Hosting guide

Your own server, in a few clicks

An Iskra server is a folder on a computer you choose: messages, members, files and keys, all in one place you own. Pick the way that fits your group. You can move it later, and everyone follows.

Your server, your choice. Iskra charges nothing; it's just a guide. (One exception, said plainly below: the DigitalOcean link is our referral link.)

Pick your way

Easiest

Host on your computer

Click Create a server in the desktop app. It runs on your Windows, Mac or Linux computer, voice included, and you're the owner.

zero setup2 minutesfree Show me how →

Rent a small server

Always on, even when your computer is off, and it works on any home connection. The app sets it up for you: no terminal.

always onabout 15 minutesa few euros a month Show me how →

Standalone server

For tinkerers: one program for Windows, Linux, macOS or a Raspberry Pi. Great for an always-on box at home or your own VPS.

terminalRaspberry PiVPS Show me how →
1 · On your computer

Create a server in the app

The server runs on your computer while Iskra is open. Friends on your home network can join right away.

  1. Get the appDownload Iskra for Windows, macOS or Linux and install it. Phones can join servers, but a server needs a computer.
  2. Click Create a serverGive it a name and pick a starting point: Gaming group, Friends hangout, Board games and tabletop or Empty. Channels, voice channels, roles and rules are ready; change anything later.
  3. Tick Keep my server runningIskra then starts with your computer, quietly in the tray, and starts your server, so friends can join when you're not around.
  4. Invite friendsClick Invite friends and send them the link. They pick a name and they're in: no email, no password.
The Create a server dialog: four starting points, Gaming group, Friends hangout, Board games and tabletop, and Empty, each listing its channels.
Pick a starting point. Each one lists the channels you get.
Game Night is ready: your server is running on this computer, with voice. A ticked box says Keep my server running.
Running, with voice. You're the owner.
Server settings, Internet access: the Let friends anywhere join switch is on, with a checklist below: find your router, open the ports, public address, HTTPS certificate.
One switch, and a checklist that says how each step went.
Ask an AI assistant: a ready-made prompt with the router's address, this computer's address and every port to forward, with a Copy button.
Stuck on your router? Copy a ready-made prompt for an AI assistant.
Friends elsewhere

Let friends anywhere join

For friends outside your home, open Server settings → Internet access and turn on Let friends anywhere join. It works the same for the desktop app and the standalone server.

  1. Opens the portsIskra asks your router to open them (UPnP or NAT-PMP) while the server runs, and closes them when it stops.
  2. Gives your server an addressA free name that points at your home connection, like 203-0-113-7.sslip.io.
  3. Gets an HTTPS certificateFrom Let's Encrypt, so friends can join from any browser, phones included.

New invite links use the public address, and Iskra checks again every few minutes, so a router restart or a new address is picked up by itself. No outside service is asked: everything comes from your router's own answers.

Tip: copy a prompt for an AI assistant

If your router won't open the ports by itself, Forward the ports yourself lists every step. Copy a prompt for an AI assistant fills in a question for ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude or any other assistant with your router's model, this computer's address and the ports. You can edit it before copying; it never includes your public address, keys or invite links.

Plain words

What's CGNAT, and what can I do?

Some internet providers share one internet address between many homes. It's called carrier-grade NAT, or CGNAT, and it's common on fiber, cable and mobile broadband. It's normal, but it means nobody outside can reach a server in your home, and opening ports on your own router can't fix it: the provider's equipment sits in front of it.

Iskra tells you when it finds this. Friends behind CGNAT can always join a server that's reachable; only the person who hosts needs an open connection. Your options, quickest first:

  1. Connect without port forwardingAn experimental switch in Internet access: friends with the desktop app connect straight to you, encrypted end to end. Nothing to open, nothing to install.
  2. Rent a small serverReady in about 15 minutes, a few euros a month, paid and owned by your group. How it works
  3. Check for a public addressMany fiber connections already have one. The check in the app shows what your router says.
  4. Ask your providerFor a public IPv4 address. Often free and done once; mobile broadband (4G/5G) almost never gets one.
  5. Use Tailscale (free)A free app that links your group's devices as if they were on one network. Everyone installs it once. Step by step
  6. Let a friend hostSomeone in your group with an open connection runs it. The server is one folder, so you can move it any time.
You're behind CGNAT: the app explains it in plain words and lists the options, quickest first, with a Rent a small server button.
The app explains it, and lists your options.
2 · Rent a small server

Always on, set up by the app

A small virtual server at a hosting company runs Iskra for your group all the time, even when every computer at home is off. Your group picks the provider, pays it and owns the server.

