---
title: "Is Discord open source?"
description: "Discord's apps and server software aren't open source, and its terms only let you run its software to use Discord. Discord does publish some libraries, including its call encryption."
url: "https://fluxer.com/help/is-discord-open-source"
language: "en"
last_updated: "2026-11-05"
category: "About Fluxer"
---

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# Is Discord open source?

Discord's apps and server software aren't open source, and its terms only let you run its software to use Discord. Discord does publish some libraries, including its call encryption.

Discord's apps and server software aren't open source, and its terms give you a license only "to download, install, and run that software, solely to access our services."[^terms] Discord publishes some libraries as open source, including the encryption for its calls.[^libdave]

## What does Discord publish as open source?

Discord's open source page says "Discord is committed to the principles of open source development" and lists libraries Discord has released, such as Lilliput and Manifold.[^open-source]

On GitHub, Discord publishes libdave, the libraries for the end-to-end encryption of its voice and video calls, under the MIT license.[^libdave] Discord also publishes the documentation for its API, which developers use to build bots and apps for Discord.[^api-docs]

## What do Discord's terms say about its software?

Discord's terms say "You may not copy, modify, create derivative works based upon, distribute, sell, lease, or sublicense any of our software or services." The terms also forbid reverse engineering it without written consent unless the law allows it.[^terms]

You can read [what Discord's terms say about client mods](https://fluxer.com/help/discord-rust-app-client-mods.md) and what Discord has said about mods such as BetterDiscord and Vencord, which change Discord's app.

## Can I host Discord myself?

Discord doesn't offer a version you can run on your own server. Its server software isn't public, and its terms only let you use Discord's own services.[^terms]

## Is Fluxer open source?

Fluxer is [open source under the AGPL](https://fluxer.com/help/open-source.md) and [free to self-host](https://fluxer.com/help/is-self-hosting-free.md).

Discord is a trademark of Discord Inc., and [Fluxer isn't affiliated with Discord](https://fluxer.com/help/is-fluxer-owned-by-discord.md).

## Sources

[^terms]: [Terms of Service](https://discord.com/terms), Discord, effective 2025-09-29, last updated 2025-08-29, accessed 2026-11-05.
[^libdave]: [libdave](https://github.com/discord/libdave), Discord on GitHub, accessed 2026-11-05. It describes itself as "Libraries supporting Discord's Audio & Video End-to-End Encryption (DAVE) protocol".
[^open-source]: [Open Source Projects](https://discord.com/open-source), Discord, accessed 2026-11-05.
[^api-docs]: [discord-api-docs](https://github.com/discord/discord-api-docs), Discord on GitHub, accessed 2026-11-05.

---

Canonical page: https://fluxer.com/help/is-discord-open-source

Last updated on November 5, 2026