Marta09:41
Pushed the new space icons. They still read clearly at 16px on a phone.
4
✨ Synapse v1.0 is out
Mean to be connected
The open-source social app for DMs, communities and feeds — with an API, a CLI and self-hosting built in.
Android, iOS, Windows, Linux, and the terminal.
MIT licensed·No ads·No tracking
synapse.appSynced across 3 devices
design128 members
Ada09:44
Watching the channel from the terminal now — no browser involved.
$ synapse watch --space design⚡2
Tom09:52
Draft written offline on the train merged cleanly when I reconnected.
👍6
Message #design — replies merge across devices
Features
Social, with the hood open.
Encrypted messaging, organized communities and real-time sync — plus the API and CLI to make it yours.
engineering342 membersAdmin
release-log86 membersMod
design128 membersMember
Audit log keeps every moderation action
Communities & Spaces
Channels that stay organized, with roles, permissions and an audit log for every moderation action.
synapse cli
$ synapse send --space engineering
Deploy 2183 is live on the node.
✓ delivered to 3 devices · 41ms
Open API & CLI
Send, watch and script conversations from the terminal with the same API the clients use.
Sync2s ago
Pixel 8draft composed
archlinuxmerged cleanly
Sync that survives
Offline-first storage, so a draft started on your phone finishes on your laptop.
End-to-end encrypted@nadia
Are the keys stored on device?
Yes — sealed in the local store, backup is optional.
Server only ever sees ciphertext.
Encrypted messaging
Direct messages are end-to-end encrypted by default. Keys are generated and kept on your device; the node only ever handles ciphertext.
How it works
Running your own social network in three steps
Start on the hosted network, or bring your own node. Nothing about Synapse requires permission from us.
1
Install Synapse
Grab a native client for Android, iOS, Windows, Linux or the terminal. Same account, same protocol, whichever way you like to work.
2
Join or self-host
Start on the hosted network in a minute, or run your own node with docker compose and keep your community's data on your own hardware.
3
Make it yours
Script it with the CLI, build on the open API, fork the clients. Synapse is MIT licensed, so the whole stack is yours to change.
Downloads
Pick your platform
Native builds for every platform, or script the whole thing from a terminal you already use.
Android
MobilePhone and tablet, with material-you theming and share-to-Synapse.
Google PlayAndroid 8.0 or later
iOS
MobileiPhone and iPad, with widgets, push relay and offline inbox.
App StoreiOS 16 or later
Windows
DesktopNative desktop client with tray quick-switch and global shortcuts.
Installer (.exe)Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit
Linux
DesktopWayland and X11, with MPRIS media keys and pipewire screen share.
Debian package (.deb)Ubuntu 22.04+, Fedora 38+, Debian 12+
CLI
TerminalRead, send and script conversations without leaving the shell.
npmNode.js 18+ on macOS, Linux or WSL
Community
Built in the open, used everywhere.
What people tell us after they move a real community onto Synapse.
NA
Nadia K.
@nadia · runs a self-hosted node for a hackerspace
Moved 400 members off a hosted platform onto our own box in an afternoon. The CLI did most of the work.
TO
Tomás R.
@tomasr · backend engineer
The API is the first thing I checked and it held up. Webhooks are signed, the spec is published, nothing is magic.
PR
Priya S.
@priya · maintains an open-source project
Our release bot lives in a 40-line script now. Threads keep the noise out of the main channel.
BE
Ben O.
@beno · designer, Linux desktop
Flatpak behaves like a real Linux app — shortcuts, media keys, no Electron memory creep.
LU
Lucia M.
@luciam · community manager
Roles and the audit log are what I was missing. Moderation is boring now, which is exactly what I want.
KW
Kwame A.
@kwame · mobile developer
Compose offline on the train, and the drafts are already there when I open the laptop. That handoff is the whole product for me.
IN
Ines D.
@inesd · sysadmin
One container, Postgres, done. Resource usage is low enough that I stopped treating it as a special service.
MA
Marek V.
@marekv · research group lead
Our data stays on campus and encryption is on by default. Legal signed off in one meeting, which has never happened.
SA
Sasha P.
@sashap · indie hacker
Read the protocol in an evening and wrote a working bridge the next day. Forking a client is a normal thing to do here.
Take your social graph with you
Install a client, run a node, or fork the protocol. Five platforms, one open source codebase, no lock-in.