About Wire
This repository contains the source code for the Wire server, the back end of the Wire messaging platform. According to the README, it holds all the libraries and services needed to run Wire. The code is written mainly in Haskell and Rust and is licensed under AGPL-3.0, although the Wire trademark and logos are not licensed for use.
The server is split into services. Nginz is a public API reverse proxy, galley manages conversations and teams, brig handles accounts, gundeck is the push notification hub, cannon delivers WebSocket push notifications, cargohold stores assets such as images and files, proxy covers third-party API integration and spar provides single sign-on. Tools include database migration utilities and a Swagger-based backoffice interface called stern.
The project provides build scripts and Dockerfiles for some platforms, a work-in-progress demo mode that runs in memory and documentation that includes a guide for self-hosting your own Wire server. Federation is described as a long-term roadmap item. Wire itself is a commercial messaging product, and the source is published for transparency and self-hosting.
Key features
- Conversation and team service
- Account management service
- Push notifications over WebSocket
- Asset storage for images and files
- Single sign-on service
- Swagger-based backoffice tool
Good fit for
- →Organizations self-hosting a secure messaging back end
- →Auditing the Wire server code
- Tags
- messaging
- wire
- haskell
- rust
- backend
- self-hosted
- secure-messaging
- sso
Wire: questions and answers
- What is Wire used for?
- Wire Server is the open-source back end of the Wire secure messaging platform, written mainly in Haskell and Rust. It is a good fit for organizations self-hosting a secure messaging back end and auditing the Wire server code.
- Is Wire open source?
- Yes. Wire is open source under the AGPL-3.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at wireapp/wire-server and is written mainly in Haskell.
- Is Wire free?
- Yes. Wire is open source, so the software itself is free to use. A managed cloud version is also available, with paid plans from €8.94 per seat per month.
- Can I self-host Wire?
- Yes. Wire can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
- What is Wire an alternative to?
- Wire is an open-source alternative to Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Chat and Zoho Cliq. Other open-source alternatives to Slack include Rocket.Chat, Mattermost and Element.
- Is Wire actively maintained?
- Yes. The most recent commit to Wire was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is v2026-09-18, published on 22 September 2026. The project has 2.8k stars on GitHub.
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