Windows (not listed)
  • Linux (not listed)

Health score?A 0-100 score computed nightly from four factors: maintained (40%: recent commits and steady activity), popular (25%: GitHub stars, log scale), easy to install (20%: platforms, install notes, setup guides, Docker image) and light to run (15%: minimum RAM, ARM support). When the source code has been checked, a fifth factor, security check (20%: automated scan for committed secrets, unsafe desktop-app settings, known-vulnerable dependencies and project hygiene; any serious finding caps it at 20), is added. Factors without data are left out and the rest are rescaled.

59/100 Fair

Maintained
65last commit 123 days ago
Popular
641,500 GitHub stars
Easy to install
403 install platforms, Docker image
Light to run
No data

Based on 3 of 4 factors.

Availability: platform listings confirmed today, links checked 7 days ago

GitHub stars
1,500
Open issues
59
Last commit
2026-06-14
Latest release
v1.1.1021
License
Apache-2.0
Activity
stale

Checked 6 days ago - source: GitHub (balzack/databag)

Resources & Compatibility

ARM (e.g. Raspberry Pi) is supported.

Checked 16 days ago - source: Docker Hub image tags and published docs

First-install notes

No first-install notes yet.

Alternatives (9)

  • Discord - A versatile platform for text and voice communication, featuring topic-specific channels, customizable moderation, and smooth low latency i…
  • Element - A secure collaboration app with end-to-end encryption and interoperability across web, desktop, and mobile.
  • Matrix - Matrix is a free, open-source protocol and server for secure, decentralized real-time messaging.
  • Mattermost - Mattermost is an open-source, self-hosted team messaging and collaboration platform.
  • Nextcloud Talk - Fully self-hosted communication platform for audio, video, and chat with advanced encryption, metadata privacy, screensharing, and web conf…
  • Rocket.Chat - Rocket.Chat is an open-source, self-hosted web chat server for company or community messaging, extensible for developers building custom ch…
  • Slack - Slack is a secure team messaging and collaboration platform, provided here as a Kasm container that gives you a private, dedicated workspac…
  • Twake Chat
  • Zulip - Zulip is an open source threaded team chat that helps teams stay productive and focused.

Checked 13 days ago - source: AlternativeTo

Common questions

Can Databag accounts on different self-hosted servers talk to each other?

Yes. Databag is described as using public-private key identity, so accounts on different nodes can talk to each other.

Does Databag provide end-to-end encryption?

A community review describes Databag as a self-hosted federated messenger with end-to-end encryption.

Can self-hosters control Databag's messaging infrastructure?

A guide says Databag is designed for self-hosting and offers users complete control over their messaging infrastructure.

Answers sourced from alexjenkins.tech, www.blog.brightcoding.dev

Community

Collected 16 days ago - public community threads