What is Matrix Synapse?
You may be wondering "what is Matrix Synapse and why should I know about it?".
First, Matrix and Synapse are two different things. Synapse is a reference homeserver implementation written in Python/Twisted by the core team over at Matrix.org. Matrix is an open standard for interoperable and decentralized communication over IP. Users are able to use the open source technology for real-time communication with peers.
Matrix allows for users to connect their own homeserver to the Matrix network through federation. But, what is federation?
Federation is a group of smaller entities that together form a larger entity; a union of entities. Matrix allows for open federation so that anyone, anywhere, can join the Matrix ecosystem if they have their own Matrix Synapse server.
Matrix Synapse is a great alternative for applications like Slack, Discord, Rocket.chat, Skype and others.
In this tutorial we will go through the process step-by-step on the prerequisites, installation, and configuration of a Matrix Synapse server. This tutorial will be using Ubuntu 18.04 and the Apache web server as a reverse proxy. Matrix can be configured to use Nginx as well. This will be shown in a later tutorial.
What you will need
- A VPS server with Ubuntu 18.04
- Root privileges
- A domain name or subdomain to be used for Matrix Synapse
Install prerequisites
Install Universe Repository
sudo add-apt-repository universe
Install Apache Web Server
sudo apt install apache2
Note: We will be configuring Apache at a later step
Install Let's Encrypt (certbot)
Add the repository
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:certbot/certbot
Install Certbot's Apache Web Server package
sudo apt install python-certbot-apache
Set up well.known
On your VPS create an 'index.html' file in the directory /.well-known/matrix/server with the following content:
cd /var/www/html/.well-known/matrix/server
sudo nano index.html

Set up SRV Record
An SRV record tells other Matrix Synapse servers where they should connect to your server. The below record points them to the correct hostname and port. Replace matrix.decibite.com with your own domain/subdomain.
_matrix._tcp.decibite.com. 3600 IN SRV 10 5 443 matrix.decibite.com.
Install Matrix Synapse Server
Add Matrix key
wget -qO - https://matrix.org/packages/debian/repo-key.asc | sudo apt-key add -

Add Matrix repository
sudo add-apt-repository https://matrix.org/packages/debian/

Install Matrix Synapse
sudo apt install matrix-synapse -y
Step 1: Enter your domain (or subdomain) as your server name

Step 2: Choose 'No' for the anonymous data report

After the installation completes, start the service
sudo systemctl start matrix-synapse
Enabled the service to start at system boot
sudo systemctl enable matrix-synapse
Verify that Matrix Synapse is running using the netstat command. The default configuration is to use ports '8008' (HTTP) and '8448' (HTTPS)
netstat -plntu
Configuration of Matrix Synapse
Awesome! Now that you have Matrix Synapse installed, let's go ahead and configure it to work properly.
In this tutorial we will show you how to configure Matrix Synapse to run under the local IP and enable registration through the registration-secret-key.
Before you edit the default homeserver configuration file, generate your server's shared-secret-key. Save this key somewhere safe.
cat /dev/urandom | tr -dc 'a-zA-Z0-9' | fold -w 32 | head -n 1
Now, let's edit the main homeserver configuration file. Fair warning: YAML files are finnicky and space sensitive. When editing ensure you do not change the formatting or spacing; only the values.
cd /etc/matrix-synapse/
sudo nano homeserver.yaml
Change the HTTP Listener port (8008) to the local IP address of '127.0.0.1'

Disable Matrix Synapse registration by setting 'enable_registration' to false and then uncomment 'registration_shared_secret'. Paste your shared-secret-key where 'insert_secret_key' is in the screenshot below (Tip: use CTRL + W to search/find)
*Important Note: 'registration_shared_secret' once set allows anyone who has the secret key to register USERS and ADMINS. Even when registration has been disabled.


