Specification v1.18

The open standard powering sovereign communications.

Matrix is the decentralised, open protocol that underpins the entire AMVLET stack — letting organisations own their infrastructure, federate on their terms, and communicate without a single point of control.

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v1.18
Current stable specification release
4,300+
Matrix Spec Change proposals submitted
6
Core API specifications in the standard
2014
Year the open standard was first published
What is Matrix

An open standard for secure, decentralised, real-time communication.

Matrix defines a set of open APIs for decentralised communication — suitable for securely publishing, persisting, and subscribing to data over a global open federation of servers with no single point of control.

Like email, users on different independently operated servers communicate seamlessly. Unlike email, every message can be end-to-end encrypted, the protocol is defined by a neutral foundation rather than a single company, and organisations can run entirely isolated deployments that never touch the public internet.

The specification is published at spec.matrix.org under the Apache 2.0 licence. Any organisation can read it, implement it, and deploy it — no licensing fees, no vendor lock-in.

Fully open federation

Anyone can participate in the global Matrix network. Servers interoperate by design, not by permission.

End-to-end encryption

Olm and Megolm cryptographic protocols — both now part of the official specification — provide forward secrecy for 1:1 and group communications.

Data sovereignty

Your data stays on your servers. No third-party vendor access, no cloud dependency — just the infrastructure you control.

No patent encumbrances

Patent-encumbered IP is strictly prohibited from the standard. The spec is free to implement without licensing constraints.

Architecture

Three layers. One sovereign stack.

AMVLET is built on Matrix end-to-end — from the open protocol at the base to the sovereign-facing interface at the top.

Layer 3 — Frontend

SCOVR

The sovereign communication interface. Purpose-built for classified and sensitive environments, with jurisdiction-aware controls, custom identity management, and air-gap support. Zero dependency on the public cloud.

Layer 2 — Backend

Element Backbone

Enterprise-grade Matrix homeserver infrastructure — high-availability, horizontally scalable, and operated within the customer's own environment. Handles federation, key management, and message routing. Built on Synapse Pro (Python + Rust hybrid).

Layer 1 — Protocol

[matrix] Open Standard

The open, patent-free specification defined at spec.matrix.org and maintained by the Matrix.org Foundation C.I.C. — a UK-registered non-profit (Company #11648710). No single entity controls the protocol. Any compliant implementation can interoperate.

Specification v1.18

Six core APIs.

The Matrix specification defines a complete set of independently versioned APIs. Each endpoint can evolve without breaking the others.

01 — Client-Server API

How apps talk to servers

Defines how Matrix clients (messaging apps, bots, IoT devices) authenticate, send events, sync state, and manage rooms with their homeserver.

02 — Server-Server API

How servers talk to each other

The federation protocol. Homeservers use this to exchange signed Persistent Data Units (PDUs), synchronise room state, and validate each other's event graphs.

03 — Application Service API

Bridges and bots

Enables integration with external networks — IRC, Slack, WhatsApp, Teams — and powers automated services and bots inside a Matrix deployment.

04 — Identity Service API

Optional identity lookups

Maps third-party identifiers (email, phone numbers) to Matrix user IDs. Usage is optional — deployments can operate without any external identity service.

05 — Push Gateway API

Notifications

Standardises how homeservers push notifications to mobile clients via external push gateways, without exposing message content to the gateway.

06 — Olm / Megolm

End-to-end encryption

Olm implements the Double Ratchet algorithm for 1:1 channels (full forward secrecy). Megolm uses a hash ratchet for group encryption without O(n²) peer sessions.

Federation

Decentralised like email. Secure like Signal.

Matrix federation works like email: users on different, independently operated homeservers communicate seamlessly over HTTPS. No central routing server, no single point of failure.

When a user sends a message, their homeserver signs it with an Ed25519 key, adds it to a Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) that references prior events, and forwards it as a signed Persistent Data Unit to every homeserver participating in that room.

Receiving servers validate signatures and authorisation rules independently. The DAG provides eventual consistency — during network partitions, servers continue operating and merge histories once reconnected. State resolution algorithms ensure all servers converge on identical room state.

For sovereign deployments, federation can be restricted to a closed set of known homeservers — or disabled entirely for fully air-gapped operation.

Federated room: !room:example.org
@alice:org-a.gov
↓ Client-Server API
homeserver-a.gov
────── Server-Server API (HTTPS) ──────→
homeserver-b.mil
↓ Client-Server API
@bob:org-b.mil
Each homeserver:
• Stores its own copy of the room
• Signs all outgoing events (Ed25519)
• Validates all incoming signatures
• Operates independently during partitions
Matrix 2.0

The next generation is imminent.

The Spec Core Team has confirmed all core 2.0 MSCs are extremely close to completion. These four capabilities define Matrix 2.0.

