# General

## What is Palaver?

Palaver is a voice, text and screen-sharing chat for groups who meet to play games, and one you run yourself. It shows that a guild needs neither Discord nor TeamSpeak.

## What does Palaver cost?

Nothing. Palaver has no ads, no subscription and no paid tier for better audio or sharper streams. The only cost is the machine your server runs on; a small VPS is enough. If you would rather not run a server of your own, you can rent one: [Pricing](/pricing.html).

## Which devices does Palaver run on?

**Linux**, **macOS**, **Windows** (also from the Microsoft Store), **Android** and the **browser**. All versions do the same; only screen sharing and push-to-talk depend on what each system allows.

## How is Palaver different from Discord and TeamSpeak?

Palaver belongs to the people who run it: the server is yours, the source code is open, and text messages are end-to-end encrypted. The full comparison is on the [Palaver page](/#vergleich).

## Is Palaver open source?

Yes. Palaver is licensed under the **AGPL-3.0**. It makes sure nobody can turn it into a closed product: whoever runs a modified Palaver server has to publish its source code.

# Account and security

## How do I join a server?

You need the server's address and usually an **invite code** from an admin. With a code you are in at once. If a server allows signing up without one, you wait until an admin lets you in; until then you can read along in #general.

## What is the difference between username and display name?

You sign in with your **username**; only you and the admins see it. Everybody else sees your **display name**. When you sign up, Palaver suggests a username based on your display name.

## Who can read my messages?

Only the members of the channel. Text messages and reactions are **end-to-end encrypted** and signed (AES-256-GCM, key exchange over X25519, Ed25519 signatures). The server stores only ciphertext and never sees your password or the content.

Two exceptions: the **#general** channel is not encrypted, so newcomers can read along before they are let in, and **attachments** are stored on the server unencrypted.

## I forgot my password. What now?

When you sign up, you get five **backup keys**. With one of them you set a new password under "Forgot your password?"; your messages stay readable, and that key is used up.

An admin cannot reset your password: it protects your key, and the server doesn't know that key. If you have no backup key left, you create a new account; the channels you are a member of then share their messages with you again.

# Voice and screen

## Is there push-to-talk?

Yes. In the settings you choose between an open mic and push-to-talk and set the key. On phones there is an on-screen button for it.

## How good is screen sharing?

You share your whole screen or a single window, up to its full resolution and at 15 to 60 frames per second. A share is only sent once someone plays it; until then the tile shows a still image. That saves everyone bandwidth.

## What happens when I'm AFK?

Whoever is idle for a while, locks the screen or puts the machine to sleep quietly moves to the AFK channel, if the server has one. After 60 minutes without input the server disconnects voice.

# Your own server

## What do I need for my own server?

A machine with a public IPv4 address running Debian 13 or a derivative such as Ubuntu or Linux Mint (amd64), and a domain name. The guide [Installing a Palaver server](/install-server.html) walks you through it step by step.

## What are the outposts?

The [outposts](/outposts.html) are a public list of Palaver servers. A server only shows up there if its owner explicitly agrees, and only numbers are reported, never names or content.