FAQ

Do I need Redis?#

No. Plainwire can run without it. Redis is recommended once you want distributed rate gates, shared presence, and hot recent-message caching.

Do I need Scylla?#

No. PostgreSQL-only message storage is fully supported. Scylla is for larger history/event workloads and adds operational complexity.

Does enabling Scylla move messages automatically?#

No. Connectivity and message authority are separate. Migrate through postgres, dual, verification, then scylla.

Can Redis lose its data?#

Plainwire is designed so Redis can be treated as ephemeral. A Redis reset should cause cold caches and rebuilt realtime state, not loss of durable messages or accounts.

Can I run everything on one PC?#

Yes for small installations and testing. A growing public service benefits from separating TURN and eventually databases so one workload cannot starve another.

Can Cloudflare Tunnel replace TURN?#

No. It can help publish HTTP/WebSocket traffic, but TURN is a media relay protocol and uses separate credentials and network behavior.

Why does the 2.0 Docker build need CMake if Scylla is off?#

The Erlang release includes the erlcass driver, and that driver builds native C/C++ dependencies at image build time.

Should I expose Redis or Scylla ports?#

No. Keep them on private networks.

Should I enable relay-only WebRTC permanently?#

Usually no. iceTransportPolicy=all allows direct paths and TURN fallback. Relay-only is useful for diagnostics or specific privacy/network policy requirements, but increases relay bandwidth.