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Secure a self-hosted Matrix server by choosing its permanent server name before installation, placing Synapse behind correctly configured HTTPS, exposing only the endpoints it needs, restricting registration and room visibility, and maintaining restorable backups and timely updates. These protections solve different problems: TLS protects connections, access controls limit who can join, room settings govern visibility and history, and optional end-to-end encryption protects message contents from the homeserver itself. None of them replaces the others.
This guide focuses on Synapse, the Matrix homeserver covered by the current installation, security, and federation documentation. Exact configuration options and defaults can change between releases, so use the documentation for the Synapse version you install rather than copying old examples.
What does securing a Matrix server mean?
A secure deployment is not one switch. It is a set of controls around identity, network access, accounts, rooms, data handling, and ongoing operations. A server can use HTTPS and still allow unwanted account creation; a room can be invite-only while its history is visible to people who join later; and self-hosting does not automatically encrypt every conversation end to end.
It helps to separate four concepts:
- Transport security: HTTPS/TLS protects traffic between clients or other servers and your public endpoints. It does not, by itself, hide room contents from the homeserver.
- Account and room access: Registration policy, invitations, room visibility, and history settings determine who can create accounts, find rooms, join them, or see earlier messages.
- End-to-end encryption (E2EE): Matrix supports optional room-level E2EE. It is not automatic for every room simply because the server is self-hosted. Clients, devices, and their encryption-key handling remain part of the security model.
- Server operations: Updates, monitoring, backups, and careful handling of secrets reduce the risk that a misconfiguration, failure, or compromise becomes a lasting outage or data loss.
Start by deciding what the server is for. A small private organization server has different registration, directory, and federation needs from a public community server. Make those choices before opening it to the internet.
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Choose the server name and public domain before installation
Synapse’s configured server_name determines the domain portion of Matrix user IDs, such as the part after the colon in @alice:example.org. The current Synapse installation documentation warns that this name cannot be changed later. Select a domain you can keep and administer before generating the server configuration or creating accounts.
The Matrix identity domain and the machine or hostname that runs Synapse do not have to be identical. Federation discovery can direct other Matrix servers to a technical endpoint at another hostname or port. Synapse’s federation documentation describes delegation for this purpose. Decide whether you will serve the homeserver directly under the chosen name or use delegation, then make DNS, TLS, proxy routing, and federation tests agree with that decision.
Keep the homeserver’s public base URL separate from unrelated sensitive web applications where practical. Synapse’s security guidance notes that content APIs can serve raw data supplied by users and recommends using a separate registered domain if possible; a separate subdomain may provide some protection in some situations. This is a browser-origin risk reduction, not a substitute for patching, access controls, or safe configuration. In particular, avoid sharing the same public origin with sensitive applications such as webmail or an unrelated web client.
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Clients and federating servers need to reach the endpoints you intend to publish; they do not need access to every service in the deployment. A common arrangement puts a reverse proxy in front of Synapse, terminates HTTPS there, and gives clients access on TCP 443 without requiring Synapse itself to bind a privileged port. The database should remain on a private internal network rather than being exposed as a public endpoint.
Federation commonly uses TCP 8448 by default. It can use 443 when the required delegation and reverse-proxy arrangement is configured. Synapse’s security guidance also identifies outbound access on 443 and 8448 for federation. Which inbound ports are necessary depends on the design: do not open 8448 just because it is a familiar default if your server is correctly reachable through 443 delegation, and do not assume that opening 443 alone makes federation work.
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- Publish only the client and federation routes your chosen design requires.
- Keep the database and other internal services off the public internet.
- Configure the reverse proxy using the current Synapse proxy guidance, including forwarding the client IP and original request scheme correctly.
- Confirm that client traffic and federation traffic reach the intended Synapse listener and that proxy routing does not send them to an unrelated application.
- Check DNS records, TLS, any
.well-knowndelegation, and federation reachability after deployment.
A proxy that hides the actual client address or reports the wrong scheme can make logs and request handling misleading. Proxy configuration errors or redirects can also prevent other servers from reaching Synapse. After setup, use the Synapse federation tester and investigate failures rather than treating a successful local login as proof that federation works.
Deploy Synapse with a supported database and minimal optional features
For practical installations, the current Synapse installation page says almost all installations should use PostgreSQL; SQLite is suitable for testing, not a normal production deployment. Choose the database as part of the initial deployment plan and keep it on the private service network.
