The telegram app has a very nice interface, but I want to use a self hosted xmpp chat server.

Is there maybe a fork of telegram that makes it work with a self hosted xmpp server? I would imagine that this is possible.

If not, is there anything that at least gets close to how nice telegram UI is?

  • poVoq@slrpnk.netEnglish
    131·
    5 months ago

    I wondered about this before but apparently the Telegram client is terrible spaghetti code under the hood, making these kind of ideas not feasible.

    You might like Monocles Chat though, which is an Android XMPP client with a somewhat nicer looking interface.

    There is also the work in progress Moxxy client, which is a from ground up new XMPP client written in Flutter. It seems to take some interface inspiration from Telegram, but to be honest, it isn’t anywhere near to be fully usable and development has been slow in recent months.

    • matcha_addict@lemy.lolOPEnglish
      5·
      5 months ago

      Monocles looks really nice! I’ll try it out, it may be exactly what I need. Thanks :)

  • umami_wasabi@lemmy.mlEnglish
    5·
    5 months ago

    OP, I understand what you look for, but that’s not easy task. From my limited knowledge of apps development, achieving what you requested would likely be:

    1. Identify and remove all relevent code to the backend. Easier if it’s modular, very hard if they’re litrered everywhere.
    2. Chose a XMPP client library that have relavent extension support that can translate Telegram features that XMPP understands.
    3. Write an adaptor (if modular) to match the methods signature and translates calls to the client library. Or reimplement all the code you removed (if littered everywhere) with the client library.

    This is akin to swaping to a new engine for a car, with incompatible mounts. Diffcult to execute, and (I believe) low interest. You can try if you got the skills. I don’t and even I have, I will just use SimpleX which fits my needs.

    • Dark Arc@social.packetloss.ggEnglish
      31·
      5 months ago

      In theory you could use Telegram X and reimplement the tdlib API to create such a client. It wouldn’t be the main Telegram Android app, but Telegram X is in someways even nicer.

  • Zak@lemmy.worldEnglish
    105·
    5 months ago

    Telegram isn’t open source, so I don’t think you’re going to find forks of it.

    I stand corrected. Telegram’s client is open source (GPL) and what OP is asking for is reasonable.

    • matcha_addict@lemy.lolOPEnglish
      131·
      5 months ago

      Telegram client is open source, and there are many forks of it with enhanced features (forkgram, nekogram, etc.)

      • just_another_person@lemmy.worldEnglish
        222·
        5 months ago

        You are asking about the server, not the apps.

        This is another “I WANT EVERYTHING FOR CHEAP!” post in this thread, but with lower effort because this is easily searchable to find the answer.

        • matcha_addict@lemy.lolOPEnglish
          81·
          5 months ago

          You are asking about the server, not the apps.

          No. Please refer to the third word in the body of my post, which spells “app”.

          This is another “I WANT EVERYTHING FOR CHEAP!” post

          Where? I am not seeing what you’re seeing. Feel free to quote my post to show where this is, and please demonstrate how it is “i want everything for cheap!” in all caps.

          • just_another_person@lemmy.worldEnglish
            310·
            5 months ago

            The “app”, as you call it, only subscribes to the services provided. Whether you know it (apparently not), any features you described are on the server side (as to your post title). You are asking about the server, though you seem to not know it. Why else would you post in “self-HOSTED”. Applications aren’t hosted.

            Wow.

            • matcha_addict@lemy.lolOPEnglish
              41·
              5 months ago

              The “app”, as you call it, only subscribes to the services provided.

              And?

              any features you described are on the server side (as to your post title)

              None of the features I described (the interface) are on the server (the interface).

              If you think otherwise, you’ll have to prove it to be taken seriously :)

              You are asking about the server

              I am not. Again, please refer to the first three words in the body of post. In general, I urge you to read posts before you respond to them.

              Why else would you post in “self-HOSTED”. Applications aren’t hosted.

              it’s in regards to a self-hosted xmpp server.

        • umami_wasabi@lemmy.mlEnglish
          61·
          5 months ago

          OP already clearly stated he want to use XMPP. What OP is asking is some client features the functionality of Telegram client. Or a fork of Telegram client, gutted out every signle line of code interact with the backend, replace them with a XMPP client library.

            • umami_wasabi@lemmy.mlEnglish
              71·
              5 months ago

              I think OP is quite clear that he wants something resembles to Telegram’s UI, but works with XMPP instead. The title is just part of the context. You still have to read the body, which uses terms “interface” and “UI”. This means he never intend something server side.

              I won’t say your comment is inaccurate, but taken out of context and misinterpret what the OP means.

  • adr1an@programming.devEnglish
    2·
    5 months ago

    You want a bridge. Like Jabagram or Emulsion. But there’s a limited set of features that will work. For example, reactions or group admin on telegram can’t be easily replicated over xmpp. And, in any case, we are talking more about having messages and media on both rooms, on either side, replicated. That way, users on telegram (e.g. your friend) can talk to users on xmpp (e.g. you). Reliability for bridges is not good, there are glitches and messages that doesn’t make it to the other side, whichever that is. I’d say you prefer to self-host xmpp with cherry-picked extensions, like snikket.org

  • Dark Arc@social.packetloss.ggEnglish
    21·
    5 months ago

    If you don’t strictly speaking need XMPP, you might want to checkout Jami which is a peer-to-peer based chat app with a fairly polished UI. It still definitely feels like beta software at times though, so more of a “be aware of it and check in on it” than “actively use this for all of your chats” sort of thing.

      • jetAEnglish
        11·
        5 months ago
        • a fork of telegram ✅
        • Works with some other chat server ✅

        You can now use telegram with any matrix compatible client you like

        • WIPocket@lemmy.worldEnglish
          5·
          5 months ago

          mautrix/telegram is a bridge between Matrix and Telegram. It mostly lets users of Matrix contact their friends who use Telegram. It is not a fork of Telegram and has nothing to do with the Telegram interface. (Note: OP wanted to use the Telegram client with a non-Telegram server. If you know of a Matrix client which looks and feels like the Telegram client, thats what theyre after.)