Windows (no Docker)

The Windows self-hosted bundle lets you run a Gryt server on any Windows machine without Docker. Everything is included in a single zip: the signaling server, SFU media server, and media worker.

This is ideal for LAN parties, local teams, or anyone who wants a simple server on a Windows PC. For production deployments on a VPS or cloud server, see the Docker Compose guide.

Uploads aren't checked in a sandbox here

The bundle has no jail for decoding uploads, so members can't use video avatars or banners, and chat videos are stored as sent. Hosting from the desktop app on the same PC does check them. See Uploads and the media worker.

Prerequisites

Windows 10 or later (x64)
Node.js 22.13 or later — download the LTS installer from nodejs.org

Verify Node.js is installed, and that it's new enough:

node --version

Gryt used to run on Node.js 20. It now uses the SQLite support built into Node rather than a compiled module, and that's only available from 22.13 onwards — 22.12 isn't enough. If you're upgrading an existing server, update Node.js before you start it, or it will refuse to start and tell you why.

Setup

Download the bundle

Download the latest gryt-server-windows-x64-v*.zip from the GitHub releases page.

Extract it to a folder of your choice (e.g. C:\Gryt).

Configure

Open config.env in a text editor and customize:

# Give your server a name
SERVER_NAME=My Gryt Server

# Port for the signaling server (API + WebSocket)
PORT=5000

# Port for the SFU (voice/video media)
SFU_PORT=5005
SFU_WS_HOST=ws://127.0.0.1:5005
SFU_PUBLIC_HOST=127.0.0.1:5005

# STUN servers for automatic NAT traversal (voice/video)
STUN_SERVERS=stun:stun.l.google.com:19302,stun:stun1.l.google.com:19302

For LAN-only use, the defaults work out of the box. If you want users to connect over the internet, set SFU_PUBLIC_HOST and EXTERNAL_HOST to your public IP or domain:

EXTERNAL_HOST=http://your-public-ip:5000
SFU_PUBLIC_HOST=your-public-ip:5005

Leave SFU_WS_HOST at ws://127.0.0.1:5005, even for internet users. It's how the server reaches the SFU on this machine. The SFU only takes registration on 127.0.0.1, so if you point it at your public IP, voice stops working.

See the Configuration page for all available options.

Start the server

Double-click start.bat or run it from a terminal.

Starting Gryt Image Worker...
Starting Gryt SFU...
Starting Gryt Server...

Older versions did a one-time native module build on first launch. That step is gone — there's nothing left to compile, so the server starts straight away.

Connect

Connect to your server using the Gryt desktop app or the hosted web client at app.gryt.chat.

Enter your server address: localhost:5000 (same machine) or your-ip:5000 (from another device on the network).

The first user to join becomes the owner/admin. After that, the server is invite-only — create invite links in Server settings → Invites.

Firewall

If other devices need to connect, allow these ports through Windows Firewall:

Port	Protocol	Service
`5000`	TCP	Signaling server (API + WebSocket)
`5005`	TCP	SFU WebSocket
`3478`	UDP	WebRTC media, `ICE_UDP_MUX_PORT`

To open a port: Windows Security → Firewall → Advanced settings → Inbound Rules → New Rule → Port.

For remote users, STUN is enabled by default and will automatically discover your public IP and attempt NAT hole-punching. On most home routers this means voice/video works without manual port forwarding. If remote users still can't connect to voice, forward the ports above in your router and set SFU_PUBLIC_HOST to your public IP in config.env.

Configuration reference

All settings are in config.env. Key options:

Variable	Default	Description
`SERVER_NAME`	`My Gryt Server`	Display name shown to users
`PORT`	`5000`	Signaling server port
`SFU_PORT`	`5005`	SFU media server port
`SFU_WS_HOST`	`ws://127.0.0.1:5005`	SFU WebSocket URL (used by the server internally)
`SFU_PUBLIC_HOST`	`127.0.0.1:5005`	SFU address given to clients
`SFU_CONTROL_HOST`	`127.0.0.1`	Address the SFU takes server registration on, port 9092
`SFU_METRICS_HOST`	`127.0.0.1`	Address the SFU serves its metrics on, port 9091
`METRICS_PORT`	`0`	The server's own metrics port. `0` turns them off
`DATA_DIR`	`./data`	Where SQLite database and file uploads are stored
`STORAGE_BACKEND`	`filesystem`	File storage mode (`filesystem` for self-hosted)
`JWT_SECRET`	(auto-generated)	Session token secret — set a strong value for production

Using this SFU from another machine

The SFU takes server registration on port 9092 and serves metrics on 9091. With SFU_CONTROL_HOST and SFU_METRICS_HOST set to 127.0.0.1, both only listen on this machine, so nobody else on your network can register a server with your SFU or read its metrics. The bundle's own server is on the same machine, so it can still register.

If a Gryt server on a different machine should use this SFU, set SFU_CONTROL_HOST to this machine's address on that network, or leave it empty to listen on every address. Point that server's SFU_WS_HOST at ws://this-machine:5005. Don't forward port 9092 on your router, or anyone on the internet can register a server with your SFU.

Stopping the server

Close the terminal window, or press Ctrl+C in the terminal where start.bat is running.

To kill background processes from a previous run that didn't shut down cleanly:

taskkill /IM gryt_sfu.exe /F
taskkill /IM node.exe /F

Updating

Stop the server, download the new zip and unpack it. Move your config.env and your data folder into the new folder, then start it again.

Your old config.env won't have settings that newer bundles added. Check it for these three lines, and add any that are missing:

SFU_CONTROL_HOST=127.0.0.1
SFU_METRICS_HOST=127.0.0.1
METRICS_PORT=0

Without the first two, anyone on your network can register a server with your SFU and read its metrics. The third turns the server's own metrics off. Left on, they can end up on port 9091 for anyone on your network to read.

Data and backups

All server data is stored in the data/ directory:

data/gryt.db — SQLite database (users, channels, messages, settings)
data/uploads/ — uploaded files and images

To back up your server, copy the entire data/ directory.

Troubleshooting

"node" isn't recognized Node.js isn't installed or not on your PATH. Download it from nodejs.org and restart your terminal.

"Your Node.js is too old" / No such built-in module: node:sqlite Gryt needs Node.js 22.13 or later. Install the current LTS from nodejs.org, close the terminal so the new version is picked up, and run start.bat again. If you see the raw node:sqlite message rather than Gryt's own, you're on an older release of the server as well — upgrading Node.js still fixes it.

Antivirus blocks gryt_sfu.exe Some antivirus software flags unsigned executables. Add an exception for the Gryt server folder.

Port already in use Another process is using port 5000 or 5005. Either close that process or change the ports in config.env.

Voice not working (remote users) The server uses STUN to automatically discover your public IP and punch through most home NATs — in many cases voice will work for remote users without manual port forwarding. If it still doesn't connect, open TCP 5005 and the UDP media port in your firewall and forward them in your router, then set SFU_PUBLIC_HOST to your public IP.

Can't connect from another device on the network Check Windows Firewall allows inbound connections on port 5000. Try connecting with your-local-ip:5000 (find your IP with ipconfig).

Windows (no Docker)

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