## Tightened security around room directory publishing
As per this [advisory blog post](https://matrix.org/blog/2019/11/09/avoiding-unwelcome-visitors-on-private-matrix-servers), we've decided to change the default publishing rules for the Matrix room directory.
Our general goal is to favor privacy and security when running personal (family & friends) and corporate homeservers.
Both of these likely benefit from having a more secure default of **not showing the room directory without authentication** and **not publishing the room directory over federation**.
As with anything else, these new defaults can be overriden by changing the `matrix_synapse_allow_public_rooms_without_auth` and `matrix_synapse_allow_public_rooms_over_federation` variables, respectively.
Postgres [upgrading](docs/maintenance-postgres.md#upgrading-postgresql) and [importing](docs/importing-postgres.md) have been improved to add support for multiple databases and roles.
Previously, the playbook would only take care of the `homeserver` database and `synapse` user.
We now back up and restore all databases and users on the Postgres server.
For now, the playbook only uses that one database (`homeserver`) and that one single user (`synapse`), so it's all the same.
However, in the future, additional components besides Synapse may also make use the Postgres database server.
One such example is the [matrix-appservice-slack](https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-appservice-slack) bridge, which strongly encourages use of Postgres in its v1.0 release. We are yet to upgrade to it.
Additionally, Postgres [upgrading](docs/maintenance-postgres.md#upgrading-postgresql) now uses gzipped dump files by default, to minimize disk space usage.
The playbook now installs [Postgres 12](https://www.postgresql.org/about/news/1976/) by default.
If you have have an existing setup, it's likely running on an older Postgres version (9.x, 10.x or 11.x). You can easily upgrade by following the [upgrading PostgreSQL guide](docs/maintenance-postgres.md#upgrading-postgresql).
Synapse 1.4.0 [is out](https://matrix.org/blog/2019/10/03/synapse-1-4-0-released) with lots of changes related to privacy.
Its new defaults (which we adopt as well) mean that certain old data will automatically get purged after a certain number of days. 1.4.0 automatically garbage collects redacted messages (defaults to 7 days) and removes unused IP and user agent information stored in the user_ips table (defaults to 30 days). If you'd like to preserve this data, we encourage you to look at the `redaction_retention_period` and `user_ips_max_age` options (controllable by the `matrix_synapse_redaction_retention_period` and `matrix_synapse_user_ips_max_age` playbook variables, respectively) before doing the upgrade. If you'd like to keep data indefinitely, set these variables to `null` (e.g. `matrix_synapse_redaction_retention_period: ~`).
From now on the `trusted_key_servers` setting for Synapse is configurable. It still defaults to `matrix.org` just like it always has, but in a more explicit way now. If you'd like to use another trusted key server, adjust the `matrix_synapse_trusted_key_servers` playbook variable.
Synapse 1.4.0 also changes lots of things related to identity server integration.
Because Synapse will now by default be responsible for validating email addresses for user accounts, running without an identity server looks more feasible.
We still [have concerns](https://github.com/spantaleev/matrix-docker-ansible-deploy/pull/275/files#r331104117) over disabling the identity server by default, so for now it remains enabled.
There have been lots of invite-spam attacks lately and [Travis](https://github.com/t2bot) has created a Synapse module ([synapse-simple-antispam](https://github.com/t2bot/synapse-simple-antispam)) to let people protect themselves.
From now on, you can easily install and configure this spam checker module through the playbook.
Learn more in [Setting up Synapse Simple Antispam](docs/configuring-playbook-synapse-simple-antispam.md).
Similarly to [Extensible Synapse configuration](#extensible-synapse-configuration) (below), Riot-web configuration is also extensible now.
From now on, you can extend/override Riot-web's configuration by making use of the `matrix_riot_web_configuration_extension_json` variable.
This should be enough for most customization needs.
If you need even more power, you can now also take full control and override `matrix_riot_web_configuration_default` (or `matrix_riot_web_configuration`) directly.
Previously, we had to create custom Ansible variables for each and every Synapse setting.
This lead to too much effort (and configuration ugliness) to all of Synapse's settings, so naturally, not all features of Synapse could be controlled through the playbook.
From now on, you can extend/override the Synapse server's configuration by making use of the `matrix_synapse_configuration_extension_yaml` variable.
This should be enough for most customization needs.
If you need even more power, you can now also take full control and override `matrix_synapse_configuration` (or `matrix_synapse_configuration_yaml`) directly.
Learn more here in [Configuring Synapse](docs/configuring-playbook-synapse.md).
Thanks to the [great work](https://github.com/spantaleev/matrix-docker-ansible-deploy/pull/205) of [kingoftheconnors](https://github.com/kingoftheconnors) and [Stuart Mumford (Cadair)](https://github.com/Cadair), the playbook now supports bridging to [Slack](https://slack.com) via the [appservice-slack](https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-appservice-slack) bridge.