Be deliberate about enabling optional features. URL previews are an important example: if enabled, Synapse may fetch URLs on behalf of users. The installation guidance warns that this creates a server-side request forgery (SSRF) risk because arbitrary Matrix users could try to make the server contact internal services. Keep previews disabled unless you need them and can configure explicit blocks for internal address ranges. At minimum, the guidance calls out loopback and RFC1918 private ranges. Do not assume that a firewall alone makes an unsafe preview configuration harmless.
For every optional network-facing feature, ask what new destinations or data flows it introduces, who can trigger it, and whether the current Synapse documentation provides a supported control for limiting it. Enable only features you have a reason to operate.
Put HTTPS and federation delegation in place
Serve Synapse APIs over HTTPS for practical use. TLS protects data in transit between a client and the public endpoint, and between federating servers and the endpoint they contact. It does not encrypt room history against the homeserver, protect a compromised endpoint, or make a public room private.
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- Choose the public endpoint design. Decide whether federation will be reached on the default 8448 endpoint or through 443 with delegation and proxy routing. Document which hostnames and ports are intended for client and federation traffic.
- Configure DNS and TLS for those names. Ensure the public names resolve to the intended service and that HTTPS is valid for the hostname clients use. If the technical endpoint differs from the Matrix server name, configure federation delegation as described by the current Synapse documentation.
- Route requests through the proxy correctly. Follow the current Synapse reverse-proxy guide. Forward client IP and scheme information, and route the client and federation paths to the appropriate listener. Avoid redirects or catch-all rules that break federation discovery or send requests to another site.
- Restrict firewall rules to the design. Allow required client and federation access, including the selected inbound federation path. Permit the outbound federation access the server needs. Do not expose internal database ports or unrelated container services.
- Test from outside the server. Check client access, TLS, DNS,
.well-knowndelegation where used, and federation with the Synapse federation tester. A test from the same host may not reveal public DNS, firewall, or routing failures.
Federation is a choice, not a prerequisite for every private deployment. If you do not intend to federate, decide that explicitly and configure the server accordingly. Turning federation off, however, is not equivalent to making individual rooms private: room visibility and access still need their own controls.
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Do not leave unverified registration open by default. For a private server, disable public registration and use an intentional account-creation process. For a server that accepts public sign-ups, decide what abuse controls and administrative response capacity are appropriate before enabling them.
Synapse’s current installation guide explains that registration_shared_secret is used by the command-line registration tool. It must remain secret: someone who obtains it can register accounts, including administrator accounts, even when ordinary public registration is disabled. Store it as a secret, restrict access to the configuration and deployment environment that contains it, and do not put it in public repositories, logs, or support messages.
Do not confuse a hidden registration page or obscure URL with a registration policy. The relevant question is whether an unauthorised person can create an account through any enabled path, including administrative tooling whose secret has leaked. Review the current Synapse configuration manual for the option names and defaults for your installed version before changing registration behavior.
Keep private rooms private with room-level controls
Server registration policy does not set the privacy of every room. For a private deployment, Matrix Foundation guidance recommends hiding public room directories, making sensitive rooms invite-only, avoiding world-visible room history, and turning off public registration when it is not needed. Apply these controls to the rooms that carry sensitive information, and verify the room’s actual visibility and history settings rather than relying on its name or an assumption about the server.
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- Room discovery: If a room should not be discoverable, do not list it in a public room directory. A hard-to-guess room name is not an access control.
- Joining: Use invite-only access for sensitive rooms, and manage invitations as deliberate grants of access.
- History: Set history visibility so that people who join later do not automatically gain access to past content unless that is intended.
- Federation: Decide whether a room should be available to participants from other homeservers. A server-level federation choice and the room’s membership and visibility settings are distinct decisions.
The Matrix Foundation’s private-server article dates to 2019 and includes historical configuration examples. Its privacy goals remain useful, but do not copy its old snippets as current configuration. Confirm present option names and defaults in the configuration manual for your installed Synapse release. Nor should you assume that disabling federation alone makes a room private; control discovery, membership, and history explicitly.
Understand what end-to-end encryption does—and does not do
The Matrix specification supports messages in rooms with optional end-to-end encryption. In an encrypted room, the intent is for message contents to be protected from the homeserver, unlike transport encryption, which protects a connection while data is moving between endpoints. Encryption is a room-level choice and is not automatically applied to all rooms by self-hosting.
