What is Sockethub?

Sockethub is a protocol gateway for the web. It lets browser apps talk to IRC, XMPP, feeds, and other services using one message format: ActivityStreams.

ActivityStreams In/Out

Sockethub uses the same JSON envelope for every platform. Your app sends one shape, Sockethub translates it, and you receive the same shape back.

What You Can Do

• Send and receive chat messages (IRC, XMPP)
• Fetch and parse feeds (RSS, Atom)
• Generate link previews and metadata
• Add new protocols as custom platforms

Architecture

Sockethub runs each protocol in its own process and moves messages through Redis so browsers can talk to long-lived connections safely.

• Main server handles Socket.IO, validation, routing
• Platform processes run per protocol
• Redis job queue handles delivery
• Encrypted, per-session credential storage

Supported Protocols

Currently implemented platforms include:

• XMPP – Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol
• IRC – Internet Relay Chat
• RSS/Atom – Feed processing and aggregation
• Metadata – Link preview generation and metadata extraction

Origins

Originally conceived as a sister project to RemoteStorage, Sockethub supported the development of Unhosted and noBackend. It also fits cleanly into traditional stacks by removing protocol-specific code at the application layer.