We run a public Matrix homeserver at prometheus.systems, and we just finished rebuilding it from the ground up.
Matrix is the open protocol for real-time chat. It federates, so an account on one server can talk to anyone on any other server, and it is end-to-end encrypted by default. You own the account, and the server holds nothing it cannot show you. We host one because a chat network you can point to is worth more than a chat account a company can close on you.
The old deployment ran an aging Synapse on a single virtual machine. The new one runs the Element Server Suite on our Kubernetes cluster: Synapse 1.147 and Element Web 1.12, plus the pieces the old box never had.
Here is what changed for the people using it.
Modern login. Authentication moved to a dedicated OpenID Connect provider, the Matrix Authentication Service, at account.chat.prometheus.systems. Sessions and devices are managed in one place, and the same login works across every client.
Element X works now. The previous server could not run Element's next-generation mobile app. This one can. Element X starts fast, syncs incrementally, and handles encryption natively. Install it, enter prometheus.systems as your server, and sign in.
Calls in the room. Voice and video now run on MatrixRTC, the technology behind Element Call, so a call happens inside the room instead of through a bolted-on widget.
Link previews. Paste a URL and the server fetches a preview for it, in encrypted and unencrypted rooms alike.
Nothing to redo. Same server name, same signing key, same room and user IDs. Every room, every message, and every federated connection came across the move. No one had to rejoin a room or accept a new identity.
None of this locks you to us. That is the reason we run Matrix instead of renting seats on someone else's platform. Your account is portable, your history stays yours, and if you ever decide to run your own homeserver, the same open software is there for you.
Already have an account on prometheus.systems? Open chat.prometheus.systems in a browser, or point any Matrix client at the server, and carry on. Want to see what a room here looks like? Find us in #support:prometheus.systems.