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Installation Guide - Ι³Chat v0.8.0

Complete installation instructions for all platforms: Web, iOS, Android, and Desktop.

Table of Contents

Web Application

Prerequisites

  • Node.js 20.0.0 or higher
  • pnpm 9.15.4 or higher
  • Docker (optional, for backend services)

Installation Steps

  1. Clone the repository:

    git clone https://github.com/nself-org/nchat.git
cd nself-chat

  2. Install dependencies:

    pnpm install

  3. Configure environment variables:

    cp .env.example .env.local

    Edit .env.local with your configuration:

    # Backend URLs (if using nself CLI backend)
NEXT_PUBLIC_GRAPHQL_URL=http://api.localhost/v1/graphql
NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTH_URL=http://auth.localhost/v1/auth
NEXT_PUBLIC_STORAGE_URL=http://storage.localhost/v1/storage

# Development mode with test users
NEXT_PUBLIC_USE_DEV_AUTH=true
NEXT_PUBLIC_ENV=development

# Optional: Sentry error tracking
NEXT_PUBLIC_SENTRY_DSN=your-sentry-dsn

  4. Start the development server:

    pnpm dev

  5. Open your browser: Navigate to http://localhost:3000

  6. Complete the setup wizard: Follow the 12-step guided setup to configure your instance.

Production Build

# Build for production
pnpm build

# Start production server
pnpm start

Docker Deployment

# Build Docker image
docker build -t nself-chat:latest .

# Run container
docker run -p 3000:3000 nself-chat:latest

See DEPLOYMENT.md for detailed deployment guides.

Mobile Apps

Prerequisites

General Requirements:

  • Node.js 20.0.0+
  • pnpm 9.15.4+
  • Capacitor CLI 6.x

iOS Requirements:

  • macOS (required for iOS development)
  • Xcode 15.0 or later
  • CocoaPods 1.10 or later
  • iOS 14.0+ deployment target
  • Apple Developer account (for device testing and App Store)

Android Requirements:

  • Android Studio Hedgehog (2023.1.1) or later
  • Android SDK API 34
  • Java JDK 17
  • Gradle 8.0+

Initial Setup

  1. Build the web application:

    pnpm build

  2. Navigate to Capacitor directory:

    cd platforms/capacitor

  3. Install Capacitor dependencies:

    pnpm install

iOS Installation

1. Add iOS Platform

cd platforms/capacitor
npx cap add ios

2. Configure iOS Project

  1. Open the project in Xcode:

    pnpm run open:ios

  2. Configure signing:

    • Select the App target
    • Go to "Signing & Capabilities"
    • Select your development team
    • Enable "Automatically manage signing"

  3. Set Bundle ID:

    • Change Bundle Identifier to your unique ID (e.g., com.yourcompany.nchat)
    • Must match your Apple Developer account

3. Enable Capabilities

In Xcode, add the following capabilities:

  1. Push Notifications:

    • Click "+ Capability"
    • Add "Push Notifications"

  2. Background Modes:

    • Add "Background Modes"
    • Enable:
      • Remote notifications
      • Background fetch
      • Voice over IP (for calls)
      • Audio (for voice messages)

  3. Associated Domains (for deep linking):

    • Add "Associated Domains"
    • Add: applinks:nchat.yourdomain.com

4. Configure Firebase (Optional but Recommended)

  1. Create Firebase project:

  2. Add iOS app:

    • Bundle ID: Your iOS bundle identifier
    • Download GoogleService-Info.plist

  3. Add to Xcode:

    cp GoogleService-Info.plist platforms/capacitor/ios/App/App/

  4. Install pods:

    cd platforms/capacitor/ios/App
pod install

5. Configure Push Notifications (APNs)

  1. Create APNs Key:

    • Go to Apple Developer Portal
    • Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles β†’ Keys
    • Create new key with "Apple Push Notifications service (APNs)"
    • Download .p8 file
    • Note the Key ID and Team ID

  2. Upload to Firebase:

    • In Firebase Console, go to Project Settings β†’ Cloud Messaging
    • Upload APNs key (.p8 file)
    • Enter Key ID and Team ID

6. Generate App Icons

cd platforms/capacitor
npx @capacitor/assets generate --ios

Or manually add icons to ios/App/App/Assets.xcassets/AppIcon.appiconset/

7. Build and Run

Run on Simulator:

pnpm run run:ios

Run on Device:

pnpm run run:ios -- --device

Build for Release:

pnpm run build:ios

8. App Store Submission

See platforms/capacitor/fastlane/README.md for automated build and deployment with Fastlane.