Restart your Matrix Synapse server to implement the changes
sudo systemctl restart matrix-synapse
Generate your Let's Encrypt Certificates
Since we are using Apache Web Server in this tutorial use the following command to generate your SSL certificate (replace matrix.decibite.com with your own domain/subdomain)
sudo certbot --apache -d matrix.decibite.com,www.matrix.decibite.com
*Note: 'www' domain is not a requirement.
Follow the steps presented to you as required. You should get the following results when it is complete

Configuration of Apache Web Server
Now that the Matrix Synapse server is all set up let's go ahead and configure the Apache host file.
Apache Modules Required
Before we do that though, we need to enable a few Apache modules.
sudo a2enmod proxy
sudo a2enmod proxy_http
sudo a2enmod proxy_balancer
sudo a2enmod ssl
sudo a2enmod headers
sudo a2enmod lbmethod_byrequests
Edit the Configuration File
Next, go to the Apache Web Server directory
cd /etc/apache2/sites-enabled/
Open the configuration file
sudo nano 000-default.conf
Edit your host file to look like the following.
<IfModule mod_ssl.c>
<VirtualHost matrix.decibite.com:8448>
ServerName matrix.decibite.com
ServerAlias www.matrix.decibite.com
DocumentRoot /var/www/html/
# Configuration of the SSL Certificate
SSLEngine On
Include /etc/letsencrypt/options-ssl-apache.conf
SSLCertificateFile /etc/letsencrypt/live/matrix.decibite.com/fullchain.pem
SSLCertificateKeyFile /etc/letsencrypt/live/matrix.decibite.com/privkey.pem
<Location />
ProxyPass http://127.0.0.1:8008/ nocanon
ProxyPassReverse http://127.0.0.1:8008/
</Location>
</VirtualHost>
</IfModule>
<IfModule mod_ssl.c>
<VirtualHost matrix.decibite.com:443>
ServerName matrix.decibite.com
ServerAlias www.matrix.decibite.com
DocumentRoot /var/www/html/
ProxyRequests off
ProxyPreserveHost On
ProxyVia full
ProxyPass /_matrix/identity http://127.0.0.1:8090/_matrix/identity
<Location />
ProxyPass http://127.0.0.1:8008/ nocanon
ProxyPassReverse http://127.0.0.1:8008/
</Location>
RequestHeader set X-Forwarded-Proto "https"
# Configuration of the SSL Certificate
SSLEngine On
Include /etc/letsencrypt/options-ssl-apache.conf
SSLCertificateFile /etc/letsencrypt/live/matrix.decibite.com/fullchain.pem
SSLCertificateKeyFile /etc/letsencrypt/live/matrix.decibite.com/privkey.pem
</VirtualHost>
</IfModule>
Set up UFW Firewall
In order for all services to work properly we will need to allow a few ports. Run the following commands to allow them:
ufw allow ssh
ufw allow http
ufw allow https
Now enable UFW Firewall service to run at each startup.
ufw start
ufw enable
Check the status and verify
ufw status
Adding Users to your Matrix Synapse Server
Let's add some users and admins! To add a user use the below command:
sudo register_new_matrix_user -c /etc/matrix-synapse/homeserver.yaml https://127.0.0.1:8008
The system will now ask for the users username, password, and whether they should be made an admin of the server or not. After you have filled out the questions the user or admin will be successfully created.
Here is the result:

Test The Connection
Test Connection to Your Matrix Synapse Server
In your web browser open your domain. In the example, this would be https://matrix.decibite.com . If it worked, you should see this screen.

Test Federation
There is a great tool that a contributor of the Matrix project has created to allow users to test if federation has been configured properly on their own server. Navigate to the federation tester by clicking here and entering in your domain. If all is working you should see a similar result like below:

Recommended Client (Riot.im)
Now that your Matrix Synapse server is all set up, it is time to connect to a client. Our recommended client is Riot.im. Riot.im has the widest range of platforms supported; windows, mac, android, iOS and even a web client. You can visit their site or check out their download page
Test logging in to the web client:

Need help?
If you need any assistance or have a question, please reach out to us. We can be reached in a variety of ways.
- email support@decibite.com or sales@decibite.com
- website live chat at decibite.com
- 24/7 toll-free at 1-855-640-6340