Do not describe E2EE as a guarantee that every aspect of a conversation is hidden or that server administration no longer matters. Clients and devices participate in encryption, and key management remains relevant. The cited specification establishes that encryption is optional; it does not provide a complete user key-recovery procedure. Explain to users how your chosen clients handle encrypted rooms and device/key management rather than promising recovery behavior that you have not verified.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Back up data, configuration, and secrets
Synapse’s installation documentation says: “You should remember to take backups of your new server!” Treat that as an operational requirement, not a one-time setup reminder. A useful recovery plan must account for the database, media, and configuration and secrets needed to restore service. Keep backup copies isolated from the live service so that a failure or compromise of the running host does not automatically destroy every copy.
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The official guidance calls for backups but does not prescribe a device, schedule, retention period, or recovery-time target. Set those according to how much data your users can afford to lose and how long the service can be unavailable. A separate external drive can be one possible backup medium, but a drive by itself is not a full disaster-recovery plan: consider whether it is disconnected or otherwise protected, whether the copies include all required data, and whether you can restore them.
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- Include the database and media, not only the configuration directory.
- Protect configuration files and registration or other secrets as sensitive data.
- Keep copies separate from the live server and limit who can access them.
- Test restoration, because a backup that has never been restored is not a demonstrated recovery path.
- Choose and document a schedule, retention policy, and recovery target that fit the service.
Maintain and monitor the deployment
Running Synapse securely is ongoing work. Track releases of the components you operate, apply updates through a controlled process, and monitor service health and relevant logs so you can identify outages and suspicious behavior. The older Matrix hosting tutorial explicitly says it is not a production deployment guide; its value here is as a reminder that monitoring, backups, and release tracking matter. Its historical Docker image and package examples should not be treated as current installation instructions.
Keep an operational record of your public endpoints, federation choice, proxy and firewall design, backup location, and update process. This makes troubleshooting less dependent on memory and helps an administrator distinguish a broken proxy route from an account or room policy issue. Revisit the current Synapse documentation when upgrading because configuration names and defaults can evolve.
In 2025, the Matrix Foundation’s “Introducing Policy Servers” post, dated April 17, identified Jim Mackenzie as VP Trust & Safety and described an experimental Synapse module that was expected to be discontinued around May 21, 2025. That is historical context, not a current recommendation to install the module. Do not base an abuse-prevention plan on an experimental component whose continued availability is not established.
Choose self-hosting or managed operation deliberately
Self-hosting offers direct control over the deployment and data location, but it also makes the operator responsible for the infrastructure work: updates, backups, monitoring, and incident response. Paid hosting can be simpler for someone who wants a homeserver without managing all of that infrastructure. An on-premises deployment with a support plan is another option when an organization wants local operation but needs outside operational help.
| Approach | Control and data location | Operational responsibility | What to confirm |
|---|---|---|---|
| Self-hosted Synapse | You operate the server and determine where its data is stored. | Your team handles updates, backups, monitoring, and service recovery. | Federation needs, capacity for ongoing administration, backup and recovery arrangements, and total operating cost. |
| Paid Matrix hosting | Depends on the provider’s service and hosting arrangement. | The provider may take on infrastructure work; the exact division varies. | Data location, update and backup responsibilities, monitoring, support availability, federation, capacity, and service terms. |
| On-premises with support | Can retain local operation, depending on the arrangement. | Responsibilities are shared according to the support plan. | Which party handles updates, backups, monitoring, incidents, and support coverage. |
The Matrix Foundation describes paid hosting as the simplest route for people who want a homeserver without managing all the infrastructure themselves and points readers to provider listings. No current prices or service-level agreements are established here, so compare specific terms directly rather than assuming a provider includes particular backup, uptime, or support guarantees.
Quick Recap
Pre-launch security checklist
- Choose a durable
server_namebefore installation; treat it as permanent. - Decide whether federation uses 8448 directly or 443 with delegation, and validate discovery and reachability.
- Keep the public homeserver base URL separate from unrelated sensitive applications where practical.
- Serve APIs over HTTPS, configure proxy headers and routes using current Synapse guidance, and expose only necessary endpoints.
- Keep PostgreSQL and other internal services off the public network; use PostgreSQL for a practical deployment rather than SQLite, which the installation guide limits to testing.
- Disable public registration unless it is intentionally required, and protect the registration shared secret.
- Set room discovery, membership, and history visibility to match the room’s sensitivity.
- Leave URL previews disabled unless internal IP blocks are correctly configured.
- Create isolated, restorable backups of the database, media, configuration, and secrets.
- Plan updates, monitoring, and recovery before users depend on the service.
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