Additional details are available in [Setting up Appservice Slack bridging](docs/configuring-playbook-bridge-appservice-slack.md).
Thanks to the [great work](https://github.com/spantaleev/matrix-docker-ansible-deploy/pull/251) of [Eduardo Beltrame (Munfred)](https://github.com/Munfred) and [Robbie D (microchipster)](https://github.com/microchipster), the playbook now supports bridging to [Google Hangouts](https://hangouts.google.com/) via the [mautrix-hangouts](https://mau.dev/tulir/mautrix-hangouts) bridge.
Additional details are available in [Setting up Mautrix Hangouts bridging](docs/configuring-playbook-bridge-mautrix-hangouts.md).
## Synapse logging level has been reduced to WARNING
After [some discussion in our support room](https://matrix.to/#/!PukFFdIcHgtaaHZflT:devture.com/$156476852524179TBeKy:matrix.org?via=devture.com&via=matrix.org&via=librem.one), we've decided to change the default logging level for Synapse from `INFO` to `WARNING`.
This greatly reduces the number of log messages that are being logged, leading to:
- much less disk space dedicated to Synapse and thus, logs kept for longer
- easier to find some important `WARNING`, `ERROR` and `CRITICAL` messages, as they're not longer buried in thousands of non-important `INFO` messages
If you'd like to track down an issue, you [can always increase the logging level as described here](./docs/maintenance-and-troubleshooting.md#increasing-synapse-logging).
## Synapse Maintenance docs and synapse-janitor support are available
The playbook can now help you with Synapse's maintenance.
There's a new documentation page about [Synapse maintenance](./docs/maintenance-synapse.md) and another section on [Postgres vacuuming](./docs/maintenance-postgres.md#vacuuming-postgresql).
Among other things, if your Postgres database has grown significantly over time, you may wish to [ask the playbook to purge unused data with synapse-janitor](./docs/maintenance-synapse.md#purging-unused-data-with-synapse-janitor) for you.
Following what the official Synapse Docker image is doing ([#5565](https://github.com/matrix-org/synapse/pull/5565)) and what we've been doing for mostly everything installed by this playbook, **Synapse no longer logs to text files** (`/matrix/synapse/run/homeserver.log*`).
From now on, Synapse would only log to console, which goes to systemd's journald.
To see Synapse's logs, execute: `journalctl -fu matrix-synapse`
Because of this, the following variables have become obsolete and were removed:
-`matrix_synapse_max_log_file_size_mb`
-`matrix_synapse_max_log_files_count`
To prevent confusion, it'd be better if you delete all old files manually after you've upgraded (`rm -f /matrix/synapse/run/homeserver.log*`).
Because Synapse is incredibly chatty when it comes to logging (here's [one such issue](https://github.com/matrix-org/synapse/issues/4751) describing the problem), if you're running an ancient distribution (like CentOS 7.0), be advised that systemd's journald default logging restrictions may not be high enough to capture all log messages generated by Synapse. This is especially true if you've got a busy (Synapse) server. We advise that you manually add `RateLimitInterval=0` and `RateLimitBurst=0` under `[Storage]` in the `/etc/systemd/journald.conf` file, followed by restarting the logging service (`systemctl restart systemd-journald`).
## (BC Break) Discord bridge configuration is now entirely managed by the playbook
Until now, the `config.yaml` file for the [Discord bridge](docs/configuring-playbook-bridge-appservice-discord.md) was managed by the playbook, but the `registration.yaml` file was not.
From now on, the playbook will keep both configuration files sync for you.
This means that if you were making manual changes to the `/matrix/appservice-discord/discord-registration.yaml` configuration file, those would be lost the next time you run the playbook.
The bridge now stores configuration in a subdirectory (`/matrix/appservice-discord/config`).
Likewise, data is now also stored in a subdirectory (`/matrix/appservice-discord/data`). When you run the playbook with an existing database file (`/matrix/appservice-discord/discord.db`), the playbook will stop the bridge and relocate the database file to the `./data` directory. There's no data-loss involved. You'll need to restart the bridge manually though (`--tags=start`).
The main directory (`/matrix/appservice-discord`) may contain some leftover files (`user-store.db`, `room-store.db`, `config.yaml`, `discord-registration.yaml`, `invite_link`). These are no longer necessary and can be deleted manually.
We're now following the default sample configuration for the Discord bridge.
If you need to override some values, define them in `matrix_appservice_discord_configuration_extension_yaml`.
