Matrix is an open standard for interoperable, decentralised, real-time communication over IP. It can be used to power Instant Messaging, VoIP/WebRTC signalling, Internet of Things communication - or anywhere you need a standard HTTP API for publishing and subscribing to data whilst tracking the conversation history.
Matrix.org defines the standard, and provides open source reference implementations of Matrix-compatible Servers, Clients, Client SDKs and Application Services to help you create new communication solutions or extend the capabilities and reach of existing ones.
Matrix’s initial goal is to fix the problem of fragmented IP communications: letting users message and call each other without having to care what app the other user is on - making it as easy as sending an email.
The longer term goal is for Matrix to act as a generic HTTP messaging and data synchronisation system for the whole web - allowing people, services and devices to easily communicate with each other securely, and empowering users to own and control their data and select the services and vendors they want to use.
The aim is to provide an analogous ecosystem to email - one where you can communicate with pretty much anyone, without caring what app or server they are using, using whichever app & server you chose to use, and use a neutral identity system like an e-mail address or phone number to discover people to talk to.
Lots of different clients have already been written by the community, as well as several bridges to existing services (IRC, Slack, libpurple etc). In fact, a user visiting #matrix on freenode might be communicating with Gitter or Slack users via Matrix - without even realising it!
Recent work on Matrix includes E2E encryption (see FOSDEM 2017 talks below), embeddable widgets, Communities and Dendrite!
- Twitter: In order to apply to Matrix, students should first get to know the project and community by browsing the Matrix Specification and launching a Matrix client and joining the #gsoc:matrix.org chatroom. Students may also wish to hang out in #matrix:matrix.org or #matrix-dev:matrix.org to better understand the project.
A good next starting point is to play with the Matrix API to send and perhaps receive some instant messages - or experiment with some of the more unusual Matrix clients which are currently in development. Another good bet would be to try installing a Matrix homeserver (e.g. https://github.com/matrix-org/synapse) to get a feeling for the technology involved.
We then suggest thoroughly reading through our GSoC Ideas List and asking questions on #gsoc:matrix.org about the items which interest you. The ideas are intended for inspiration - almost all of our GSoC projects to date have been influenced but not dictated by the ideas list. Please note that the final 6 items on the list are included primarily as 'food for thought'. Having run your ideas past the chatroom for feedback, we recommend writing a 3-5 page proposal in Google Docs to flesh it out more fully. You are welcome to ask the team for guidance on the proposal as you write it.
For more details on how to write the proposal itself, please see https://github.com/matrix-org/GSoC/blob/master/README.md.