Rocket.Chat Team Platform

intermediate

Rocket.Chat team communication with MongoDB.

Overview

Rocket.Chat is an open-source team communication platform that provides organizations with complete control over their messaging infrastructure. Originally launched in 2015 as a self-hosted alternative to Slack and Microsoft Teams, Rocket.Chat offers real-time messaging, video conferencing, file sharing, and extensive customization options without vendor lock-in or data privacy concerns inherent in cloud-based solutions. The platform supports unlimited users, channels, and integrations while maintaining enterprise-grade security features like end-to-end encryption and compliance certifications. This deployment combines Rocket.Chat with MongoDB configured as a replica set, which is essential for Rocket.Chat's real-time features and data consistency. MongoDB's oplog (operations log) enables Rocket.Chat to track database changes in real-time, powering live message updates, presence indicators, and notification systems across all connected clients. The replica set configuration, even with a single node, provides the oplog functionality that Rocket.Chat requires for optimal performance. Organizations seeking complete control over their communication data will find this stack particularly valuable. Unlike hosted solutions, this deployment keeps all messages, files, and user data within your infrastructure, making it ideal for companies with strict data governance requirements, government agencies, healthcare organizations, or any team that prioritizes data sovereignty and customization flexibility over convenience.

Key Features

Real-time messaging with MongoDB oplog integration for instant message delivery across all clients
Built-in video conferencing and screen sharing capabilities without external dependencies
Federation support allowing communication with other Rocket.Chat instances and Matrix protocol servers
Extensive marketplace with hundreds of apps and integrations including Jira, GitHub, and Zapier
Omnichannel customer service features with live chat widgets, WhatsApp, and SMS integration
Advanced user management with LDAP/Active Directory sync and custom roles and permissions
End-to-end encryption for private conversations and sensitive communications
Thread-based discussions and message reactions for organized team collaboration

Common Use Cases

1Remote-first companies needing complete control over communication data and compliance
2Healthcare organizations requiring HIPAA-compliant team communication and patient consultation
3Government agencies and defense contractors with strict data sovereignty requirements
4Educational institutions managing student-teacher communication and virtual classrooms
5Software development teams integrating with GitHub, GitLab, and CI/CD pipelines
6Customer support organizations using omnichannel features for unified communication
7International organizations leveraging federation to connect distributed Rocket.Chat instances

Prerequisites

Minimum 4GB RAM recommended (2GB for Rocket.Chat, 2GB for MongoDB with oplog operations)
Docker and Docker Compose installed with sufficient storage for MongoDB data growth
Port 3000 available for Rocket.Chat web interface access
Understanding of MongoDB replica sets and oplog concepts for troubleshooting
Valid domain name and SSL certificates for production deployments with federation
Network configuration allowing MongoDB replica set initialization and internal communication

For development & testing. Review security settings, change default credentials, and test thoroughly before production use. See Terms

docker-compose.yml

1services: 
2  mongodb: 
3    image: mongo:6
4    container_name: rocketchat-mongo
5    restart: unless-stopped
6    command: mongod --oplogSize 128 --replSet rs0
7    volumes: 
8      - mongo_data:/data/db
9    networks: 
10      - rocketchat-network
11
12  mongo-init-replica: 
13    image: mongo:6
14    container_name: mongo-init-replica
15    command: >
16      bash -c "sleep 10 && mongosh mongodb/rocketchat --eval 'rs.initiate({_id: "rs0", members: [{_id: 0, host: "mongodb:27017"}]})'"
17    depends_on: 
18      - mongodb
19    networks: 
20      - rocketchat-network
21
22  rocketchat: 
23    image: rocket.chat:latest
24    container_name: rocketchat
25    restart: unless-stopped
26    ports: 
27      - "${ROCKETCHAT_PORT:-3000}:3000"
28    environment: 
29      - ROOT_URL=${ROOT_URL:-http://localhost:3000}
30      - MONGO_URL=mongodb://mongodb:27017/rocketchat?replicaSet=rs0
31      - MONGO_OPLOG_URL=mongodb://mongodb:27017/local?replicaSet=rs0
32      - DEPLOY_METHOD=docker
33    depends_on: 
34      - mongodb
35    networks: 
36      - rocketchat-network
37
38volumes: 
39  mongo_data: 
40
41networks: 
42  rocketchat-network: 
43    driver: bridge