Android Installation

1. Add Android Platform

cd platforms/capacitor
npx cap add android

2. Configure Android Project

  1. Open the project in Android Studio:

    pnpm run open:android

  2. Wait for Gradle sync to complete

  3. Update package name (if needed):

    • In android/app/build.gradle: 
      defaultConfig {
    applicationId "com.yourcompany.nchat"
    // ...
}

3. Configure Firebase (Required for Push Notifications)

  1. Create Firebase project (if not already done)

  2. Add Android app:

    • Package name: com.yourcompany.nchat (or your package name)
    • Download google-services.json

  3. Add to project:

    cp google-services.json platforms/capacitor/android/app/

  4. Sync Gradle:

    cd platforms/capacitor/android
./gradlew clean build

4. Configure Deep Linking

  1. Create assetlinks.json on your server:

    https://nchat.yourdomain.com/.well-known/assetlinks.json

    Content:

    [
  {
    "relation": ["delegate_permission/common.handle_all_urls"],
    "target": {
      "namespace": "android_app",
      "package_name": "com.yourcompany.nchat",
      "sha256_cert_fingerprints": ["YOUR_SHA256_FINGERPRINT"]
    }
  }
]

  2. Get SHA256 fingerprint:

    keytool -list -v -keystore ~/.android/debug.keystore -alias androiddebugkey -storepass android -keypass android

5. Configure Signing (for Release Builds)

  1. Generate keystore:

    keytool -genkey -v -keystore nchat-release.keystore -alias nchat -keyalg RSA -keysize 2048 -validity 10000

  2. Create keystore.properties:

    cd platforms/capacitor/android
nano keystore.properties

    Content:

    storeFile=/path/to/nchat-release.keystore
storePassword=YOUR_STORE_PASSWORD
keyAlias=nchat
keyPassword=YOUR_KEY_PASSWORD

6. Generate App Icons

cd platforms/capacitor
npx @capacitor/assets generate --android

Or manually add icons to android/app/src/main/res/mipmap-*/

7. Build and Run

Run on Emulator/Device:

pnpm run run:android

Build Debug APK:

cd platforms/capacitor/android
./gradlew assembleDebug

Build Release APK:

./gradlew assembleRelease

Build Release Bundle (for Play Store):

pnpm run build:android:bundle

8. Play Store Submission

See platforms/capacitor/fastlane/README.md for automated build and deployment with Fastlane.

Desktop Apps

Electron

Electron apps work on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Prerequisites

  • Node.js 20.0.0+
  • pnpm 9.15.4+
  • Platform-specific build tools:
    • Windows: Visual Studio Build Tools
    • macOS: Xcode Command Line Tools
    • Linux: build-essential package

Installation

  1. Install dependencies:

    pnpm install

  2. Build web assets:

    pnpm build

  3. Start Electron in development:

    pnpm electron:dev

Building for Distribution

Build for current platform:

pnpm electron:build

Build for all platforms:

pnpm build:electron

Build for specific platform:

# Windows
pnpm electron:build --win

# macOS
pnpm electron:build --mac

# Linux
pnpm electron:build --linux

Distribution

Built apps will be in dist/electron/:

  • Windows: .exe installer
  • macOS: .dmg installer
  • Linux: .AppImage, .deb, or .rpm

Tauri

Tauri is a lightweight alternative to Electron using Rust and native webviews.

Prerequisites

  • Node.js 20.0.0+
  • pnpm 9.15.4+
  • Rust 1.70+ (curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh)
  • Platform-specific build tools:
    • Windows: Microsoft Visual Studio C++ Build Tools
    • macOS: Xcode Command Line Tools
    • Linux: libwebkit2gtk-4.0-dev, build-essential, curl, wget, libssl-dev, libgtk-3-dev

Installation

  1. Install dependencies:

    pnpm install

  2. Build web assets:

    pnpm build

  3. Start Tauri in development:

    pnpm tauri:dev

Building for Distribution

Build for current platform:

pnpm tauri:build

Built apps will be in src-tauri/target/release/bundle/:

  • Windows: .msi installer
  • macOS: .dmg or .app
  • Linux: .deb, .AppImage

Backend Setup

Ι³Chat requires a backend powered by nself CLI.

Option 1: Use Development Mode (Quickest)

Set NEXT_PUBLIC_USE_DEV_AUTH=true in .env.local to use the built-in development authentication with 8 test users.

No backend required for basic testing!