## (BC Break) WhatsApp bridge configuration is now entirely managed by the playbook
Until now, configuration files for the [WhatsApp bridge](docs/configuring-playbook-bridge-mautrix-whatsapp.md) were created by the playbook initially, but never modified later on.
From now on, the playbook will keep the configuration in sync for you.
This means that if you were making manual changes to the `/matrix/mautrix-whatsapp/config.yaml` or `/matrix/mautrix-whatsapp/registration.yaml` configuration files, those would be lost the next time you run the playbook.
The bridge now stores configuration in a subdirectory (`/matrix/mautrix-whatsapp/config`), so your old configuration remains in the base directory (`/matrix/mautrix-whatsapp`).
You need to migrate any manual changes over to the new `matrix_mautrix_whatsapp_configuration_extension_yaml` variable, so that the playbook would apply them for you.
Likewise, data is now also stored in a subdirectory (`/matrix/mautrix-whatsapp/data`). When you run the playbook with an existing database file (`/matrix/mautrix-whatsapp/mautrix-whatsapp.db`), the playbook will stop the bridge and relocate the database file to the `./data` directory. There's no data-loss involved. You'll need to restart the bridge manually though (`--tags=start`).
We're now following the default configuration for the WhatsApp bridge.
## (BC Break) IRC bridge configuration is now entirely managed by the playbook
Until now, configuration files for the [IRC bridge](docs/configuring-playbook-bridge-appservice-irc.md) were created by the playbook initially, but never modified later on.
From now on, the playbook will keep the configuration in sync for you.
This means that if you were making manual changes to the `/matrix/appservice-irc/config.yaml` or `/matrix/appservice-irc/registration.yaml` configuration files, those would be lost the next time you run the playbook.
The bridge now stores configuration in a subdirectory (`/matrix/appservice-irc/config`), so your old configuration remains in the base directory (`/matrix/appservice-irc`).
Previously, we asked people to configure bridged IRC servers by extending the bridge configuration (`matrix_appservice_irc_configuration_extension_yaml`). While this is still possible and will continue working forever, **we now recommend defining IRC servers in the easier to use `matrix_appservice_irc_ircService_servers` variable**. See [our IRC bridge documentation page](docs/configuring-playbook-bridge-appservice-irc.md) for an example.
If you decide to continue using `matrix_appservice_irc_configuration_extension_yaml`, you might be interested to know that `ircService.databaseUri` and a few other keys now have default values in the base configuration (`matrix_appservice_irc_configuration_yaml`). You may wish to stop redefining those keys, unless you really intend to override them. You most likely only need to override `ircService.servers`.
Bridge data (`passkey.pem` and database files) is now also stored in a subdirectory (`/matrix/appservice-irc/data`).
When you run the playbook with an existing `/matrix/appservice-irc/passkey.pem` file, the playbook will stop the bridge and relocate the passkey and database files (`rooms.db` and `users.db`) to the `./data` directory. There's no data-loss involved. You'll need to restart the bridge manually though (`--tags=start`).
## (BC Break) Telegram bridge configuration is now entirely managed by the playbook
Until now, configuration files for the [Telegram bridge](docs/configuring-playbook-bridge-mautrix-telegram.md) were created by the playbook initially, but never modified later on.
This means that if you were making manual changes to the `/matrix/mautrix-telegram/config.yaml` or `/matrix/mautrix-telegram/registration.yaml` configuration files, those would be lost the next time you run the playbook.
The bridge now stores configuration in a subdirectory (`/matrix/mautrix-telegram/config`), so your old configuration remains in the base directory (`/matrix/mautrix-telegram`).
You need to migrate any manual changes over to the new `matrix_mautrix_telegram_configuration_extension_yaml` variable, so that the playbook would apply them for you.
Likewise, data is now also stored in a subdirectory (`/matrix/mautrix-telegram/data`). When you run the playbook with an existing database file (`/matrix/mautrix-telegram/mautrix-telegram.db`), the playbook will stop the bridge and relocate the database file to the `./data` directory. There's no data-loss involved. You'll need to restart the bridge manually though (`--tags=start`).
Also, we're now following the default configuration for the Telegram bridge, so some default configuration values are different:
-`edits_as_replies` (used to be `false`, now `true`) - previously replies were not sent over to Matrix at all; ow they are sent over as a reply to the original message
-`inline_images` (used to be `true`, now `false`) - this has to do with captioned images. Inline-image (included caption) are said to exhibit troubles on Riot iOS. When `false`, the caption arrives on the Matrix side as a separate message.
-`authless_portals` (used to be `false`, now `true`) - creating portals from the Telegram side is now possible
-`whitelist_group_admins` (used to be `false`, now `true`) - allows Telegram group admins to use the bot commands
If the new values are not to your liking, use `matrix_mautrix_telegram_configuration_extension_yaml` to specify an override (refer to `matrix_mautrix_telegram_configuration_yaml` to figure out which variable goes where).
