Getting Started

1. What Is HakoSpace

HakoSpace is a self-hosted voice, video, and messaging platform that gives you full control of your server, data, and privacy. (The name “Hako” comes from the Japanese 箱 (はこ) — a box of your own.)

HakoSpace has two parts: HakoSpace Server (the server, which the hoster deploys on their own machine) and the HakoSpace client (Web or Desktop, which end users use to connect). End users need only a URL provided by the server owner to get started.

Important: HakoSpace has no global account that works across servers. Each HakoSpace Server keeps its own separate member data, and you need to register separately on each server you want to join.

2. Choose Your Client: Web or Desktop

HakoSpace offers two clients, and their core features (messages, voice, video, and channels) are exactly the same. The difference is that Desktop adds a few features that only a desktop environment can provide.

Client	How to get it	When to use it	Desktop-only features
HakoSpace Web	Go to the server URL directly in your browser (https://...)	You want to try it right away, without installing any software	—
HakoSpace Desktop	Download and install it from the official website (Windows / Linux)	You want it always running, or you want to use global shortcuts or HakoCap screen capture	System tray, global shortcuts, Push to Talk, HakoCap screen capture, Game HUD (Windows), per-app audio capture (Linux), and more (see the “Desktop-Only Features” chapter of the User Guide)

Both clients can connect to any HakoSpace Server. If you want to connect to several servers at the same time: with Web, multiple browser tabs will do; Desktop has a built-in multi-server sidebar for switching between them conveniently in the same window.

3. Join Your First HakoSpace Server

HakoSpace is self-hosted, so you need a server URL to get started. Your server owner usually provides the URL (for example, https://example.com:8443).

3.1 The Web Route

1. Get the server URL (ask the owner for it). The URL starts with https://....
2. Type the URL into your browser’s address bar and press Enter.
3. You see the login page, with the heading “Welcome to {serverName}!”
4. Then continue to the next section, “4. Create an Account / Log In”.

Web has no “join a server” step — the URL itself determines which HakoSpace Server you connect to. To connect to several servers at the same time, you can open multiple browser tabs and enter a different URL in each.

3.2 The Desktop Route

1. Download HakoSpace Desktop (the Windows or Linux version) from the official website and install it.
2. Launch the app. If you installed the Windows version with the Installer from the official website, a startup screen that checks for updates appears first. When there’s a new version, it updates and reopens, and only then does the main window appear. The first time you open the app, the multi-server sidebar is on the far left of the window, and the rest of the window shows Select a server to connect in its center.
3. Click the + button in the sidebar (when you hover over it, it shows Add Server).
4. In the dialog that appears, fill in:
   • Server Name: a display name of your choice (it identifies the server in the sidebar, and you can name it anything).
   • Server Address: the URL the owner gave you (for example, https://example.com:8443).
5. (Recommended) Click Test Connection to confirm that the server is reachable. After the test succeeds, click Add.
6. Once it’s added, the server appears as an icon in the left sidebar. Click it to connect.
7. Once you’ve connected, continue to the next section, “4. Create an Account / Log In”.

A multi-server sidebar is always present on the far left of the HakoSpace Desktop window, showing the icons of all the servers you’ve added. With the + button in the sidebar (when you hover over it, it shows Add Server), you can add more servers at any time later on.

4. Create an Account / Log In

After you connect to a server, you see the login page by default. HakoSpace accounts are per server. Even if you already have an account on another HakoSpace Server, you still need to register again on a new server.

The login page has these fields:

• Username (hint text: Enter your username)
• Password (hint text: Enter your password)
• Below them is a Forgot password? link.

If you don’t have an account yet, click the Register link next to Need an account? at the bottom of the page to go to the registration page.

Registration page fields (in open registration mode):

1. Username: required, up to 20 characters (hint text: Choose a unique username). It’s your unique identifier on the server.
2. Nickname (optional): up to 20 characters. It can display any characters, such as Chinese characters and emoji, and you can change it in the settings at any time after you register.
3. Password: required. It must be at least 6 characters long and include letters and numbers.
4. Confirm Password: enter the same password again to make sure the two match.