.env Template

.env

1# Rocket.Chat
2ROCKETCHAT_PORT=3000
3ROOT_URL=http://localhost:3000

Usage Notes

1Rocket.Chat at http://localhost:3000
2Setup wizard on first run
3Supports federation
4Many integrations available

Individual Services(3 services)

Copy individual services to mix and match with your existing compose files.

mongodb

mongodb:
  image: mongo:6
  container_name: rocketchat-mongo
  restart: unless-stopped
  command: mongod --oplogSize 128 --replSet rs0
  volumes:
    - mongo_data:/data/db
  networks:
    - rocketchat-network

mongo-init-replica

mongo-init-replica:
  image: mongo:6
  container_name: mongo-init-replica
  command: |
    bash -c "sleep 10 && mongosh mongodb/rocketchat --eval 'rs.initiate({_id: "rs0", members: [{_id: 0, host: "mongodb:27017"}]})'"
  depends_on:
    - mongodb
  networks:
    - rocketchat-network

rocketchat

rocketchat:
  image: rocket.chat:latest
  container_name: rocketchat
  restart: unless-stopped
  ports:
    - ${ROCKETCHAT_PORT:-3000}:3000
  environment:
    - ROOT_URL=${ROOT_URL:-http://localhost:3000}
    - MONGO_URL=mongodb://mongodb:27017/rocketchat?replicaSet=rs0
    - MONGO_OPLOG_URL=mongodb://mongodb:27017/local?replicaSet=rs0
    - DEPLOY_METHOD=docker
  depends_on:
    - mongodb
  networks:
    - rocketchat-network

Quick Start

terminal

1# 1. Create the compose file
2cat > docker-compose.yml << 'EOF'
3services:
4  mongodb:
5    image: mongo:6
6    container_name: rocketchat-mongo
7    restart: unless-stopped
8    command: mongod --oplogSize 128 --replSet rs0
9    volumes:
10      - mongo_data:/data/db
11    networks:
12      - rocketchat-network
13
14  mongo-init-replica:
15    image: mongo:6
16    container_name: mongo-init-replica
17    command: >
18      bash -c "sleep 10 && mongosh mongodb/rocketchat --eval 'rs.initiate({_id: "rs0", members: [{_id: 0, host: "mongodb:27017"}]})'"
19    depends_on:
20      - mongodb
21    networks:
22      - rocketchat-network
23
24  rocketchat:
25    image: rocket.chat:latest
26    container_name: rocketchat
27    restart: unless-stopped
28    ports:
29      - "${ROCKETCHAT_PORT:-3000}:3000"
30    environment:
31      - ROOT_URL=${ROOT_URL:-http://localhost:3000}
32      - MONGO_URL=mongodb://mongodb:27017/rocketchat?replicaSet=rs0
33      - MONGO_OPLOG_URL=mongodb://mongodb:27017/local?replicaSet=rs0
34      - DEPLOY_METHOD=docker
35    depends_on:
36      - mongodb
37    networks:
38      - rocketchat-network
39
40volumes:
41  mongo_data:
42
43networks:
44  rocketchat-network:
45    driver: bridge
46EOF
47
48# 2. Create the .env file
49cat > .env << 'EOF'
50# Rocket.Chat
51ROCKETCHAT_PORT=3000
52ROOT_URL=http://localhost:3000
53EOF
54
55# 3. Start the services
56docker compose up -d
57
58# 4. View logs
59docker compose logs -f

One-Liner

Run this command to download and set up the recipe in one step:

terminal

1curl -fsSL https://docker.recipes/api/recipes/rocketchat-team/run | bash

Troubleshooting

Rocket.Chat shows 'Cannot connect to database' error: Ensure MongoDB replica set is initialized by checking mongo-init-replica container logs and verifying rs.status() in MongoDB shell
Real-time features not working (messages don't appear instantly): Verify MONGO_OPLOG_URL is correctly configured and MongoDB oplog is functioning with rs.printReplicationInfo()
Rocket.Chat container fails to start with SIGKILL: Increase Docker memory limits as Rocket.Chat requires significant RAM during initialization, especially with MongoDB operations
Federation or webhooks not working: Check ROOT_URL environment variable matches your actual domain and is accessible from external services
MongoDB replica set fails to initialize: Ensure mongodb container is fully started before mongo-init-replica runs, increase sleep time if necessary
File uploads failing or timing out: Verify sufficient disk space in mongo_data volume and adjust MongoDB's GridFS settings for large file handling

Community Notes

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