Zep

Zep is a self-hosted, real-time communication platform built with Svelte 5 and SpacetimeDB. It provides text, voice, and video messaging functionality designed for small groups and private communities.

Core Tenets

• Low Dependencies: We strive to keep the project's dependency graph as lean as possible, favoring native web capabilities over third-party libraries for better long-term maintainability and security.
• Frictionless Deployment: Self-hosting should be trivial. Getting your own Zep server running must require the lowest number of steps possible (ideally just one command).
• Small Scale Focus: The project is intended to be deployed amongst a small group of friends or team members. It is not currently designed to scale to massive numbers of concurrent users, although achieving higher scalability remains a stretch goal.
• Low Idle Resource Usage: Don't take up a bunch of resources when you're not even using the service

Data Ownership & Privacy

• Self-Hosted: The application is designed to be hosted by the user. Data is stored in a SpacetimeDB instance controlled by the host.
• Data Isolation: Data is not used for user profiling or advertising.
• Hosting Options: Compatible with local SpacetimeDB instances or SpacetimeDB Maincloud.

Core Functionality

• Communication: Text channels, voice channels, and threaded conversations.
• Performance: Uses a client-side cache (recent_message table) for immediate channel loading with lazy-loading for deep message history.
• WebRTC Integration: Peer-to-peer audio and screen sharing using SpacetimeDB for signaling.
• Customization: User profiles (avatars, banners, bios), server icons, and multiple CSS-based themes.
• Media Support: Built-in image uploads and custom emoji support.

Technology Stack

• Frontend: Svelte 5 (Runes), TypeScript, Vite, Vanilla CSS.
• Backend: SpacetimeDB (TypeScript WASM module).
• Communications: WebRTC.
• Desktop: Native app support via Tauri.

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Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v18+)
• pnpm
• SpacetimeDB CLI (spacetime)
• For Docker: Docker and Docker Compose

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One-Step Deployment (Recommended)

The easiest way to get Zep running locally is using Docker. This command builds and starts both the frontend and the SpacetimeDB module in a single step.

pnpm run deploy:local

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Local Development (Manual Setup)

1. Backend Setup

1. Navigate to the backend directory: cd spacetimedb
2. Install dependencies: npm install
3. Publish the module to a local SpacetimeDB instance:

   pnpm run spacetime:publish:local
   

2. Frontend Setup

1. Navigate to the project root and install dependencies: pnpm install
2. Configure .env.local for local development:

   VITE_SPACETIMEDB_HOST=ws://localhost:3000
   VITE_SPACETIMEDB_DB_NAME=<your-db-name>
   

3. Start the development server: pnpm run dev
   • For local network testing with SSL, use pnpm run dev:ssl.

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Production Deployment

Option 1: Docker

Zep can be deployed using Docker Compose for a production-like local environment or self-hosting.

pnpm run deploy:local

Option 2: Cloud (SpacetimeDB Maincloud + Cloudflare Pages)

Backend (SpacetimeDB Maincloud)

1. Publish the module to Maincloud:

   pnpm run spacetime:publish
   

Frontend (Cloudflare Pages)

1. Build and deploy using Wrangler:

   pnpm run deploy:cloudflare
   

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License

This project is open-source. See the LICENSE file for details.

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Important

Disclaimer: This project is "vibe coded" and makes heavy use of AI. Expect experimental patterns and rapid structural changes.