Hacklab.fi Matrix general instructions

What?

Matrix is versatile federated instant messaging protocol and we offer Matrix homeserver and services to Finnish hacklab members.

Matrix also supports bridges, both puppeted and relaybot, to various other networks and systems, like IRC, Telegram, Whatsapp, SMS, etc for example.

Contents

General about matrix terminology
Registering an user
Clients
Login
Bridges

General about matrix terminology

MXID

Matrix user id is called MXID, and it constructs from username and domain part, which are inseparable. This means that where ever in you need to input your MXID it should be in format: @example:hacklab.fi

User domain

User domain is the designated domain name in MXID, in our case hacklab.fi

Homeserver

Homeserver is the matrix-server catering hacklab.fi users, in our case matrix.hacklab.fi

Users, rooms and spaces

In Matrix usernames allways starts with @ -sign, rooms an spaces with # -sign

Registering an user

  • Primary method:

    • Surf to hacklab.fi Element login and select Continue with Hacklab Finland Keycloak
    • Your local Hacklab should have implemented Single Sign-On method that is used by our Matrix-server login-flow, if not, nag them hard ;)
    • after SSO-autorization figure an username and continue

  • Secondary method, eventually obsoleted:

    • Surf to hacklab.fi Matrix user registration website
    • Fill out your details
      • Figure an username (only name, no domain here)
      • Figure out password
      • Provide an known Invite token, this can be acuired from your Hacklab
    • Press register

Clients

There are many clients programs for diffirent platforms and personal tastes available. Reference client is Element, which is available for computers, phones and we also offer an web-instance at https://chat.hacklab.fi

Login

Most matrix clients supports automatic discovery of server settings when you give your full MXID as username, so often times it is enough to type in the @example:hacklab.fi as username and your password.

If manual server settings are needed, they are:

  • Homeserver URL: https://matrix.hacklab.fi
  • Identity Server URL: blank/none

Bridges

Matrix has awesome integration for various other Chat/IM networks and services, called bridges, which makes using matrix an killer thing. IRC is offered pretty much baked in into Matrix, and for finnish Hacklab members we offer also bridges for Telegram, Whatsapp and SMS. There is also on-going effort to offer Slack bridging, and more can be added if installable bridge-services exists.

Hacklab member using hacklab.fi homeserver, thus having MXID of @user:hacklab.fi, has automatic access to use bridges trough hacklab.fi servers, hacklab members using some other homeserver need to ask to be added into bridge(s) manually, ask more in Matrix channel: #general:hacklab.fi

Links to specific bridge instructions in navigation sidebar, below some that has not been yet documented by us, but are in use:

Other useful tools

  • Hookshot (Bot for connecting to external services like GitHub, GitLab, JIRA, general webhooks)

Historical / deprecated:

  • SMS: We used to have "smsbot", doesn't scale and was impossible to setup without admin involvement.
  • Appservice-slack: Buggy and impossible to maintain, Mautrix-slack replaced this.
  • MX-puppet-discord: EOL, Mautrix-discord replaced this.