With [Synapse v1.0 now available](https://matrix.org/blog/2019/06/11/introducing-matrix-1-0-and-the-matrix-org-foundation) and most people being on at least Synapse v0.99, it's time to remove the `_matrix._tcp` DNS SRV record that we've been keeping for compatibility with old Synapse versions (<= 0.34).
According to the [Server Discovery specification](https://matrix.org/docs/spec/server_server/r0.1.2.html#server-discovery), it's no harm to keep the DNS SRV record. But since it's not necessary for federating with the larger Matrix network anymore, you should be safe to get rid of it.
**Note**: don't confuse the `_matrix._tcp` and `_matrix-identity._tcp` DNS SRV records. The latter, **must not** be removed.
For completeness, we must say that using a `_matrix._tcp` [SRV record for Server Delegation](docs/howto-server-delegation.md#server-delegation-via-a-dns-srv-record-advanced) is still valid and useful for certain deployments. It's just that our guide recommends the [`/.well-known/matrix/server` Server Delegation method](docs/howto-server-delegation.md#server-delegation-via-a-well-known-file), due to its easier implementation when using this playbook.
Besides this optional/non-urgent DNS change, assuming you're already on Synapse v0.99, upgrading to Synapse v1.0 should be as simple as [re-running the playbook](docs/maintenance-upgrading-services.md).
## (BC Break) Facebook bridge configuration is now entirely managed by the playbook
Until now, configuration files for the [Facebook bridge](docs/configuring-playbook-bridge-mautrix-facebook.md) were created by the playbook initially, but never modified later on.
This means that if you were making manual changes to the `/matrix/mautrix-facebook/config.yaml` or `/matrix/mautrix-facebook/registration.yaml` configuration files, those would be lost the next time you run the playbook.
The bridge now stores configuration in a subdirectory (`/matrix/mautrix-facebook/config`), so your old configuration remains in the base directory (`/matrix/mautrix-facebook`).
You need to migrate any manual changes over to the new `matrix_mautrix_facebook_configuration_extension_yaml` variable, so that the playbook would apply them for you.
Likewise, data is now also stored in a subdirectory (`/matrix/mautrix-facebook/data`). When you run the playbook with an existing database file (`/matrix/mautrix-facebook/mautrix-facebook.db`), the playbook will stop the bridge and relocate the database file to the `./data` directory. There's no data-loss involved. You'll need to restart the bridge manually though (`--tags=start`).
## Support for exposing container ports publicly (not just to the host)
Until now, various roles supported a `matrix_*_expose_port` variable, which would expose their container's port to the host. This was mostly useful for reverse-proxying manually (in case `matrix-nginx-proxy` was disabled). It could also be used for installing some playbook services (e.g. bridges, etc.) and wiring them to a separate (manual) Matrix setup.
`matrix_*_expose_port` variables were not granular enough - sometimes they would expose one port, other times multiple. They also didn't provide control over **where** to expose (to which port number and to which network interface), because they would usually hardcode something like `127.0.0.1:8080`.
All such variables have been superseded by a better (more flexible) way to do it.
**Most** people (including those not using `matrix-nginx-proxy`), **don't need** to bother with this.
Porting examples follow for people having more customized setups:
Thanks to [@danbob](https://github.com/danbob), the playbook now [supports the new Ansible 2.8](https://github.com/spantaleev/matrix-docker-ansible-deploy/pull/187).
A manual change is required to the `inventory/hosts` file, changing the group name from `matrix-servers` to `matrix_servers` (dash to underscore).
The playbook no longer insists on installing [Synapse](https://github.com/matrix-org/synapse) via the `matrix-synapse` role.
If you would prefer to install Synapse another way and just use the playbook to install other services, it should be possible (`matrix_synapse_enabled: false`).
Note that it won't necessarily be the best experience, since the playbook wires things to Synapse by default.
If you're using your own Synapse instance (especially one not running in a container), you may have to override many variables to point them to the correct place.
Having Synapse not be a required component potentially opens the door for installing alternative Matrix homeservers.
## Bridges are now separate from the Synapse role
Bridges are no longer part of the `matrix-synapse` role.
Each bridge now lives in its own separate role (`roles/matrix-bridge-*`).
These bridge roles are independent of the `matrix-synapse` role, so it should be possible to use them with a Synapse instance installed another way (not through the playbook).
Besides a myriad of bug fixes and minor improvements, here are the more notable (bigger) features we can announce today.
## Mautrix Facebook/Messenger bridging support
The playbook now supports bridging with [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/) by installing the [mautrix-facebook](https://github.com/tulir/mautrix-facebook) bridge. This playbook functionality is available thanks to [@izissise](https://github.com/izissise).