Option 2: nself CLI Backend (Recommended)

  1. Install nself CLI:

    npm install -g @nself/cli

  2. Initialize backend:

    cd .backend
nself init --demo

  3. Start services:

    nself start

  4. Verify services:

    nself status
nself urls

  5. Update .env.local:

    NEXT_PUBLIC_GRAPHQL_URL=http://api.localhost/v1/graphql
NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTH_URL=http://auth.localhost/v1/auth
NEXT_PUBLIC_STORAGE_URL=http://storage.localhost/v1/storage
NEXT_PUBLIC_USE_DEV_AUTH=false

See nself CLI documentation for advanced configuration.

Video and voice calls (nChat bundle required)

v1.0.9 requires bring-your-own LiveKit Server and coturn.

Video/voice calls use LiveKit SFU (Selective Forwarding Unit) and coturn TURN server. These are NOT bundled with the nSelf CLI at v1.0.9. You must deploy them separately and supply the URLs via env vars.

LiveKit Server setup:

coturn setup:

Once deployed, add to .backend/.env.local:

LIVEKIT_HOST=wss://livekit.yourdomain.com
LIVEKIT_API_KEY=your-api-key
LIVEKIT_API_SECRET=your-api-secret
NEXT_PUBLIC_LIVEKIT_URL=wss://livekit.yourdomain.com

A LiveKit Server nSelf plugin is planned for v1.1.0 so this can be provisioned via nself plugin install livekit-server without a separate VPS. Track progress: https://github.com/nself-org/cli/issues

Troubleshooting

Web App

Issue: Port 3000 already in use

# Use a different port
pnpm dev -- -p 3001

Issue: Module not found errors

# Clear cache and reinstall
rm -rf node_modules .next
pnpm install

iOS

Issue: CocoaPods errors

cd platforms/capacitor/ios/App
pod deintegrate
pod install --repo-update

Issue: Build fails in Xcode

  • Clean build folder: Product β†’ Clean Build Folder
  • Update signing certificates
  • Check Xcode version (15.0+)

Issue: App crashes on launch

  • Check Firebase configuration
  • Verify GoogleService-Info.plist is added
  • Check console logs in Xcode

Android

Issue: Gradle sync failed

cd platforms/capacitor/android
./gradlew clean
./gradlew --stop
./gradlew build

Issue: Build fails

  • Update Android SDK to API 34
  • Check Java version (should be 17)
  • Invalidate caches: File β†’ Invalidate Caches / Restart

Issue: App crashes on launch

  • Check Firebase configuration
  • Verify google-services.json is added
  • Check Logcat for errors

Desktop (Electron)

Issue: Electron fails to start

# Rebuild native modules
pnpm rebuild

Issue: Build fails

  • Check platform-specific build tools are installed
  • Try building for current platform only first

Desktop (Tauri)

Issue: Rust compilation errors

# Update Rust
rustup update

# Clean build
cd src-tauri
cargo clean

Issue: Missing system dependencies (Linux)

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt-get install libwebkit2gtk-4.0-dev build-essential curl wget libssl-dev libgtk-3-dev libayatana-appindicator3-dev librsvg2-dev

# Fedora
sudo dnf install webkit2gtk3-devel openssl-devel curl wget gtk3-devel libappindicator-gtk3-devel librsvg2-devel

Backend (nself CLI)

Issue: Services won't start

# Check Docker is running
docker ps

# Check logs
nself logs

# Restart services
nself stop
nself start

Issue: Port conflicts

  • Check if ports 3000, 4000, 5432, 8080 are available
  • Modify ports in .backend/.env

Platform-Specific Notes

iOS

  • Minimum iOS version: 14.0
  • Requires macOS: iOS development only possible on macOS
  • Code signing: Required for device testing and App Store
  • Push notifications: Requires APNs certificate and Firebase setup
  • App Store review: Can take 1-3 days

Android

  • Minimum Android version: API 24 (Android 7.0)
  • Works on all platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
  • Play Store review: Usually 1-7 days
  • Testing: Use Firebase Test Lab for device testing

Desktop

  • Electron:

    • Larger app size (100-200MB)
    • Includes Chromium
    • Better compatibility

  • Tauri:

    • Smaller app size (5-15MB)
    • Uses system webview
    • Faster startup
    • Requires more setup

Next Steps

After installation:

  1. Web: Complete the setup wizard at http://localhost:3000
  2. Mobile: Test on simulators/emulators before devices
  3. Desktop: Test app on target platforms
  4. Backend: Configure production backend with nself CLI
  5. Deploy: Follow DEPLOYMENT.md for production deployment

Support

Need help?

Version: 0.8.0 Last Updated: February 1, 2026

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