Expressa

Self-Hosted

Open-source conference management system for events and meetups

Overview

Expressa simplifies organizing conferences, workshops, and meetups with tools for event scheduling, attendee registration, speaker management, and session tracking. It supports custom workflows, ticket management (free/paid), and Stripe integration for payments. Deployable via Docker or traditional servers, it offers self-hosted flexibility to keep event data private. Users can customize themes, manage submissions, and generate engagement reports—ideal for small-to-medium events seeking a cost-effective alternative to proprietary platforms.

Self-Hosting Resources

Find Official Image on Docker Hub View Source & Docs

Below is a reference structure for docker-compose.yml. ⚠️ Do NOT run blindly. Replace placeholders with official values.

docker-compose.template.yml TEMPLATE


version: '3'
services:
  expressa:
    image: <OFFICIAL_IMAGE_NAME>:latest
    container_name: expressa
    ports:
      - "8080:<APP_INTERNAL_PORT>"
    volumes:
      - ./data:/app/data
    restart: unless-stopped

Key Features

Attendee registration & ticket management
Speaker & session scheduling
Custom event workflows & themes
Stripe payment gateway integration
Attendance & engagement reporting

Frequently Asked Questions

? Is Expressa hard to install?

Expressa is easy to install via Docker (single docker-compose command) or Node.js + MongoDB. Documentation includes step-by-step guides for self-hosted/cloud deployments, accessible to users with basic server knowledge.

? Is it a good alternative to Eventbrite?

Yes—Expressa offers core ticketing/registration features without transaction fees, unlike Eventbrite. It’s perfect for privacy-focused users, though it lacks some advanced marketing tools of Eventbrite.

? Is it completely free?

Expressa is open-source (MIT License) and free to use/modify/self-host. No hidden fees, but you may pay for server hosting, domain names, or payment gateway transaction costs.

Top Alternatives

Eventbrite Compare

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Tool Info

Pricing Free/Open Source

Category Conference Management

Platform Self-Hosted

Pros

⊕ Privacy-focused self-hosting
⊕ No subscription or licensing fees
⊕ Highly customizable UI and workflows
⊕ Supports both free and paid events

Cons

⊖ Requires basic server administration skills
⊖ Fewer third-party integrations than SaaS tools
⊖ Smaller community compared to major platforms