Registration modes on different servers:

Different server owners use different registration policies. You may run into one of the following:

• Open registration: fill in the form above to create an account.
• Invite-only: the registration page has an extra Invite Code field, and you need a valid invite code to complete registration.
• Email verification: you must enter an email address when you register. After you submit, you receive a verification email, and your account is activated only after you click the link in it.
• Registration closed: the page shows “Registration is currently closed.” You can’t register on your own; contact the server owner to arrange access separately.

When registration succeeds, you see “Account created! Redirecting to login…”

About email verification: the verification email is sent from the sender address the server owner set up, not centrally by HakoSpace. If it doesn’t arrive after a while, check your spam folder first. If it still hasn’t arrived, log in once with that account’s username and password. The login page detects that the account isn’t verified and shows a Resend Verification Email button; enter the email address you registered with, then click the button to send the email again. The button does not appear if the username or password is wrong.

5. Send Your First Message

After you log in, you enter the main interface. If the server owner has set a default channel, you go to that channel automatically. Otherwise, manually choose a text channel (a channel marked with #) from the channel list on the left.

When you enter an empty channel, the center of the screen shows:

• “Welcome to #{channelName}!”
• “This is the start of the #{channelName} channel. Be the first to say something!”

The message box is at the bottom of the screen. Its hint text changes with the channel and reads Message #{channelName}.

To send a message:

1. Type your message in the message box.
2. Press Enter to send it.
3. Press Shift + Enter to start a new line (without sending).

When you pick characters with an input method such as Zhuyin, the Enter and Esc you press are used only to pick characters; they don’t send the message.

After you send a message, it appears in the channel’s message feed immediately.

Advanced use: HakoSpace messages support many kinds of text formatting — bold, italic, strikethrough, inline code, custom font regions (special text effects in different typefaces), spoiler / hidden text, and more. On the right side of the message box is a Formatting help button; click it to see the full list of syntax. For details, see the Text Channels chapter of the User Guide.

6. Join a Voice Channel

In the channel list on the left, text channels are prefixed with #, and voice channels are prefixed with a ♪ music-note icon. If the server uses channel groups, channels are listed under each group’s name.

Joining and controls:

1. Click to join: click the name of any voice channel to join it directly. There’s no in-between step of “go to settings first, then join”.
2. Permission requests: the first time you join, your browser or system asks for microphone permission. Camera permission is requested separately, and only when you click Start camera in the Visual Source menu at the bottom of the left sidebar (see User Guide §3.3).
   • If you deny camera permission, you see the message “HakoSpace needs camera access to let others see you.” followed by “Open your browser or system settings to grant camera access, or continue with audio only.”
   • Even if you deny the camera, you can still have voice-only calls.
3. Audio control buttons (at the bottom of the left sidebar):
   • Mute Microphone / Unmute Microphone: stop or resume sending sound from your microphone.
   • Deafen / Undeafen: stop or resume sound output from your speakers. When you turn on Deafen, your microphone is muted at the same time.
4. Leaving a channel: when you click another voice channel in the list on the left, a confirmation dialog appears. Click Switch to leave the current channel and join the new one. When you click the voice channel you’re in, the Leave Voice Channel? dialog appears; click Leave to leave. If you close the app or the web page, you leave automatically.

Voice input mode:

HakoSpace offers two ways to detect your voice:

• Voice Activity: sends sound automatically when it detects sound.
• Push to Talk: sends sound only while you hold down the assigned shortcut.

You switch between the two modes in Desktop App Settings → Behavior → Voice Input Mode, and only HakoSpace Desktop can change this; HakoSpace Web always uses Voice Activity. For detailed settings, see the “Desktop-Only Features” chapter of the User Guide.

7. Next Steps

At this point, you can send messages and make calls on HakoSpace. Next, read the document that fits what you need:

• To learn about all of HakoSpace’s features in depth (direct messages, forums, IO Apps, desktop-only features, and more): see the User Guide.
• To set up a HakoSpace Server of your own: see the Quick Self-Host Guide.
• If you run into problems or have questions: see the FAQ.