User Management

The server starts with registration disabled, so nobody can create an account by themselves. The simplest way to add people is the dashboard: Server → Users → New (see Users window).

To let people register in their own account:

  1. Start the server with registration open, or with tokens:

    ./uniform-chat-server --Server:Registration=Open
./uniform-chat-server --Server:Registration=Token --Server:RegistrationTokens=let-me-in

    Or change Server:Registration in the settings window and Apply, as above.

  2. Register in a client that lets you type the homeserver address, such as the Uniform Chat apps or Element Desktop: choose "Create account", give the homeserver http://localhost:8008, and with Token the token.

  3. Close registration again when you are done.

To have new users accept your terms of service or privacy policy, set Server:TermsUrl and Server:PrivacyPolicyUrl to the addresses of the documents. Registering then shows them with their links, and the account is created only after the user accepts them. When you change the documents, raise Server:PoliciesVersion.

Deleting accounts

Users can delete their own account from their client, confirming with their password; in the Uniform Chat apps, see their guides. The account is deactivated: the user leaves every room, their display name and avatar are cleared, every device is logged out, and the password no longer works. The user ID stays taken, so nobody can register it again and pose as them. Messages they sent stay in the rooms.

The admin can deactivate and reactivate accounts in the dashboard's Users window.

From a client

Accounts with server admin rights can also manage accounts, registration tokens, reports and rooms from a client, e.g. the Server menu of the Uniform Chat terminal client. They can suspend or lock accounts, and send server notices. See Remote administration.

Registration also works from the command line:

curl -X POST http://localhost:8008/_matrix/client/v3/register \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"username":"alice","password":"choose-a-password","auth":{"type":"m.login.dummy"}}'

For Token registration, use "auth":{"type":"m.login.registration_token","token":"let-me-in"}.

The new user is @alice:localhost, or @alice: followed by the configured server name. Their display name starts out as their user name.

Configure from dashboard

When the server runs as a system service from the apt package, open the dashboard on the running service in a terminal; the service keeps serving meanwhile:

sudo uniform-chat-server manage