I've run a private server with my friends since the Riot days (2018? Earlier?) Here's how I made it work: - No federation. You click an invite link I send you

I've run a private server with my friends since the Riot days (2018? Earlier?) Here's how I made it work: - No federation. You click an invite link I send you and make an account on my server. Therefore, no spam. - Encryption disabled in the main group chat room. The encryption experience was very poor in Riot and remains inexplicably baffling to non-technical users in Element. Supposedly Element X fixes these problems, but it doesn't support the type of SSO my server uses yet. I decided to just turn it off. DMs are still encrypted. - Use Synapse. - $5 tier digital ocean droplet. I plan to move it to my homelab soon. For the most part, it has been pretty smooth. Dealing with encryption UX issues was the low point. I wish that there were custom emoji packs though :(