The playbook can now help you integrate with mxisd's [Registration](https://github.com/kamax-matrix/mxisd/blob/master/docs/features/registration.md) feature.
Learn more in [mxisd-controlled Registration](docs/configuring-playbook-mxisd.md#mxisd-controlled-registration).
# 2019-04-16
## Caddy webserver examples
If you prefer using the [Caddy](https://caddyserver.com/) webserver instead of our own integrated nginx, we now have examples for it in the [`examples/caddy`](examples/caddy) directory
# 2019-04-10
## Goofys support for other S3-compatible object stores
Until now, you could optionally host Synapse's media repository on Amazon S3, but we now also support [using other S3-compatible object stores](docs/configuring-playbook-s3.md),
Due to recent playbook improvements and the fact that the world keeps turning, we're bumping the [version requirement for Ansible](docs/ansible.md#supported-ansible-versions) (2.4 -> 2.5).
We've also started building our own Docker image of Ansible ([devture/ansible](https://hub.docker.com/r/devture/ansible/)), which is useful for people who can't upgrade their local Ansible installation (see [Using Ansible via Docker](docs/ansible.md#using-ansible-via-docker)).
People who have an extra firewall (besides the iptables firewall, which Docker manages automatically), will need to open these additional firewall ports: `5349/tcp` (TURN over TCP) and `5349/udp` (TURN over UDP).
People who build their own custom playbook from our roles should be aware that:
- the `matrix-coturn` role and actually starting Coturn (e.g. `--tags=start`), requires that certificates are already put in place. For this reason, it's usually a good idea to have the `matrix-coturn` role execute after `matrix-nginx-proxy` (which retrieves the certificates).
- there are a few variables that can help you enable TLS support for Coturn. See the `matrix-coturn` section in [group_vars/matrix-servers](./group_vars/matrix-servers).
## matrix-nginx-proxy support for serving the base domain
If you don't have a dedicated server for your base domain and want to set up [Server Delegation via a well-known file](docs/howto-server-delegation.md#server-delegation-via-a-well-known-file), the playbook has got you covered now.
It's now possible for the playbook to obtain an SSL certificate and serve the necessary files for Matrix Server Delegation on your base domain.
Take a look at the new [Serving the base domain](docs/configuring-playbook-base-domain-serving.md) documentation page.
## (BC break) matrix-nginx-proxy data variable renamed
`matrix_nginx_proxy_data_path` was renamed to `matrix_nginx_proxy_base_path`.
There's a new `matrix_nginx_proxy_data_path` variable, which has a different use-purpose now (it's a subdirectory of `matrix_nginx_proxy_base_path` and is meant for storing various data files).
Thanks to [NullIsNot0](https://github.com/NullIsNot0), the playbook can now (optionally) install the [Dimension](https://dimension.t2bot.io/) Integration Manager.
To learn more, see the [Setting up Dimension](docs/configuring-playbook-dimension.md) documentation page.
[@Lionstiger](https://github.com/Lionstiger) has done some great work adding Discord bridging support via [matrix-appservice-discord](https://github.com/Half-Shot/matrix-appservice-discord).
To learn more, see the [Setting up Appservice Discord bridging](docs/configuring-playbook-bridge-appservice-discord.md) documentation page.
However, we still provide you with hooks to install your own `home.html` file by specifying the `matrix_riot_web_embedded_pages_home_path` variable (used to be called `matrix_riot_web_homepage_template` before).
As we're moving toward Synapse v1.0, things are beginning to stabilize.
Upgrading from v0.99.0 to v0.99.1 should be painless.
If you've been overriding the default configuration so that you can terminate TLS at the Synapse side (`matrix_synapse_no_tls: false`), you'll now have to replace this custom configuration with `matrix_synapse_tls_federation_listener_enabled: true`. The `matrix_synapse_no_tls` variable is no more.
## Synapse v0.99 support and preparation for Synapse v1.0
Matrix is undergoing a lot of changes as it matures towards Synapse v1.0.
The first step is the Synapse v0.99 transitional release, which this playbook now supports.
If you've been using this playbook successfully until now, you'd be aware that we've been doing [Server Delegation](docs/howto-server-delegation.md) using a `_matrix._tcp` DNS SRV record (as per [Configuring DNS](docs/configuring-dns.md)).
Due to changes related to certificate file requirements that will affect us at Synapse v1.0, we'll have to stop using a **`_matrix._tcp` DNS SRV record in the future** (when Synapse goes to v1.0 - around 5th of March 2019). We **still need to keep the SRV record for now**, for backward compatibility with older Synapse versions (lower than v0.99).
