# Setup of Matrix homeserver

Running a Matrix homeserver (like Synapse) on localhost without DNS can be done for testing and development purposes.  
Here's a general outline of the steps that needs to be followed:

1.  **Prerequisites**:
    
    *   Install Python: Synapse is written in Python, so make sure you have Python installed on your system.
        
    *   Install pip: This is the Python package manager, which you'll use to install Synapse.
        
    *   Configure Python virtual environment for all subsequent installations like this:
        

```bash
python3 -m venv path/to/venv
source path/to/venv/bin/activate
pip install package_name
```

1.  **Install Synapse**:  
    You can install Synapse using pip. Open a terminal and run the following command:
    

```bash
pip install matrix-synapse
```

1.  **Configure Synapse**:  
    Create a configuration file for Synapse. You can generate a basic configuration file using the following command:
    

```bash
python -m synapse.app.homeserver --server-name your.server.name --config-path /path/to/config
```

1.  Replace `your.server.name` with a unique server name. Modify the generated configuration file (`/path/to/config`) to your requirements.
    
    In your configuration file, you may want to set the `listeners` section to bind the server to your localhost IP (e.g., "127.0.0.1") on a specific port (e.g., 8008) to ensure that it only listens on your local machine.
    
2.  **Create a Self-Signed Certificate**:  
    For testing purposes, you can create a self-signed SSL certificate. This step is optional but recommended if you want to use HTTPS.
    
    You can create a self-signed certificate using tools like OpenSSL.
    

```bash
openssl req -new -newkey rsa:4096 -days 365 -nodes -x509 -keyout server.key -out server.crt
```

1.  Then, configure your Synapse server to use these certificates in your configuration file.
    
2.  **Database Configuration**:  
    Configure the database settings in your Synapse configuration file. For Postgres follow these steps:
    
    *   Install PostgresSQL client library
        

```bash
sudo apt install postgresql postgresql-contrib
```

*   To interact with database use 'postgres' user profile
    

```bash
sudo -u postgres bash
```

*   Then create a postgres user with username 'synapse\_user'
    

```bash
createuser --pwprompt synapse_user
```

*   Create a database for synapse home-server with database name 'synapse'
    

```bash
createdb --encoding=UTF8 --locale=C --template=template0 --owner=synapse_user synapse 
```

*   Exit from postgres
    

```bash
exit
```

*   Setup postgres database for synapse home-server. Un-comment and edit `listen_address` variable in `postgresql.conf`
    
    <br>
    
    located at `/etc/postgresql/<postgres_version>/main/postgresql.conf`.
    
    <br>
    
    For version 15:
    

```bash
sudo nano /etc/postgresql/15/main/postgresql.conf
```

*   Find the following line and edit as such:
    

```text
#------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# CONNECTIONS AND AUTHENTICATION
#------------------------------------------------------------------------------

# - Connection Settings -

listen_addresses = 'localhost'          # what IP address(es) to listen on; 
```

*   Save and exit.
    
*   Then edit `pg_hba.conf` file and add a line to enable password authentication so that &#39;synapse\_user&#39; can connect to
    
    <br>
    
    &#39;synapse&#39; database
    

```bash
sudo nano /etc/postgresql/15/main/pg_hba.conf
```

*   Add the following line at the end of file
    

```text
local   synapse         synapse_user                            md5
```

*   So that it looks like
    

```text
# Allow replication connections from localhost, by a user with the
# replication privilege.
local   replication     all                                     peer
host    replication     all             127.0.0.1/32            md5
host    replication     all             ::1/128                 md5
local   synapse         synapse_user                            md5
```

*   Add the &#39;synapse config&#39; of the above database to `config.yaml`, so it looks something like this
    

```text
database:
name: psycopg2
args:
user: synapse_user
password: <pass>
database: synapse
host: localhost
cp_min: 5
cp_max: 10
```

*   Install `psycopg2` in Python virtual environment
    

```python
pip install psycopg2
pip install psycopg2-binary
```

1.  **Start the Homeserver**:  
    To start the Synapse server, use the following command:
    

```bash
python -m synapse.app.homeserver --config-path /path/to/config
```

1.  **Access your Homeserver**:  
    You can access your Matrix homeserver by using a Matrix client such as Element. Point your client to your localhost IP and the port you configured in the `listeners` section. For example, `http://127.0.0.1:8008`.
    
2.  **User Registration**:  
    Register a new user on your homeserver using your Matrix client.
    

Remember that running a homeserver without DNS means you won&#39;t be able to access it from other devices on your network or the internet. It&#39;s suitable for local testing and development purposes. If you want to make your homeserver accessible outside your localhost, you&#39;ll need to configure DNS and network settings accordingly.

## References

*   [Matrix homeserver setup guide](https://medium.com/@dassomnath/setup-matrix-synapse-home-server-ba54e20f8290)
    
*   [Matrix homeserver configuration guide](https://matrix-org.github.io/synapse/latest/usage/configuration/config_documentation.html)