Install ejabberd with Homebrew, apk, apt, MacPorts, Nix, pacman

Project links

• Homepage
• Repository
• Upstream docs
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

• ejabberdctl

Project history

The official ejabberd site describes the project as a ProcessOne product in production since 2002. The repository README calls it an open source, robust, scalable, extensible realtime platform built with Erlang/OTP, including XMPP Server, MQTT Broker, and SIP Service.

ejabberd grew during the XMPP/Jabber era, when open federated instant messaging needed servers that could handle many persistent client connections. Erlang was a natural fit for that concurrency model, and ejabberd became one of the best-known Erlang infrastructure packages outside telecom.

The modern project keeps a broad operational surface: source builds, installers, Docker images, OS packages, Homebrew packages, GitHub releases, documentation, GitHub Discussions, Stack Overflow, Weblate translations, commercial ProcessOne support, and the managed Fluux service. That mix shows a project that survived the original Jabber wave and adapted to current deployment habits.

Adoption history

The official homepage says ejabberd is trusted by WhatsApp, Nintendo Switch, BBC, and hundreds of organizations, and highlights use at WhatsApp scale. It also advertises more than two million concurrent sessions on a single node and support for hundreds of XMPP extensions.

Package adoption is broad. The input metadata lists Homebrew, Debian, Ubuntu, Alpine, MacPorts, Nix, and Pacman, while the README links to OS packages, Homebrew, Docker Hub, GitHub Packages, and ProcessOne installers. That is the profile of a server package expected to run on laptops, bare-metal systems, distro servers, and containers.

How it is used

Operators use ejabberd to run XMPP domains, federated messaging, multi-user chat, publish-subscribe, mobile push, message archives, MQTT endpoints, SIP service, REST APIs, web administration, and clustered realtime infrastructure. The configuration center is `ejabberd.yml`, with command-line operation through `ejabberdctl`.

The README points users to docs, `ejabberdctl help`, and `man ejabberd.yml`. The homepage's example configuration shows standard XMPP ports, MQTT, SQL storage, MAM, push, PubSub, and MUC modules, which captures the normal server-admin workflow: edit YAML, enable modules, choose storage, and operate the service.

Why package nerds care

ejabberd is package-nerd significant because it is a classic daemon with many packaging shapes: Erlang runtime dependency, config files, service management, man pages, OS packages, containers, Homebrew, and upstream installers. It is not just a binary; it is an operating-system resident service.

It is also a good example of a package whose value is partly historical. XMPP infrastructure was central to open messaging before mobile silos dominated chat, and ejabberd remains a maintained way to run standards-based realtime communications without outsourcing identity or message routing.

Timeline

• 2002: Official site describes ejabberd as a ProcessOne product in production since 2002.
• 2022-05-17: GitHub release 22.05 appears in the modern release stream.
• 2024-10-29: Release 24.10 is published.
• 2025-04-16: Release 25.04 is published.
• 2026-04-20: Release 26.04 is published and listed by the official site.

Related projects

• Erlang/OTP is the runtime platform for ejabberd.
• XMPP is the main messaging protocol associated with ejabberd; MQTT and SIP are also official protocol roles.
• Fluux is ProcessOne's managed service built around ejabberd.
• Docker Hub and GitHub Packages host official container distribution paths.

Sources

• https://www.ejabberd.im/
• https://docs.ejabberd.im/
• https://github.com/processone/ejabberd#readme
• https://github.com/processone/ejabberd/releases