**What you need to do now** is make use of this transitional Synapse v0.99 release to **prepare your federation settings for the future**. You have 2 choices to prepare yourself for compatibility with the future Synapse v1.0:
- (recommended) set up [Server Delegation via a well-known file](docs/howto-server-delegation.md#server-delegation-via-a-well-known-file), unless you are affected by the [Downsides of well-known-based Server Delegation](docs/howto-server-delegation.md#downsides-of-well-known-based-server-delegation). If you had previously set up the well-known `client` file, depending on how you've done it, it may be that there is nothing new required of you (besides [upgrading](docs/maintenance-upgrading-services.md)). After upgrading, you can [run a self-check](docs/maintenance-checking-services.md), which will tell you if you need to do anything extra with regard to setting up [Server Delegation via a well-known file](docs/howto-server-delegation.md#server-delegation-via-a-well-known-file). After some time, when most people have upgraded to Synapse v0.99 and older releases have disappeared, be prepared to drop your `_matrix._tcp` SRV record.
- (more advanced) if the [Downsides of well-known-based Server Delegation](docs/howto-server-delegation.md#downsides-of-well-known-based-server-delegation) are not to your liking, **as an alternative**, you can set up [Server Delegation via a DNS SRV record](docs/howto-server-delegation.md#server-delegation-via-a-dns-srv-record-advanced). In such a case, you get to keep using your existing `_matrix._tcp` DNS SRV record forever and need to NOT set up a `/.well-known/matrix/server` file. Don't forget that you need to do certificate changes though. Follow the guide at [Server Delegation via a DNS SRV record](docs/howto-server-delegation.md#server-delegation-via-a-dns-srv-record-advanced).
Now that the [nginx Docker image](https://hub.docker.com/_/nginx) has [added support for TLS v1.3](https://github.com/nginxinc/docker-nginx/issues/190), we have enabled that protocol by default.
When using:
- the **integrated nginx server**: TLS v1.3 support might not kick in immediately, because the nginx version hasn't been bumped and you may have an older build of the nginx Docker image (currently `nginx:1.15.8-alpine`). Typically, we do not re-pull images that you already have. When the nginx version gets bumped in the future, everyone will get the update. Until then, you could manually force-pull the rebuilt Docker image by running this on the server: `docker pull nginx:1.15.8-alpine`.
- **your own external nginx server**: if your external nginx server is too old, the new configuration we generate for you in `/matrix/nginx-proxy/conf.d/` might not work anymore, because it mentions `TLSv1.3` and your nginx version might not support that. You can adjust the SSL protocol list by overriding the `matrix_nginx_proxy_ssl_protocols` variable. Learn more in the documentation page for [Using your own webserver, instead of this playbook's nginx proxy](docs/configuring-playbook-own-webserver.md)
- **another web server**: you don't need to do anything to accommodate this change
[Devon Maloney (@Plailect)](https://github.com/Plailect) has done some great work bringing IRC bridging support via [matrix-appservice-irc](https://github.com/TeDomum/matrix-appservice-irc).
To learn more, see the [Setting up Appservice IRC](docs/configuring-playbook-bridge-appservice-irc.md) documentation page.
For additional security, various capabilities are also dropped (see [why it's important](https://github.com/projectatomic/atomic-site/issues/203)) for all containers.
Additionally, most containers now use a read-only filesystem (see [why it's important](https://www.projectatomic.io/blog/2015/12/making-docker-images-write-only-in-production/)).
Containers are given write access only to the directories they need to write to.
A minor breaking change is the `matrix_nginx_proxy_proxy_matrix_client_api_client_max_body_size` variable having being renamed to `matrix_nginx_proxy_proxy_matrix_client_api_client_max_body_size_mb` (note the `_mb` suffix). The new variable expects a number value (e.g. `25M` -> `25`).
If you weren't customizing this variable, this wouldn't affect you.
## matrix-mailer is now based on Exim, not Postfix
While we would have preferred to stay with [Postfix](http://www.postfix.org/), we found out that it cannot run as a non-root user.
We've had to replace it with [Exim](https://www.exim.org/) (via the [devture/exim-relay](https://hub.docker.com/r/devture/exim-relay) container image).
The internal `matrix-mailer` service (running in a container) now listens on port `8025` (used to be `587` before).
The playbook will update your Synapse and mxisd email settings to match (`matrix-mailer:587` -> `matrix-mailer:8025`).
Using the [devture/exim-relay](https://hub.docker.com/r/devture/exim-relay) container image instead of [panubo/postfix](https://hub.docker.com/r/panubo/postfix/) also gives us a nice disk usage reduction (~200MB -> 8MB).
