Building ShenDesk: a self-hostable real-time chat system for web & mobile apps

#showdev #mobile #startup #webdev

Hi everyone,
I’m the developer behind ShenDesk, a real-time customer support and marketing system designed for modern teams who want full control and flexibility.

I started building ShenDesk because most live chat tools are either too expensive, too closed, or simply not designed for developers who want to self-host. Many small teams told me they wanted to own their data, integrate support directly into their websites and mobile apps, and still have the option to use SaaS if needed.

So I built ShenDesk to make that possible.

💡 What makes ShenDesk different

Works on both web and mobile apps
The visitor interface is a pure HTML page, so it can be embedded directly into mobile apps (via WebView) or any website — making it a single, unified support system across platforms.
Free SaaS and free self-hosted deployment
You can try ShenDesk online for free, or deploy it privately at no cost.
It supports Windows, Linux, and Docker deployments out of the box.
Full feature set
Real-time visitor tracking, multi-agent live chat, message handling, open APIs, and integrations.
Agents can monitor online visitors, initiate chats, or respond instantly from a web-based console.
Built for developers
Server Application: .NET 8
Agent Console: WPF
Web Admin Panel: Vue 3
Everything runs in containers, with open APIs for further customization.

🔧 Why I built it

I believe small teams should have the same quality of real-time engagement tools as large enterprises — but with freedom and ownership.
With ShenDesk, you can choose to host everything yourself, integrate it seamlessly into your app or site, and extend it however you want.

🚀 Try it out

🌐 Official Website: https://shendesk.com
📘 Documentation: https://docs.shendesk.com

It’s completely free to try — both online and on your own server.
I’d love to get feedback from developers who care about self-hosted tools, real-time communication, or building better customer experiences.

👋 Closing

I’m still improving ShenDesk and would love to hear your ideas.
If you’ve built or integrated live chat systems before, how did you approach the challenges of real-time updates, load handling, and deployment flexibility?