About Gotify
Gotify is a compact server that lets you push messages and receive them live. The authors built it because few open-source options existed for the job and many of those were abandoned, and because they wanted something that could be self-hosted. Messages go in through a REST API and come out through a WebSocket, and the server includes a clean web interface.
Core capabilities include managing users, clients and applications, a plugin system, a command line tool for sending messages, and an Android app that is available from Google Play and F-Droid. The web UI is built with React, and the server itself is written in Go. Documentation covers installation, configuration, the REST API and setting up a development environment, and the project welcomes contributions of all kinds.
Gotify is open source and uses semantic versioning. The repository lists the MIT license in its text, while GitHub metadata shows it as 'Other'. Because you run it yourself, your notifications stay on your own infrastructure. It is popular with self-hosters who want scripts, servers and monitoring tools to push alerts to their phone.
Key features
- Send messages through a REST API
- Receive messages in real time via WebSocket
- User, client and application management
- Plugin system for extensions
- Web UI and CLI
- Android app on Google Play and F-Droid
Good fit for
- →Push alerts from servers and scripts to a phone
- →Self-hosted replacement for push notification services
- →Notifications from monitoring and home automation tools
- Tags
- notifications
- push-notifications
- self-hosted
- websocket
- rest-api
- golang
- messaging
- android
Gotify: questions and answers
- What is Gotify used for?
- Gotify is a simple self-hosted push notification server that sends messages through a REST API and delivers them in real time over WebSocket, with a web UI and Android app. It is a good fit for push alerts from servers and scripts to a phone, and notifications from monitoring and home automation tools.
- Is Gotify open source?
- Yes. Gotify is open source under a custom licence. Its source code is on GitHub at gotify/server and is written mainly in Go.
- Is Gotify free?
- Yes. Gotify is open source, so the software itself is free to use under the terms of its own licence.
- Can I self-host Gotify?
- Yes. Gotify can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure; there is no official hosted version.
- What are some alternatives to Gotify?
- Similar open-source tools in the Backend as a Service category include Centrifugo, Novu and OpenIM. SaaS products in the same category include Courier, Knock and MagicBell.
- Is Gotify actively maintained?
- Yes. The most recent commit to Gotify was on 30 September 2026, and the latest release is v3.1.1, published on 15 September 2026. The project has 16k stars on GitHub.
Open-source alternatives to Gotify
See all
Centrifugo
Backend as a Service
Centrifugo is an open-source real-time messaging server — a self-hosted alternative to Pub
Apache-2.0vs Pusher★ 11k
Novu
Backend as a Service
The open-source communication infrastructure for agents and products
OSSvs Knock★ 40k
OpenIM
Backend as a Service
IM Chat OpenClaw
Apache-2.0vs Sendbird★ 17k
WuKongIM
Backend as a Service
More than just IM 不只是即时通讯(IM)
Apache-2.0vs Sendbird★ 5k
pREST
Backend as a Service
PostgreSQL ➕ REST, low-code, simplify and accelerate development, ⚡ instant, realtime, hig
MITvs Firebase★ 4.6k
JuggleIM
Backend as a Service
IM Chat, High-performance, scalable, self-hosted instant messaging server in Go — private
Apache-2.0vs Sendbird★ 3.5k
SaaS alternatives to Gotify
See all
Courier
Backend as a Service
Notification API that routes messages across email, SMS, push and chat
SaaS
Knock
Backend as a Service
Notification infrastructure with workflows, user preferences and in-app feeds
SaaS
MagicBell
Backend as a Service
Embeddable in-app notification inbox and multichannel delivery service
SaaS
Pusher
Backend as a Service
Hosted WebSocket channels and push notifications for realtime features
SaaS
SuprSend
Backend as a Service
Notification infrastructure for sending in-app, email, SMS and push messages from a single API
SaaS
Ably
Backend as a Service
Realtime messaging platform with pub/sub, presence and message history
SaaS