## (BC Break) Making the playbook's roles more independent of one another
The following change **affects people running a more non-standard setup** - external Postgres or using our roles in their own other playbook.
**Most users don't need to do anything**, besides becoming aware of the new glue variables file [`group_vars/matrix-servers`](group_vars/matrix-servers).
Because people like using the playbook's components independently (outside of this playbook) and because it's much better for maintainability, we've continued working on separating them.
Still, we'd like to offer a turnkey solution for running a fully-featured Matrix server, so this playbook remains important for wiring up the various components.
- glue variables had to be introduced to the playbook, so it can wire together the various components. Those glue vars are stored in the [`group_vars/matrix-servers`](group_vars/matrix-servers) file. When overriding variables for a given component (role), you need to be aware of both the role defaults (`role/ROLE/defaults/main.yml`) and the role's corresponding section in the [`group_vars/matrix-servers`](group_vars/matrix-servers) file.
-`matrix_postgres_use_external` has been superceeded by the more consistently named `matrix_postgres_enabled` variable and a few other `matrix_synapse_database_` variables. See the [Using an external PostgreSQL server (optional)](docs/configuring-playbook-external-postgres.md) documentation page for an up-to-date replacement.
- Postgres tools (`matrix-postgres-cli` and `matrix-make-user-admin`) are no longer installed if you're not enabling the `matrix-postgres` role (`matrix_postgres_enabled: false`)
- roles, being more independent now, are more minimal and do not do so much magic for you. People that are building their own playbook using our roles will definitely need to take a look at the [`group_vars/matrix-servers`](group_vars/matrix-servers) file and adapt their playbooks with the same (or similar) wiring logic.
For better maintainability, the playbook logic (which all used to reside in a single `matrix-server` role)
has been split out into a number of different roles: `matrix-synapse`, `matrix-postgres`, `matrix-riot-web`, `matrix-mxisd`, etc. (see the `roles/` directory).
To keep the filesystem more consistent with this separation, the **Postgres data had to be relocated**.
The default value of `matrix_postgres_data_path` was changed from `/matrix/postgres` to `/matrix/postgres/data`. The `/matrix/postgres` directory is what we consider a base path now (new variable `matrix_postgres_base_path`). **Your Postgres data files will automatically be relocated by the playbook** (`/matrix/postgres/*` -> `/matrix/postgres/data/`) when you run with `--tags=setup-all` (or `--tags=setup-postgres`). While this shouldn't cause data-loss, **it's better if you do a Postgres backup just in case**. You'd need to restart all services after this migration (`--tags=start`).
## (BC Break) Cronjob schedule no longer configurable
Due to the way we manage cronjobs now, you can no longer configure the schedule they're invoked at.
If you were previously using `matrix_ssl_lets_encrypt_renew_cron_time_definition` or `matrix_nginx_proxy_reload_cron_time_definition`
to set a custom schedule, you should note that these variables don't affect anything anymore.
If you miss this functionality, please [open an Issue](https://github.com/spantaleev/matrix-docker-ansible-deploy/issues/new) and let us know about your use case!
## (BC Break) mxisd upgrade with multiple base DN support
mxisd has bee upgraded to [version 1.2.2](https://github.com/kamax-matrix/mxisd/releases/tag/v1.2.2), which supports [multiple base DNs](https://github.com/kamax-matrix/mxisd/blob/v1.2.2/docs/stores/ldap.md#base).
If you were configuring this playbook's `matrix_mxisd_ldap_connection_baseDn` variable until now (a string containing a single base DN), you'll need to change to configuring the `matrix_mxisd_ldap_connection_baseDns` variable (an array containing multiple base DNs).
The [LDAP identity store for mxisd](https://github.com/kamax-matrix/mxisd/blob/master/docs/stores/ldap.md) can now be configured easily using playbook variables (see the `matrix_mxisd_ldap_` variables in `roles/matrix-server/defaults/main.yml`).
The playbook now allows you to set the log levels used by Synapse. The default logging levels remain the same.
You can now override following variables with any of the supported log levels listed here: https://docs.python.org/3/library/logging.html#logging-levels
This now allows you use a custom integrations manager like [Dimesion](https://dimension.t2bot.io). For example, if you wish to use the Dimension instance hosted at dimension.t2bot.io, you can set the following in your vars.yml file:
There's now a new `matrix_nginx_proxy_ssl_protocols` playbook variable, which controls the SSL protocols used to serve Riot and Synapse. Its default value is `TLSv1.1 TLSv1.2`. This playbook previously used `TLSv1 TLSv1.1 TLSv1.2` to serve Riot and Synapse.
If you have have an existing setup, it's likely running on an older Postgres version (9.x or 10.x). You can easily upgrade by following the [upgrading PostgreSQL guide](docs/maintenance-postgres.md#upgrading-postgresql).
