Mattermost is an open core, self-hosted platform designed for secure collaboration across the software development lifecycle. Built with Go and React, it provides a scalable alternative to proprietary messaging tools like Slack or Microsoft Teams. With its single Linux binary deployment and PostgreSQL backend, Mattermost enables organizations to maintain full control over their data while offering enterprise-grade features including chat, voice calling, screen sharing, and AI-powered automation. It’s ideal for DevOps teams, security-conscious enterprises, and organizations requiring compliance with data residency or regulatory requirements.
The platform supports deployment via Docker, Kubernetes, tarball, and package managers like apt or yum, making it adaptable to infrastructure ranging from single-server setups to large-scale cloud environments. Mattermost also offers native mobile and desktop apps for Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, and Linux, ensuring consistent user experience across devices.
What You Get
- Secure self-hosted chat - Deploy Mattermost on your own infrastructure using Docker, Kubernetes, or tarball installations to maintain full data control and compliance.
- Multi-platform clients - Access Mattermost via web, native desktop apps (Windows, macOS, Linux), and mobile apps (iOS, Android) with synchronized message history.
- Workflow automation - Use slash commands, webhooks, and bots to integrate with CI/CD pipelines, monitoring tools, and ticketing systems like Jira or GitHub.
- AI integration - Leverage built-in AI capabilities for summarizing messages, suggesting replies, and automating routine tasks within channels.
- Extensible plugin system - Extend functionality with over 700 community and official integrations via the Mattermost Marketplace, including LDAP/SSO, video conferencing, and analytics tools.
- Enterprise-grade security - Support for SAML, OAuth2, LDAP/AD, two-factor authentication, and end-to-end encryption options with regular security bulletins.
Common Use Cases
- Building a DevSecOps workflow - Integrating Mattermost with Jenkins, GitLab CI, and Prometheus to receive real-time build status alerts, deployment notifications, and security scan results directly in team channels.
- Incident resolution during outages - Creating dedicated incident channels with automated alerts from monitoring tools like Datadog or New Relic, enabling rapid response and post-mortem documentation within the same platform.
- Replacing Slack with full data sovereignty - Migrating from cloud-based chat tools to Mattermost on-premises to meet GDPR, HIPAA, or FedRAMP compliance requirements without compromising feature parity.
- DevOps teams managing microservices across multiple cloud providers - Using Mattermost’s centralized chat and webhook integrations to monitor and coordinate deployments across AWS, Azure, and GCP environments from a single interface.
Under The Hood
Mattermost is an open-source, enterprise-grade collaboration platform designed to facilitate real-time messaging and team communication with deep integration capabilities. It supports a wide range of use cases from chat and file sharing to extensive plugin ecosystems and developer tooling. The platform is built with a modular architecture that enables extensibility while maintaining a clear separation of concerns across its backend and frontend components.
Architecture
Mattermost follows a monolithic architecture with well-defined layers and modules that support scalable backend services and rich frontend experiences.
- The system is organized into distinct backend and frontend components with clear separation between API layers, business logic, and UI elements
- Modular design allows for independent development and deployment of core services and extensions
- Layered structure supports both server-side and client-side functionality with defined data flow patterns
Tech Stack
The platform is constructed using a combination of Go for backend services and TypeScript/JavaScript for frontend development, leveraging modern web technologies.
- Built predominantly in Go for server-side logic and TypeScript/JavaScript for client-side components, with React and Redux as core UI frameworks
- Integrates extensively with Mattermost-specific libraries and third-party tools such as React Router, styled-components, and utility libraries like lodash
- Employs modern build systems including tsup and webpack-style configurations, supported by Makefiles for automation and CI/CD pipelines
- Comprehensive testing infrastructure includes end-to-end tools like Cypress and Playwright, alongside Jest for unit and integration testing
Code Quality
The codebase reflects a balanced approach to quality with consistent use of linting, testing, and type safety practices.
- Strong emphasis on test coverage across multiple modules and components, with support for both frontend and backend testing
- Error handling is implemented with reasonable patterns, though some inconsistencies exist across the codebase
- Code linting and type safety are configured, contributing to improved maintainability and reduced runtime errors
- Moderate consistency in coding standards and patterns, with room for improvement in technical debt management
What Makes It Unique
Mattermost distinguishes itself through its enterprise-focused design and deep integration with developer workflows and extensibility.
- Offers a highly extensible plugin architecture that enables customization and integration with various third-party tools and services
- Combines real-time communication capabilities with robust developer tooling, making it a preferred choice for teams requiring seamless CI/CD integration
- Designed for enterprise-grade security and compliance, with features tailored for large-scale organizational use cases