Conduit

Conduit is a single‑binary, self‑hosted implementation of the Matrix protocol that prioritizes minimalism and performance. It is written in Rust, compiled to a static binary with an embedded RocksDB instance, and exposes the full Matrix API surface. The design goal is to enable developers to spin up a compliant homeserver in minutes, while still supporting all core Matrix features such as end‑to‑end encryption, federation, rooms, and push notifications.

Key Features

• Full Matrix Specification support – Conduit implements the latest stable Matrix API, including event types, room state, account data, and federation endpoints.
• Embedded RocksDB – The default datastore is an embedded key‑value store, eliminating the need for a separate database service and reducing operational overhead.
• Zero‑dependency binary – A single statically linked executable runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows (64‑bit), simplifying deployment pipelines.
• Fast performance – Benchmarks show Conduit can handle higher throughput per core compared to other homeserver implementations, thanks to Rust’s zero‑cost abstractions and efficient memory management.
• Extensible via webhooks – Developers can hook into room events, user joins, and federation messages to build custom integrations or analytics.

Technical Stack

Core Capabilities

• RESTful Matrix API – Exposes all endpoints defined in the Matrix spec, including /sync, /send, /join, /leave, and federation routes.
• WebSocket support – Real‑time /sync over wss://, enabling low‑latency client communication.
• Push notifications – Supports the Matrix Push Gateway protocol; can be configured to forward events to external services.
• CLI tooling – conduit binary accepts flags for configuration, logging level, and database path; can be scripted in CI/CD pipelines.
• Event filtering – Clients can filter events by type, room, or membership status directly via the API.

Deployment & Infrastructure

• Self‑hosting – Requires only a modern CPU, 1 GB RAM, and SSD storage. The embedded RocksDB keeps the footprint minimal.
• Containerization – Official Docker images are available; the binary can be run in any container runtime (Docker, Podman, Kubernetes).
• Scalability – Horizontal scaling is achieved by deploying multiple Conduit instances behind a load balancer that handles federation traffic. For larger deployments, sharding or external database backends can be integrated via community patches.
• High‑availability – Supports TLS termination, reverse proxies (nginx, Traefik), and can be paired with a PostgreSQL replica for data durability.

Integration & Extensibility

• Webhooks – Developers can register HTTP callbacks for room events, user lifecycle events, and federation messages.
• Plugin hooks – The community has introduced a plugin API that allows runtime loading of Rust crates to modify event handling or add custom endpoints.
• Bridging – Conduit can act as a bridge target for other protocols (Discord, IRC) using the Matrix bridge framework.
• Custom APIs – The binary exposes a gRPC interface in experimental builds for internal tooling and monitoring.

Developer Experience

• Configuration – A single TOML file (config.toml) controls all settings: server name, listening address, database path, TLS certs, and feature flags. The file is auto‑generated with sane defaults.
• Documentation – Comprehensive docs are hosted on GitLab, including API reference, deployment guides, and a developer FAQ. The README is concise yet links to all necessary resources.
• Community – Active discussion on the Matrix channel #conduit:ahimsa.chat and GitLab issues. Contributions are welcomed, with a clear code of conduct.
• Licensing – MIT license allows unrestricted commercial use and modification.

Use Cases

Advantages

• Performance & Resource Efficiency – Rust’s safety and speed give Conduit a lower CPU/memory profile than JavaScript or Go‑based homeservers.
• Simplicity – A single binary with an embedded database removes the need for orchestrating multiple services.
• Extensibility – Webhooks and plugin hooks provide a straightforward path to custom logic without fork‑ing the core.
• Open Source & MIT – No licensing fees or vendor lock‑in; developers can ship Conduit in commercial products.
• Rapid Deployment – Zero‑dependency installation and automatic configuration generation mean developers can