<!-- SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2024 wjbeckett SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2024 - 2025 Slavi Pantaleev SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-or-later --> # Setting up Element Call (optional) The playbook can install and configure [Element Call](https://github.com/element-hq/element-call) for you. Element Call is a native Matrix video conferencing application developed by [Element](https://element.io), designed for secure, scalable, privacy-respecting, and decentralized video and voice calls over the Matrix protocol. Built on MatrixRTC ([MSC4143](https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-spec-proposals/pull/4143)), it utilizes [MSC4195](https://github.com/hughns/matrix-spec-proposals/blob/hughns/matrixrtc-livekit/proposals/4195-matrixrtc-livekit.md) with [LiveKit Server](configuring-playbook-livekit-server.md) as its backend. See the project's [documentation](https://github.com/element-hq/element-call) to learn more. ## Prerequisites - A [Synapse](configuring-playbook-synapse.md) homeserver (see the warning below) - [Federation](configuring-playbook-federation.md) being enabled for your Matrix homeserver (federation is enabled by default, unless you've explicitly disabled it), because [LiveKit JWT Service](configuring-playbook-livekit-jwt-service.md) currently [requires it](https://github.com/spantaleev/matrix-docker-ansible-deploy/pull/3562#issuecomment-2725250554) ([relevant source code](https://github.com/element-hq/lk-jwt-service/blob/f5f5374c4bdcc00a4fb13d27c0b28e20e4c62334/main.go#L135-L146)) - Various experimental features for the Synapse homeserver which Element Call [requires](https://github.com/element-hq/element-call/blob/93ae2aed9841e0b066d515c56bd4c122d2b591b2/docs/self-hosting.md#a-matrix-homeserver) (automatically done when Element Call is enabled) - A [LiveKit Server](configuring-playbook-livekit-server.md) (automatically installed when Element Call is enabled) - The [LiveKit JWT Service](configuring-playbook-livekit-jwt-service.md) (automatically installed when Element Call is enabled) - A client compatible with Element Call. As of 2025-03-15, that's just [Element Web](configuring-playbook-client-element-web.md) and the Element X mobile clients (iOS and Android). > [!WARNING] > Because Element Call [requires](https://github.com/element-hq/element-call/blob/93ae2aed9841e0b066d515c56bd4c122d2b591b2/docs/self-hosting.md#a-matrix-homeserver) a few experimental features in the Matrix protocol, it's **very likely that it only works with the Synapse homeserver**. ## Decide on a domain and path By default, Element Call is configured to be served on the `call.element.example.com` domain. If you'd like to run Element Call on another hostname, see the [Adjusting the Element Call URL](#adjusting-the-element-call-url-optional) section below. ## Adjusting DNS records By default, this playbook installs Element Call on the `call.element.` subdomain (`call.element.example.com`) and requires you to create a `CNAME` record for `call.element`, which targets `matrix.example.com`. When setting these values, replace `example.com` with your own. All dependency services for Element Call ([LiveKit Server](configuring-playbook-livekit-server.md) and [Livekit JWT Service](configuring-playbook-livekit-jwt-service.md)) are installed and configured automatically by the playbook. By default, these services are installed on subpaths on the `matrix.` domain (e.g. `/livekit-server`, `/livekit-jwt-service`), so no DNS record adjustments are required for them. ## Adjusting firewall rules In addition to the HTTP/HTTPS ports (which you've already exposed as per the [prerequisites](prerequisites.md) document), you'll also need to open ports required by [LiveKit Server](configuring-playbook-livekit-server.md) as described in its own [Adjusting firewall rules](configuring-playbook-livekit-server.md#adjusting-firewall-rules) section. ## Adjusting the playbook configuration Add the following configuration to your `inventory/host_vars/matrix.example.com/vars.yml` file: ```yaml matrix_element_call_enabled: true ``` ### Adjusting the Element Call URL (optional) By tweaking the `matrix_element_call_hostname` variable, you can easily make the service available at a **different hostname** than the default one. Example additional configuration for your `vars.yml` file: ```yaml matrix_element_call_hostname: element-call.example.com ``` > [!WARNING] > A `matrix_element_call_path_prefix` variable is also available and mean to let you configure a path prefix for the Element Call service, but [Element Call does not support running under a sub-path yet](https://github.com/element-hq/element-call/issues/3084). ## Installing After configuring the playbook and potentially [adjusting your DNS records](#adjusting-dns-records) and [adjusting firewall rules](#adjusting-firewall-rules), run the playbook with [playbook tags](playbook-tags.md) as below: <!-- NOTE: let this conservative command run (instead of install-all) to make it clear that failure of the command means something is clearly broken. --> ```sh ansible-playbook -i inventory/hosts setup.yml --tags=setup-all,start ``` The shortcut commands with the [`just` program](just.md) are also available: `just install-all` or `just setup-all` `just install-all` is useful for maintaining your setup quickly ([2x-5x faster](../CHANGELOG.md#2x-5x-performance-improvements-in-playbook-runtime) than `just setup-all`) when its components remain unchanged. If you adjust your `vars.yml` to remove other components, you'd need to run `just setup-all`, or these components will still remain installed. Note these shortcuts run the `ensure-matrix-users-created` tag too. ## Usage Once installed, Element Call integrates seamlessly with Matrix clients like [Element Web](configuring-playbook-client-element-web.md) and Element X on mobile (iOS and Android).