Run your own server

Splintr is free, open-source software you can install on any server with PHP and MySQL.

Download Splintr

Download the latest release (coming soon).

Requirements

🐘 PHP 8.1+ with PDO, OpenSSL, cURL
🗄️ MySQL 5.7+ or MariaDB 10.3+
🌐 Apache / Nginx with mod_rewrite
🔒 SSL certificate required for federation

Quick setup

  1. Upload the Splintr files to your web root or a subdirectory.
  2. Create a MySQL database and user for Splintr.
  3. Visit yourdomain.com/install in your browser to run the web installer. It will create your config file, set up the database tables, and create your admin account.
  4. Configure your URL structure in config.php: choose cluster mode (yourdomain.com/username) to host multiple nodes, or single-node mode (yourdomain.com) for a personal site.
  5. Set up your SSL certificate (Let's Encrypt works well) and ensure HTTPS is active. Federation between servers requires SSL.

Two ways to run Splintr

Cluster

Host multiple nodes (user accounts) on one server at yoursite.com/alice, yoursite.com/bob, etc. Good for communities, families, or organizations.

Single node

Run Splintr as a personal site at your own domain. Your node is the front page, and you control everything. Connect with friends on other servers through federation.

After installation

Connect with other servers

Once your server is running, you can visit other Splintr servers, send friend requests to nodes on those servers, and start building your federated network. See the About page for details on how servers communicate and the federation handshake process.

Questions? Check the Help page.