VOX — Private Messaging Protocol

End-to-end encrypted messaging for people who keep their own counsel.

VOX is a self-hosted, Discord-like communication platform with voice channels, text chat, forums, direct messages, and a gothic-industrial aesthetic. Built with Node.js, React, PostgreSQL, and WebRTC.

• Real-time messaging — Socket.io-powered instant delivery with typing indicators, read receipts, and reactions
• Voice channels — WebRTC peer-to-peer voice with mute/deafen, push-to-talk, and quality settings
• Direct messages — Private conversations with DM preferences, mute, and privacy controls
• Forums — Threaded discussions with pinned posts and replies
• Threads — Conversations within conversations, keep context organized

• Roles & permissions — Granular permission system with custom roles
• Categories & channels — Organize text, voice, and forum channels
• Server templates — Clone server structures instantly
• Invites — Temporary, limited-use, and permanent invite links
• Audit logs — Track all administrative actions

• AutoMod — Automated content filtering with custom rules
• Reports — User-submitted reports with moderator queue
• Bans & timeouts — Temporary and permanent restrictions
• Strike system — Progressive discipline with escalation rules
• Quarantine — Suspicious content review queue

• Profile customization — Themes, avatar frames, animated avatars, bio
• Custom emoji — Upload and use server-specific emoji
• Soundboard — Share sounds in voice channels
• Badges — Custom power badges and achievements
• Notes — Personal notes on other users
• Friends list — Add, block, and DM friends

• JWT authentication — HttpOnly cookies, no token exposure
• Two-factor auth — TOTP-based 2FA with QR code setup
• Rate limiting — Brute-force protection on all auth endpoints
• Input validation — Zod schema validation on all inputs
• SQL injection protection — Prisma parameterized queries
• XSS protection — Content sanitization on user input

• Docker deployment — One-command production setup
• PostgreSQL — Reliable relational database with Prisma ORM
• Redis — Caching, pub/sub, and session storage
• Nginx — Reverse proxy with SSL termination
• PM2 — Process management with auto-restart

• Node.js 20+
• PostgreSQL 16+
• Redis 7+

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/zuhair321/vox.git
cd vox

# Install backend dependencies
cd backend
npm install

# Set up database
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your database credentials
npx prisma migrate dev
npx prisma db seed

# Start backend
npm run dev

# In another terminal, install frontend dependencies
cd ../frontend
npm install

# Start frontend
npm run dev

# Clone and configure
git clone https://github.com/zuhair321/vox.git
cd vox
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your secrets

# Build and start
docker compose up -d

# Check status
docker compose ps
docker compose logs -f backend

# SSH into your instance
ssh -i key.pem ubuntu@YOUR_IP

# Clone and deploy
git clone https://github.com/zuhair321/vox.git /opt/vox
cd /opt/vox
chmod +x deploy.sh
./deploy.sh

# JWT secrets
node -e "console.log(require('crypto').randomBytes(48).toString('hex'))"

# 2FA encryption key
node -e "console.log(require('crypto').randomBytes(32).toString('hex'))"

vox/
├── backend/
│   ├── prisma/           # Database schema & migrations
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── routes/       # Express route handlers
│   │   ├── services/     # Business logic
│   │   ├── sockets/      # Socket.io handlers
│   │   ├── middleware/    # Auth, error, security
│   │   └── lib/          # Utilities, DB, Redis
│   └── tests/            # Test files
├── frontend/
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── api/          # API client functions
│   │   ├── components/   # React components
│   │   ├── pages/        # Route pages
│   │   ├── stores/       # Zustand state stores
│   │   ├── styles/       # CSS files
│   │   └── utils/        # Utility functions
│   └── dist/             # Built frontend
├── nginx/                # Nginx config
├── Dockerfile            # Docker build
├── docker-compose.yml    # Docker Compose stack
└── deploy.sh             # One-command deployment

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing)
3. Commit changes (git commit -m 'feat: add amazing feature')
4. Push to branch (git push origin feature/amazing)
5. Open a Pull Request

This project is licensed under the MIT License — see the LICENSE file for details.

• Issues: GitHub Issues
• Discussions: GitHub Discussions

Built with care by the VOX team.