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What is Matrix?

It's an open source distributed chat server​

Most chat apps are controlled by major corporations that have some kind of profit motive. These projects offer "free" chat and find shady ways to foot the bill that comes with hosting huge centralized servers. The matrix approach is to make it easy for many individuals to host their own servers. The matrix protocol and spec ensures that these servers are able to co-operate with one another to form a distributed messaging network. With no centralized ownership and rigorous end-to-end encryption of messages they offer one of the most secure forms of instant messaging available today.

And it's all open source so people like us can focus on building fun specialized clients rather than build a chat server from scratch!

Actually it's a spec​

In the same way that W3C defines the spec that all browsers (Chrome, Firefox, etc.) follow, the matrix spec defines in plain english how matrix servers and clients should function. This opens up the possibility of many different implementations of both the matrix server and the matrix client.

In the case of quiri, the matrix server implementation that we are using is called synapse. Throughout these docs and this project matrix server and synapse server are basically interchangeable.

Quiri is basically a project to build iOS and android matrix client apps that have a focus on facilitating question-driven conversations. We are only implementing a subset of what the matrix client spec describes.

How to learn more about building apps on top of matrix

  • TODO link to resources