Communicate securely with everyone, all the time
We’re excited to announce the release of ESS 24.10, the latest Long-Term Support (LTS) version of the Element Server Suite! This is an important milestone as it brings Element X to customers who require the six monthly LTS releases of ESS.
Since last month’s announcement at The Matrix Conference, customers can now start to experience the transformative potential of the world’s first communications platform based on Matrix 2.0. Building on that success, from today, not only is Element X available with ESS, but it’s also available on the long-term supported version of ESS as well. Given LTS is a requirement for many large organisations, this means you can start getting ready to achieve digital sovereignty regardless of the size of your organisation.
Below we’ve taken a deep-dive firstly into the latest innovations in ESS and then secondly into what is happening right now in the world of Element X. By the end of this blog post, you’ll see why we view this moment as an inflection point for the future of online communication.
Element Server Suite reaches cruising altitude
This is our third LTS release of ESS. To learn more about our previous LTS releases check out our earlier blog posts marking the previous long-term support releases: ESS 23.10 and ESS 24.04.
Simplifying synchronisation in a decentralised world
Building a real-time communication solution on an open standard isn’t easy. One of the challenges is distributing messages across the network without excessive delays. Historically this is an area where we’ve found challenges. But with the creation of our new Simplified Sliding Sync everything changes. From now on, Synapse, the Matrix server that ESS is built on, will ship with SSS as the default option. The result is significant improvements in sync speed and reliability, eliminating the need for a previously required proxy. From the user’s perspective this means messages are delivered without delay. And from the IT administrator's perspective this means fewer components, reducing both complexity and potential points of failure.
New user management and authentication by default
Recently, we have presented the new user management and authentication system for Matrix servers, called Matrix Authentication Service (MAS). MAS is a new component based on industry standards (OpenID Connect) and security best practices that replaces the Synapse-internal authentication and user management parts in a future-proof way. It is ready for production use and integrated with ESS for new installations since 24.09, now coming as part of an LTS version.
Functionality-wise there aren’t any big changes in the area of user management and authentication for administrators due to the introduction of MAS. You can still use it in standalone mode where you manage users directly in ESS, as a foundation. For more sophisticated environments, it is possible to connect and integrate LDAP servers as well as dedicated OIDC providers.
Our new mobile app, Element X, has been built with the future-proof, standards-based model in mind and therefore requires a MAS-enabled backend for production use. The ability to migrate existing installations to MAS is planned to become available in early 2025.
MAS compatible functionality
We’ve enhanced a number of the features available with ESS to make sure they are all compatible with MAS. For instance the Admin/Audit Bot, Secure Border Gateways, Element Call and Bridges are all now fully compatible with MAS. This ensures administrative control of these features is maintained at all times from the moment you upgrade your deployment to MAS. If you are an existing customer we’ll support your migration to MAS, meaning you’ll get all the benefits of Element X.
Authenticated media is now enabled
And one more thing on the topic of authentication. Since security is our primary concern, we’re pleased to enable the new authenticated media endpoints in ESS by default, as recommended by the Matrix Foundation. By doing this, we ensure access to media files is tightly controlled which reduces the risk of unauthorised access.
The new Element X paradigm
In case anyone doesn’t already know, we’ve built the fastest messaging app ever. It’s not just the best Matrix-based app, it’s the best messaging app in the world. One day in the near future it will become the Element app (replacing our existing Element app).
With our messaging app, on top of end-to-end encryption by default, you get two key things. Firstly you get all the communication functionality you expect in today’s world: instant messaging, group chats, location sharing, polls, editable messages, video conferencing and more. And secondly you get the ability to free yourself from being reliant on Big Tech, saving you from the predatory algorithms and opaque data mining practices all too commonplace today. Download Element X here.
Welcome to the world of simple yet secure communication that doesn’t turn your interactions into a tradable product. We are very definitely trying to offer an attractive alternative way of communicating to those who don’t want their data commoditised.
Individuals who want to experience Element X are welcome to download our app and connect it to a server that accepts public registrations (e.g. matrix.org). But if you’re part of an organisation who wants to achieve digital sovereignty, you’ll need Element Server Suite. With ESS you can customise your own server, create/manage user accounts, control where your data is located, and a whole range of enterprise-ready capabilities.
As mentioned above, this is a significant inflection point. From now on you can combine the best communication experience in the world with absolute ownership and control of your data. This is no longer just a product for nerds and techies, Element is ready to free everyone from the intrusive algorithms and opaque data mining practices which define the digital world of the past 20 years. Organisations can now keep their data safer than ever and achieve digital sovereignty while solving any shadow IT issues by giving their workforce a genuine WhatsApp replacement.
We look forward to communicating with you on a more secure and sovereign plane from now on... Thank you for choosing to fly Element. We hope you have a safe and pleasant onward journey!