  1. Start in the desktop appCreate a server → Rent one on DigitalOcean, or Server settings → Internet access → Rent a small server.
  2. Connect your accountSign in to DigitalOcean in your browser and allow Iskra. The key stays in the app on your computer and is forgotten when setup is done.
  3. Pick a place and a nameThe app suggests the nearest location and shows DigitalOcean's own price first: about $6 a month. Nothing is created before you press the button.
  4. Wait a few minutesThe app sets up the server, its firewall and HTTPS, checks it really is your server, and makes you the owner. Daily backups and automatic updates are on.
  5. Save your server documentOne file with the address, costs and how to cancel, backups, moving, and a prompt for an AI assistant. No passwords or keys in it.

Another provider? Rent a small server works anywhere you can make an Ubuntu or Debian server (Hetzner, for example, at about €4 a month): the app gives you a setup text to paste when you create it, then connects and makes you the owner.

Plain about money: Iskra charges nothing. The DigitalOcean sign-up link in the app is Iskra's referral link, and the app says so: Iskra gets a little DigitalOcean credit that helps pay for our own server. You pay DigitalOcean directly; we never see your server or your card.

Rent a server on DigitalOcean, step 3, Your server: a name, a starting point, the location Frankfurt for $6 a month, and Create server for $6 a month.
The exact price, before anything is created.
Two friends, Ada and Grace, together in the Lobby voice channel.
Then: friends in, voice on.
3 · Standalone server

For tinkerers: the server on its own

One program, voice included, for Windows, Linux (x64 and ARM, Raspberry Pi 4 and 5), and macOS. Ideal for an old PC, a mini PC or a Raspberry Pi that's always on.

  1. Download and unpackGet the server for your system from the download section.
  2. Start itRun iskra-server my-server. It creates the folder my-server that holds everything.
  3. Become the ownerOpen the one-time owner link it prints, in the Iskra app or at app.iskra.foo, then invite your friends.
  4. Start it with the computeriskra-server install-autostart my-server sets it up for Windows, Linux or macOS.
Guides for the details
Questions

Good to know

The short answers. Each one links to the full details.

Which ports does a server use?
  • 47070/tcp: the server itself (app, invites, uploads). Always.
  • 80/tcp and 443/tcp to the server's port: HTTPS for friends, with Let friends anywhere join.
  • 7881/tcp and 7882/udp: voice and video from outside your network.

Let friends anywhere join opens them for you when your router allows it. Ports at a glance

Windows or macOS asked about the firewall. What do I pick?

The first time a server starts, Windows may ask once to allow Iskra and its voice service on your network, and macOS may ask to let Iskra accept incoming connections. Click Allow so friends can join. If you clicked the other button, friends on your network can't reach the server: allow Iskra in your system's firewall settings.

Can I host a server on my phone?

No. A server runs on a computer that stays on: your own Windows, Mac or Linux computer with the Iskra app, or a small rented server. Once it's running, you can chat and talk from your phone, in the browser or the app.

What happens when my computer is off?

Your server is offline until it starts again; nothing is lost. With Keep my server running, it starts by itself with your computer. For a server that's always there, rent a small one or use an always-on box at home.

How do backups work? What are backup buddies?

Every server keeps a backup of itself every day (the last 7). As the owner you can also download a full, encrypted backup any time in Server settings → Backup & move, or copy the daily ones to another disk.

Backup buddies send each daily backup to a friend's Iskra server, encrypted so they can't read it, and you can keep theirs. If your computer is lost, you restore from theirs with your recovery code. Backups in detail

Can I move my server to another computer later?

Yes. The whole server is one folder. Use Server settings → Backup & move → Move this server: make a backup, restore it on the new computer (in the app: Create a server → Restore from a backup), and enter the new address. Everyone's app checks the server's signed notice and follows by itself, with members, roles, channels and history. Moving in detail

Can I bring my Discord history over?

Yes. Export your Discord channels with DiscordChatExporter, then upload the export in Server settings → Import from Discord. Each channel comes along with its messages, replies, pins and files, labelled as imported. Importing from Discord

Want every detail? The hosting reference covers each way to run a server, the internet settings, Tailscale, backups, moving and every setting in server.json.

Full technical reference →