Sold by: Ethora
Deployed on AWS
Deploy a self-hosted chat and messaging server in five minutes and keep every message on your own instance. API, web chat and admin panel, XMPP server, SDKs for iOS, Android, React and React Native. Free: no license key, no per-user fees.
Overview
Run your own chat and messaging server on AWS
Ethora Core is a self-hosted chat and messaging platform: you own the data, the infrastructure and the user experience. This AMI deploys the complete stack on a single EC2 instance: the API, the web chat and admin panel, XMPP messaging (ejabberd with the Ethora modules), and the databases it needs (MongoDB, MySQL, Redis, MinIO object storage), with TLS certificates from Let's Encrypt.
Running in five minutes
First boot takes about five minutes. Open the setup page on port 8888, enter your domain and e-mail, and the instance configures itself, obtains certificates and creates your admin account. No DNS records yet? The page accepts a magic DNS name (for example 203-0-113-10.sslip.io) that resolves to the instance without any DNS setup. Unattended installs work through instance user data, and a CloudFormation template is provided.
Built for teams adding chat to their own products
- In-app messaging for web and mobile products: one-to-one and group chat, presence, media and file sharing, embedded with the Ethora SDKs for iOS, Android, React and React Native.
- Communities and customer messaging where data residency matters: users, apps and messages stay on your instance, in your AWS account.
- AI assistants that work with your platform: the Ethora MCP server lets tools such as Claude and Cursor create apps, users and rooms through the API. AI agents that take part in conversations are part of Ethora Enterprise.
The REST API ships with Swagger documentation on the instance. Unlike cloud chat APIs billed per monthly active user, Ethora Core has no usage fees.
Security and data control
All client traffic is encrypted in transit with TLS certificates provisioned automatically. Being self-hosted, message data, user credentials and application data remain inside your AWS account; deploy in your VPC and restrict the security group to what you need (80 and 443 public; 22 and 8888 only from your own address). The deployment secrets live in deploy.yml and .deploy.env on the instance; keep them private.
Free to use, upgrade in place
Ethora Core is free: no license key, no expiry, no call-home. Per-server limits of 5 apps and 500 user accounts apply, raised to 10 apps and 5,000 users by registering for free from the admin panel. Ethora Enterprise runs on the same instance with a license key from Dappros and adds push notifications, AI agents, compliance logging, single sign-on, multi-tenant hosting, and unlimited apps and users.
Maintenance and backups
Updates are one command over SSH. All persistent data lives in a single directory you can snapshot. The installer and its documentation are public at github.com/dappros/ethora-install.
Getting started
Launch the AMI, complete the five-minute setup, and sign in to the admin panel. Questions about Enterprise: sales@ethora.com .
Highlights
- Complete chat server with full data ownership: API, web chat and admin panel, XMPP server, databases, object storage and TLS in one deployment on your own instance. Messages never leave your AWS account, and all data sits in one directory you can snapshot for backup or migration.
- No per-user fees, no license key, no expiry: the free edition has no monthly-active-user billing, no call-home and no time limit. Register from the admin panel to raise the per-server limits from 5 apps and 500 users to 10 apps and 5,000 users, or add an Enterprise key from Dappros to unlock the paid modules on the same instance without redeploying.
- Developer-ready: REST API with Swagger documentation, SDKs for iOS, Android, React and React Native, and an MCP server that lets AI assistants work with the platform. One-command updates, five-minute first boot, public installer and documentation.
Details
Sold by
Delivery method
Delivery option
64-bit (x86) Amazon Machine Image (AMI)
Latest version
Operating system
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
Deployed on AWS
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Features and programs
Financing for AWS Marketplace purchases
AWS Marketplace now accepts line of credit payments through the PNC Vendor Finance program. This program is available to select AWS customers in the US, excluding NV, NC, ND, TN, & VT.
Pricing
This product is available free of charge. Free subscriptions have no end date and may be canceled any time.
Additional AWS infrastructure costs may apply. Use the AWS Pricing Calculator to estimate your infrastructure costs.
Dimensions summary
The software carries no license fee, so you pay only for the AWS EC2 instance that runs it. You choose one instance type and pay by the hour. The options span four instance families: burstable t3 instances for lighter or variable workloads, general-purpose m6i and m7i instances, compute-optimized c6i instances, and memory-optimized r6i instances. Within each family, sizes range from medium or large up to 2xlarge, adding more CPU and memory as you scale up. Pick the size that matches your expected concurrent connections and traffic; hourly cost rises with instance size and family.
