**Existing (Synapse) installations need to be updated**, see below.
[Jip J. Dekker](https://github.com/Dekker1) did the initial [work of adding Dendrite support](https://github.com/spantaleev/matrix-docker-ansible-deploy/pull/818) to the playbook back in January 2021. Lots of work (and time) later, Dendrite support is finally ready for testing.
We believe that 2022 will be the year of the non-Synapse Matrix server!
The playbook was previously quite [Synapse](https://github.com/matrix-org/synapse)-centric, but can now accommodate multiple homeserver implementations. Only one homeserver implementation can be active (installed) at a given time.
**Synapse is still the default homeserver implementation** installed by the playbook. A new variable (`matrix_homeserver_implementation`) controls which server implementation is enabled (`synapse` or `dendrite` at the given moment).
Because the playbook is not so Synapse-centric anymore, a small configuration change is necessary for existing installations to bring them up to date.
The `vars.yml` file for **existing installations will need to be updated**:
```yaml
# All secrets keys are now derived from `matrix_homeserver_generic_secret_key`, not from `matrix_synapse_macaroon_secret_key`.
# To keep them all the same, define `matrix_homeserver_generic_secret_key` in terms of `matrix_synapse_macaroon_secret_key`.
# Using a new secret value for this configuration key is also possible and should not cause any problems.
#
# Fun fact: new installations (based on the new `examples/vars.yml` file) do this in reverse.
# That is, the Synapse macaroon secret is derived from `matrix_homeserver_generic_secret_key`.
Finally, **to try out Dendrite**, we recommend that you **use a new server** and the following addition to your `vars.yml` configuration:
```yaml
matrix_homeserver_implementation: dendrite
```
We're excited to gain support for other homeserver implementations, like [Conduit](https://conduit.rs/), etc!
## Honoroit bot support
Thanks to [Aine](https://gitlab.com/etke.cc) of [etke.cc](https://etke.cc/), the playbook can now help you set up [Honoroit](https://gitlab.com/etke.cc/honoroit) - a helpdesk bot.