Do I need to self-host to use Tusile?
No. You can join public community servers hosted by others with one Tusile identity.
What should I host myself?
You self-host the community-server stack (community API + LiveKit + Caddy).
Where is my data stored?
Core Server (the shared Tusile identity service — not your self-hosted community stack) holds your account, friends list, direct messages (text and DM file attachments), and profile avatars (and related profile fields). That data lives in the Core operator’s database and object storage (for example S3), not on community servers you join.
Community server (what you self-host) stores each community’s channels, roles, channel messages, channel file attachments, voice metadata, and server icon/banner images — typically Postgres plus local disk or S3 for uploads, as described in Configuration. You control retention and backups for that stack; see Backup & restore for pg_dump, file exports, and moving to a new host.
Per-community server nickname and server avatar (when supported by your client) live on that community server only, not on Core. Direct messages always use your global Core display name and profile picture.
Can I use a free domain?
Yes. Dynamic DNS options such as Duck DNS or No-IP work for hobby/community setups.
Which ports are mandatory?
At minimum: 80/tcp, 443/tcp, 7880/tcp, 7881/tcp, and 50000-50060/udp for reliable voice/video.
How do upgrades work?
Upgrade by pulling newer container images and restarting compose. Community-server migrations run automatically at startup. Take a database backup first; see Backup & restore.