# This — is The **Construct**
It all started in 1988 when Jarkko Oikarinen developed a free and open source server
at the University of Oulu which facilitated real-time communication over the internet.
Its [derivatives](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/IRCd_software_implementations.png)
have underpinned the major chat networks for decades ever since.
Due to their age and stagnation since the mid-2000's, a growing number of
proprietary cloud services have filled the vacuum of innovation. In 2014 a new
approach was proposed to reinvigorate real-time communication for free and open
source software: a *federation of networks* known as *the matrix*.
**This is the Construct** — the community's own Matrix server. It is designed to be
fast and highly scalable, and to be developed by volunteer contributors over
the internet. This mission strives to make the software easy to understand, modify, audit,
and extend. It remains true to its roots with its modular design and having minimal
requirements. Even though all of the old code has been rewritten, the same spirit and
_philosophy of its predecessors_ is still obvious throughout.
Matrix is about giving you control over your communication; Construct is about
giving you control over Matrix.
## Installation
[](https://matrix.to/#/#test:zemos.net)
### Dependencies
- **Boost** library 1.66+
- **RocksDB** library 5.16.6.
- **Sodium** library for curve ed25519.
- **OpenSSL** library for HTTPS TLS / X.509.
- **Magic** library for MIME type recognition.
##### OPTIONAL
- **zlib** or **lz4** or **snappy** database compressions.
- **GraphicsMagick** for media thumbnails.
- **jemalloc** for dynamic memory.
##### BUILD TOOLS
- **GNU C++** compiler, ld.gold, automake, autoconf, autoconf2.13,
autoconf-archive, libtool.
- A platform capable of loading dynamic shared objects at runtime is required.
### Getting Started
1. At this phase of development the best thing to do is pull the master branch
and use the latest head.
2. See the [BUILD](doc/BUILD.md) instructions to compile Construct from source.
3. See the [SETUP](doc/SETUP.md) instructions to run Construct for the first time.
##### TROUBLESHOOTING
See the [TROUBLESHOOTING](doc/TROUBLESHOOTING.md) guide for solutions to possible
problems.
## Developers
[]() []()
##### DOCUMENTATION
Generate doxygen using `/usr/bin/doxygen tools/doxygen.conf` the target
directory is `doc/html`. Browse to `doc/html/index.html`.
##### ARCHITECTURE GUIDE
See the [ARCHITECTURE](doc/ARCHITECTURE.md) summary for design choices and
things to know when starting out.
##### DEVELOPMENT STYLE GUIDE
See the [STYLE](doc/STYLE.md) guide for an admittedly tongue-in-cheek lecture on
the development approach.
## Roadmap
##### FEATURE EXPERIENCE
- [x] Phase One: **Matrix clients** using HTTPS.
- [ ] Phase Two: Legacy IRC network **TS6 protocol**.
##### TECHNOLOGY
- [x] Phase Zero: **Core libircd**: Utils; Modules; Contexts; JSON; Database; HTTP; etc...
- [x] Phase One: **Matrix Protocol**: Core VM; Core modules; Protocol endpoints; etc...
- [ ] Phase Two: **Construct Cluster**: Kademlia sharding of events; Maymounkov's erasure codes.
##### DEPLOYMENT
```
Operating a Construct server which is open to public user registration is unsafe. Local users may
be able to exceed resource limitations and deny service to other users.
```
- [x] **Personal**: One or few users. Few default restrictions; higher log output.
- [ ] **Company**: Hundreds of users. Moderate default restrictions.
- [ ] **Public**: Thousands of users. Untrusting configuration defaults.
> Due to the breadth of the Matrix client/server protocol we can only endorse
production use of Construct gradually while local user restrictions are
developed. This notice applies to locally registered users connecting with
clients, it does not apply to federation.