Simplified Sliding Sync

Instant room loading — clients receive only the data they need for the current view, eliminating the full-sync lag that has historically made Matrix clients feel slow on first load.

MSC in Final Comment Period
🎙

MatrixRTC

Native, federated voice and video conferencing built into the protocol — no third-party conference server required. Calls can span homeservers with the same security guarantees as messages.

MSC in Final Comment Period
🔐

Next-Gen Auth

OAuth 2.0 and OIDC replace the legacy Matrix password flow, enabling SSO integration, delegated authorisation, and compatibility with enterprise identity providers out of the box.

MSC in Final Comment Period
🔑

Invisible Cryptography

Seamless end-to-end encryption without user friction — no manual key verification popups, no "unable to decrypt" errors. Encryption becomes an invisible default, not an optional feature.

MSC in Final Comment Period
Foundation & Governance

No single entity controls Matrix.

The Matrix.org Foundation C.I.C. (Company #11648710) is a UK non-profit whose legal structure prevents acquisition or repurposing. Three independent governance pillars protect the protocol.

Pillar 01

Guardians

Independent directors who ensure the Foundation stays true to its mission. Governance changes require a 75% supermajority — no single Guardian, and no single company, can override the group.

  • Jon Crowcroft
  • Matthew Hodgson
  • Amandine Le Pape
  • Jutta Steiner
  • Ross Schulman
Pillar 02

Spec Core Team

Technical custodians who review and approve all protocol changes via the Matrix Spec Change (MSC) process. Spec changes require 75% SCT approval after a public 5-day Final Comment Period.

  • 75% approval threshold
  • Public MSC process on GitHub
  • Implementation proof required before approval
  • 4,300+ proposals reviewed to date
Pillar 03

Governing Board

Elected representatives from nine constituency groups across the ecosystem, established in 2024. Broadens governance beyond any single commercial player.

  • Elected constituency representatives
  • Established 2024
  • Nine ecosystem constituencies
  • DINUM (France) — Silver Member
Questions

Matrix — frequently asked.

The most common technical and governance questions about the Matrix protocol and how it underpins AMVLET.

What is Matrix, in one sentence? +
Matrix is an open standard for secure, decentralised, real-time communication — defined at spec.matrix.org — that lets organisations run their own communication infrastructure and optionally federate with others, much like email.
Can any single entity — including Element — change the protocol unilaterally? +
No. The 75% approval threshold on the Spec Core Team, combined with independent Guardians and the CIC legal structure, prevents any single entity from controlling the protocol. Element employs many SCT members and contributes the majority of core development, giving it significant influence — but the governance explicitly separates Element's commercial interests from protocol stewardship. Patent-encumbered IP is strictly prohibited from the standard.
What version is Matrix at, and what is Matrix 2.0? +
The latest stable release is v1.18. Matrix 2.0 is the next major milestone — not a breaking version, but a named collection of four high-impact features: Simplified Sliding Sync (instant load), MatrixRTC (native voice/video), Next-Gen Auth (OAuth 2.0/OIDC), and Invisible Cryptography (seamless E2EE). The Spec Core Team confirmed at the Matrix Conference 2025 that all core 2.0 MSCs are extremely close to completion.
What encryption protocols does Matrix use? +
Matrix uses two complementary cryptographic protocols, both defined in the official specification. Olm handles 1:1 encrypted channels using the Double Ratchet algorithm (same family as the Signal Protocol) — providing full forward secrecy and post-compromise security via Curve25519 key agreement. Megolm handles group encryption via a four-part hash ratchet, enabling efficient encryption for large groups without requiring O(n²) peer-to-peer sessions. Megolm sessions are periodically rotated (approximately every 100 messages or on membership changes) to bound forward secrecy exposure.
What is the MSC process and how are protocol changes approved? +
Anyone can propose a Matrix Spec Change by opening a pull request in the matrix-org/matrix-spec-proposals GitHub repository. The process runs: Draft → Community Review → Implementation Proof (required before approval) → Final Comment Period (5 days, 75% SCT approval required) → Acceptance → Spec Release. As of late 2025, over 4,300 MSCs have been submitted. The guiding principle is that proposals must act to the greater benefit of the entire Matrix ecosystem, rather than any single player.
What happens to our deployment if Element ceased to exist? +
Because Matrix is an open standard, your deployment does not depend on Element's continued existence. The protocol specification is held by the Matrix.org Foundation (a non-profit CIC — legally non-acquirable), the server software is open-source, and alternative implementations exist. Any competent engineering team could maintain a Synapse deployment using the published specification and source code. This is a material difference from proprietary communication platforms where the vendor relationship is the only lifeline.

Build on the open standard.

AMVLET gives you the full Matrix stack — sovereign infrastructure, enterprise support, and a team that understands both the protocol and your compliance requirements.