Top-of-mind questions for buyers
The software itself carries no license fee, so it adds nothing to your bill whether running or stopped. You pay only for the AWS EC2 instance. A stopped instance stops accruing hourly compute charges, though attached AWS storage may still incur separate fees.
Match the instance to your expected concurrent connections and traffic. The server can run behind load balancers with auto-scaling groups that respond to demand. Your team can set scaling policies based on concurrent connections, CPU use, or custom metrics, adding capacity as traffic grows.
The hourly charge runs one EC2 instance hosting the full stack: the chat server, API layer, admin dashboard, push notifications, and file storage. Optional services like AI, bots, or video calls deploy only when your configuration includes them. The system runs on Ubuntu Linux across amd64 and arm64.
ethora.com
Helpful?
Vendor refund policy
Ethora Core is provided free of charge on AWS Marketplace, so there is no software fee to refund. Charges for the AWS infrastructure the product runs on (EC2 instances, EBS volumes, data transfer) are billed by AWS under the AWS Customer Agreement, and any request concerning them is handled by AWS Support. Buyers may stop using the product at any time by terminating the instance. Questions about this policy: support@ethora.com , Dappros Ltd.
Legal
Vendor terms and conditions
Upon subscribing to this product, you must acknowledge and agree to the terms and conditions outlined in the vendor's End User License Agreement (EULA) .
Content disclaimer
Vendors are responsible for their product descriptions and other product content. AWS does not warrant that vendors' product descriptions or other product content are accurate, complete, reliable, current, or error-free.
Delivery details
64-bit (x86) Amazon Machine Image (AMI)
Amazon Machine Image (AMI)
An AMI is a virtual image that provides the information required to launch an instance. Amazon EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud) instances are virtual servers on which you can run your applications and workloads, offering varying combinations of CPU, memory, storage, and networking resources. You can launch as many instances from as many different AMIs as you need.
Version release notes
First AWS Marketplace release of Ethora Core, release line 2610 (build 2610.5). Ubuntu 24.04 LTS with all security updates at build time, Docker, Node.js 24. Ethora API, admin panel and web chat, XMPP server (ejabberd with the Ethora modules), MongoDB, MySQL, Redis, MinIO and Centrifugo images pre-pulled; no registry access is needed at first boot. First-boot setup page on port 8888 (user admin, password = instance id) configures the domain, TLS from Let's Encrypt and the admin account in about five minutes. Ethora Core is free: no license key, no expiry. Enterprise features unlock with a key from Dappros.
Additional details
Usage instructions
- Launch with a key pair and the recommended security group (80 and 443 open to all; 22 and 8888 only from your address). t3.medium or larger, 40 GB volume. An Elastic IP is recommended.
- Create DNS A records for api., app., xmpp. and files. under your domain, pointing at the instance (subdomains work, for example app.chat.company.com). Without DNS records, use the magic name <ip-with-dashes>.sslip.io as the domain, for example 203-0-113-10.sslip.io; it resolves to the instance on its own.
- Open the setup page on port 8888 of the instance's public IP (plain HTTP). User: admin. Password: the instance id (i-...). Enter the domain, your e-mail and, optionally, an Enterprise license key. Submit once; the page shows the install log, then the admin URL and the generated admin password.
- After about five minutes open the app. host of your domain over HTTPS and sign in. The setup page switches itself off. Later changes: edit /home/ubuntu/ethora-install-shared/deploy/config/deploy.yml and run sudo deploy/scripts/update.sh over SSH. Data lives in /home/ubuntu/ethora-data; snapshot the volume to back it up. Updates: git pull in /home/ubuntu/ethora-install-shared, then sudo deploy/scripts/update.sh --ref main. Documentation: https://github.com/dappros/ethora-install
Support
Vendor support
Support channels
- Community support through the installer repository's issues: https://github.com/dappros/ethora-install
- E-mail support at support@ethora.com after the free registration from the admin panel.
Before writing, run deploy/scripts/health-check.sh on the instance; it names the failing component, and its output plus the install or update log is what we need. Never send deploy.yml or .deploy.env: they contain your deployment secrets.
Enterprise customers with a Dappros license key are supported under their agreement, which includes an SLA. Support policy: https://ethora.com/legal/support-policy/
Ethora Core is free on AWS Marketplace; there is no software charge. Questions about AWS infrastructure charges go to AWS Support; anything else to support@ethora.com .
AWS infrastructure support
AWS Support is a one-on-one, fast-response support channel that is staffed 24x7x365 with experienced and technical support engineers. The service helps customers of all sizes and technical abilities to successfully utilize the products and features provided by Amazon Web Services.
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