OpenIMSDK Guides
OpenIMSDK guides organized by implementation stage, from product concepts and deployment to integration, extension, operations, and reliability.
Guide directory
Each directory represents an implementation stage and links its APIs and SDK methods to the corresponding reference documentation.
Get to Know OpenIMSDK
Understand the product, core concepts, open-source scope, and release strategy.
Product positioning, ecosystem components, self-hosting, and use cases.
ConceptCore ConceptsCore user, administrator, notification account, and group concepts.
FeatureOpen-Source CapabilitiesIncluded components, messaging features, server APIs, and capacity notes.
VersionChoosing VersionsHow to choose stable tags for OpenIMServer, ChatServer, and OpenIMClientSDK.
Deploy OpenIMServer and ChatServer
From environment planning through production verification for single-node, air-gapped, and cluster deployments.
Review server, operating system, and dependency requirements.
DockerDocker Compose DeploymentStart OpenIMServer, ChatServer, and dependencies with openim-docker.
SourceSource DeploymentBuild and run OpenIMServer and ChatServer from stable release tags.
OfflineAir-Gapped DeploymentExport deployment artifacts on an online builder and run them offline.
ClusterCluster DeploymentDeploy OpenIMServer across multiple nodes behind Nginx.
PortsPorts and NetworkConfigure firewall rules, exposed ports, and SDK access addresses.
DomainDomain ConfigurationRoute API and WebSocket traffic through production domains and TLS.
ProdProduction ChecksUnderstand runtime failures, recovery order, and post-recovery checks.
VerifyDeployment VerificationVerify APIs, WebSocket, admin console, and basic message delivery.
Integrate OpenIMSDK
Connect your accounts, backend, OpenIMClientSDK, and OpenIMServer capabilities.
Extend OpenIMSDK
Extend OpenIMSDK through OpenIMServer development, object storage, and AI integrations.
Extend OpenIMServer through API, RPC, and storage layers.
S3Object StorageConnect MinIO, OSS, COS, Kodo, or AWS S3 for file and media storage.
StorageObject Storage MigrationPlan configuration, data migration, and access checks when changing storage.
OpenClawAI and OpenClawConnect OpenIMServer through OpenClaw Gateway and verify the first message.
Operations and Reliability
Monitor, troubleshoot, and validate the capacity and reliability of your deployment.
Enable Prometheus, Alertmanager, Grafana, and node-exporter.
DebugSource DebuggingDebug openim-api and related services in a source deployment.
FAQTroubleshootingTroubleshoot health checks, configuration changes, and container conflicts.
ReportPerformance and Reliability ReportSimulate many online users and message flows to evaluate system capacity.
ToolingBenchmark ToolsUnderstand how to run the test tools, tune parameters, and verify results.