Due to the large amount of features added to this playbook lately, to keep things manageable we've had to reorganize its configuration variables a bit.
The following playbook variables were renamed:
- from `matrix_docker_image_mxisd` to `matrix_mxisd_docker_image`
- from `matrix_docker_image_mautrix_telegram` to `matrix_mautrix_telegram_docker_image`
- from `matrix_docker_image_mautrix_whatsapp` to `matrix_mautrix_whatsapp_docker_image`
- from `matrix_docker_image_mailer` to `matrix_mailer_docker_image`
- from `matrix_docker_image_coturn` to `matrix_coturn_docker_image`
- from `matrix_docker_image_goofys` to `matrix_s3_goofys_docker_image`
- from `matrix_docker_image_riot` to `matrix_riot_web_docker_image`
- from `matrix_docker_image_nginx` to `matrix_nginx_proxy_docker_image`
- from `matrix_docker_image_synapse` to `matrix_synapse_docker_image`
- from `matrix_docker_image_postgres_v9` to `matrix_postgres_docker_image_v9`
- from `matrix_docker_image_postgres_v10` to `matrix_postgres_docker_image_v10`
- from `matrix_docker_image_postgres_latest` to `matrix_postgres_docker_image_latest`
The playbook now supports bridging with [Whatsapp](https://www.whatsapp.com/) by installing the [mautrix-whatsapp](https://github.com/tulir/mautrix-whatsapp) bridge. This playbook functionality is available thanks to [@izissise](https://github.com/izissise).
Additional details are available in [Setting up Mautrix Whatsapp bridging](docs/configuring-playbook-bridge-mautrix-whatsapp.md).
The playbook can now help you with [Controlling Matrix federation](docs/configuring-playbook-federation), should you wish to run a more private (isolated) server.
The playbook can now enable/disable user presence-status tracking in Synapse, through the playbook's `matrix_synapse_use_presence` variable (having a default value of `true` - enabled).
If users participate in large rooms with many other servers, disabling presence will decrease server load significantly.
The playbook now makes the Synapse cache factor configurable, through the playbook's `matrix_synapse_cache_factor` variable (having a default value of `0.5`).
Changing that value allows you to potentially decrease RAM usage or to increase performance by caching more stuff.
Some information on it is available here: https://github.com/matrix-org/synapse#help-synapse-eats-all-my-ram
`--log-driver=none` is used for all Docker containers now.
All these containers are started through systemd anyway and get logged in journald, so there's no need for Docker to be logging the same thing using the default `json-file` driver. Doing that was growing `/var/lib/docker/containers/..` infinitely until service/container restart.
As a result of this, things like `docker logs matrix-synapse` won't work anymore. `journalctl -u matrix-synapse` is how one can see the logs.
The playbook now helps you set up [service discovery](https://matrix.org/docs/spec/client_server/r0.4.0.html#server-discovery) using a `/.well-known/matrix/client` file.
Additional details are available in [Configuring service discovery via .well-known](docs/configuring-well-known.md).
The playbook now supports bridging with [Telegram](https://telegram.org/) by installing the [mautrix-telegram](https://github.com/tulir/mautrix-telegram) bridge. This playbook functionality is available thanks to [@izissise](https://github.com/izissise).
Additional details are available in [Setting up Mautrix Telegram bridging](docs/configuring-playbook-bridge-mautrix-telegram.md).
The playbook now supports enabling password-peppering for increased security in Matrix Synapse via the `matrix_synapse_password_config_pepper` playbook variable. Using a password pepper is disabled by default (just like it used to be before this playbook variable got introduced) and is not to be enabled/disabled after initial setup, as that would invalidate all existing passwords.
## Statistics-reporting support for Matrix Synapse
There's now a new `matrix_synapse_report_stats` playbook variable, which controls the `report_stats` configuration option for Matrix Synapse. It defaults to `false`, so no change is required to retain your privacy.
If you'd like to start reporting statistics about your homeserver (things like number of users, number of messages sent, uptime, load, etc.) to matrix.org, you can turn on stats reporting.
## Changing the way SSL certificates are retrieved
We've been using [acmetool](https://github.com/hlandau/acme) (with the [willwill/acme-docker](https://hub.docker.com/r/willwill/acme-docker/) Docker image) until now.
Due to the Docker image being deprecated, and things looking bleak for acmetool's support of the newer ACME v2 API endpoint, we've switched to using [certbot](https://certbot.eff.org/) (with the [certbot/certbot](https://hub.docker.com/r/certbot/certbot/) Docker image).
Changed the way the Docker containers are linked together. The ones that need to communicate with others operate in a `matrix` network now and not in the default bridge network.
