What is MongooseIM used for?

MongooseIM is an Erlang-based XMPP server from Erlang Solutions for large instant messaging deployments that need clustering, fault tolerance and horizontal scaling. It is a good fit for running a private chat service at scale, embedding messaging in a custom application and replacing a hosted messaging provider.

Is MongooseIM open source?

Yes. MongooseIM is open source under a custom licence. Its source code is on GitHub at esl/MongooseIM and is written mainly in Erlang.

Yes. MongooseIM is open source, so the software itself is free to use under the terms of its own licence.

Can I self-host MongooseIM?

Yes. MongooseIM can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What are some alternatives to MongooseIM?

Similar open-source tools in the Team Chat category include ejabberd, Converse.js and Xabber. SaaS products in the same category include Kik, Troop Messenger and Beeper.

Is MongooseIM actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to MongooseIM was on 1 October 2026, and the latest release is 6.9.0, published on 10 September 2026. The project has 1.8k stars on GitHub.

MongooseIM: open-source team chat

About MongooseIM

MongooseIM is an XMPP server written in Erlang and maintained by Erlang Solutions. It sits at the core of an instant messaging platform aimed at large installations, handling chat sessions for clients that connect over standard XMPP as well as through a REST API, server-sent events, WebSockets or BOSH long-polling.

It is designed for enterprise use, meaning it is fault-tolerant and can run across a cluster of machines, with capacity added by bringing in another box or virtual machine. As a platform it ships with extra pieces around the server, including a test suite, metrics, a load testing platform and a monitoring server, and the team recommends third-party open-source client libraries.

You can deploy it from a Docker image, a Helm chart or prebuilt packages for Ubuntu, Debian and CentOS-compatible distributions such as AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux. Because it is self-hosted, an organization keeps its messaging data on its own servers, and a try-it site and versioned documentation are available. It suits teams building their own chat product or replacing a hosted messaging service.

Key features

XMPP server with clustering support
REST API, WebSocket, and BOSH connections
Fault-tolerant design in Erlang
Docker image and Helm chart
Metrics and monitoring components
Load testing platform for capacity planning

Good fit for

→Running a private chat service at scale
→Embedding messaging in a custom application
→Replacing a hosted messaging provider

Built with: Erlang
Tags: xmpp; chat; messaging; erlang; self-hosted; jabber; clustering; kubernetes

MongooseIM: questions and answers

What is MongooseIM used for?: MongooseIM is an Erlang-based XMPP server from Erlang Solutions for large instant messaging deployments that need clustering, fault tolerance and horizontal scaling. It is a good fit for running a private chat service at scale, embedding messaging in a custom application and replacing a hosted messaging provider.
Is MongooseIM open source?: Yes. MongooseIM is open source under a custom licence. Its source code is on GitHub at esl/MongooseIM and is written mainly in Erlang.
Is MongooseIM free?: Yes. MongooseIM is open source, so the software itself is free to use under the terms of its own licence.
Can I self-host MongooseIM?: Yes. MongooseIM can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What are some alternatives to MongooseIM?: Similar open-source tools in the Team Chat category include ejabberd, Converse.js and Xabber. SaaS products in the same category include Kik, Troop Messenger and Beeper.
Is MongooseIM actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to MongooseIM was on 1 October 2026, and the latest release is 6.9.0, published on 10 September 2026. The project has 1.8k stars on GitHub.