A self-hosted chat-server MyChat has a long history starting from times when the internet was limited, and we used modems with antennas…
Back in the days…
14 years ago one bank worker got tired of slow programs that could not handle poor and unstable internet connections. Oleksii decided to create a simple program that could handle complex networks.
At first, MyChat messenger was running in the bank where he worked, but then Oleksii decided to show it to the world 🙂 He also started to work with his friend Andrii who later started to manage the WEB part of the software
On April 17, 2009, the MyChat Server started to work publicly.
Anyone could download the client application, connect to the server, and ask developers about the program. Some enthusiasts started installing MyChat Server in their networks and connecting people to it. It was a golden era of local cozy chats.
MyChat messenger old look
The program appearance was so different from the latest version that we use now. It was a colorful, 3D-looking application — all in the glory of digital fashion of the 2000s! We all remember AIMP and how cool it was. MyChat developers were definitely inspired by its design 🙂
MyChat messenger started to gain the trust of its users and slowly transformed from a regular chat into business software for secure collaboration.
Why so? The server part of MyChat provides all the management tools to control the information according to a company’s needs and privacy policy.
In 2016, another developer joined the MyChat team. In the era of smart mobile devices, it was necessary to create an application for Android (and later for iOS). People wanted to access their work messages not only on the desktop but on their phones too. It is very convenient to be aware of any important events and notifications instantly. In 2017, users were already using MyChat for Android.
The iOS fans suffered until 2021 though 🙂 But, as you can see, a team of 3 people can’t work as fast as large corporations — that is a fact. But we are trying our best to implement all the useful features and tools for convenient and, most importantly, secure collaboration.
MyChat is constantly improving, and its users take an active part in its development. For example, some of the features were made to order: Kanban project management, voice, and video call recording, integration with Asterisk, quick deletion of private history, integration with Telegram, internal forum (knowledge base), and MyChat Guest.