Quick Start

This guide walks through setting up a Conclave server on a VPS with Caddy as a TLS reverse proxy, then connecting with a client.

Prerequisites

A VPS with a public IP address
A domain name (optional)

Download

Download the latest release binaries (conclave-server, conclave-cli, conclave-gui) from GitHub Releases.

Server Setup

The server runs with sensible defaults and does not require a config file.

Install the conclave-server binary to /usr/local/bin/conclave-server.
Download the systemd unit file to /etc/systemd/system/conclave-server.service.

Create a conclave system user:

sudo useradd -r -s /usr/sbin/nologin conclave

Start the service:

sudo systemctl enable --now conclave-server

The server listens on 0.0.0.0:8080 (HTTP), stores data in /var/lib/conclave/conclave.db, and allows public registration. See Server Configuration for customization.

TLS with Caddy

Conclave clients require HTTPS. The simplest approach is to run Caddy as a reverse proxy — it handles TLS certificates automatically.

Install Caddy (install docs).

Create a Caddyfile. With a domain name:

example.conclave.im {
    reverse_proxy 127.0.0.1:8080
}

With an IP address (uses ACME short-lived certificates):

{
    default_sni 203.0.113.10
}

203.0.113.10 {
    reverse_proxy 127.0.0.1:8080

    tls {
        issuer acme {
            profile shortlived
        }
    }
}

Enable and start Caddy:
```
sudo systemctl enable --now caddy
```

Connect and Chat

Launch conclave-cli (TUI) or conclave-gui (desktop). The commands below are for the TUI — the GUI provides equivalent functionality through its interface.

Register an account (you will be prompted for a password):
```
/register example.conclave.im alice
```
Create a room:
```
/create general
```
Invite other users (after they have registered):
```
/invite bob,charlie
```
Send a message (type text without a / prefix):
```
Hello, world!
```
View a user’s signing key fingerprint:
```
/whois bob
```

After confirming the fingerprint out-of-band, verify their identity:

/verify bob a1b2c3d4 e5f6a7b8 c9d0e1f2 a3b4c5d6 e7f8a9b0 c1d2e3f4 a5b6c7d8 e9f0a1b2

Use /help to see all available commands.

Next Steps

/help — list all available commands.
Server Configuration — require a token to register, set message retention, etc.
Client Configuration — themes, notifications, data directories.

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