ChirpStack is an open-source LoRaWAN Network Server under the MIT license that lets you build and run your own LoRaWAN network. It receives the data from your LoRaWAN sensors via the gateways, manages devices and forwards the payloads to your applications. Unlike AWS IoT, Azure IoT or commercial LoRaWAN platforms, ChirpStack runs entirely on your own infrastructure, with no cloud lock-in and no per-device licensing.
What is ChirpStack?
ChirpStack is the central software layer of a private LoRaWAN network. LoRaWAN is the radio protocol for low-power, long-range sensors; the network server is the brain behind it. It handles tasks such as device activation (OTAA/ABP), deduplication of packets received by several gateways at once, adaptive data rate, encryption and routing of payloads to your applications.
The project was originally created by Orne Brocaar and is today one of the most established open-source stacks in the LoRaWAN world. All components are licensed under the MIT license and may be used freely, including commercially. There is no cut-down community version and no paid enterprise edition: the full feature set is open source (chirpstack.io). The current release is version 4.19.2 (published in September 2026).
The components of ChirpStack v4
With version 4 the project simplified its architecture considerably. The formerly separate Network Server and Application Server were merged into a single component. At its core, a ChirpStack setup consists of these building blocks:
- ChirpStack (server): The central component. It combines network and application server functions, ships a web interface to manage gateways, devices and tenants, and exposes a gRPC-based API for integrations. Version 4 also supports multiple radio regions in a single instance.
- ChirpStack Gateway Bridge: Translates the packet forwarder protocols (Semtech UDP or Basics Station) into Protobuf or JSON over MQTT (chirpstack.io). The bridge runs either directly on the gateway or centrally next to the server.
- ChirpStack Concentratord: A daemon that talks directly to the gateway's LoRa concentrator hardware and provides a clean, uniform API.
- ChirpStack MQTT Forwarder: Runs on the gateway and forwards data over MQTT, based on either Concentratord or the Semtech UDP forwarder.
- MQTT broker: The messaging backbone between gateways and server. In practice this is usually Eclipse Mosquitto. MQTT is also the standard way to integrate payloads into downstream applications.
- PostgreSQL and Redis: PostgreSQL persistently stores devices, configuration and metadata; Redis holds transient state and sessions. For embedded scenarios, v4 alternatively supports SQLite.
In addition there is ChirpStack Gateway OS, a ready-made operating system for common gateways with pre-installed components, and Gateway Mesh (introduced in v4.9), which lets relay gateways extend radio coverage even without a direct internet connection.
Which gateways does ChirpStack support?
ChirpStack is vendor-neutral and works with almost any LoRaWAN gateway. What matters is not the brand but the protocol the gateway speaks:
| Protocol | Characteristics | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Semtech UDP Packet Forwarder | Simple, unencrypted, UDP-based | Maximum compatibility, many legacy devices |
| Semtech Basics Station | TLS-encrypted, WebSocket, more robust | Recommended for new production setups |
| ChirpStack MQTT Forwarder | Native MQTT, built into some firmware | When the vendor ships it |
In practice this covers gateways from Multitech, Kerlink, Dragino, RAK Wireless, Milesight and many other vendors. You are therefore not tied to a particular hardware ecosystem and can pick gateways by range, robustness and price.
Integrations: from ChirpStack to your applications
A LoRaWAN network is only as useful as what happens with the data. This is where the former application-server role comes in: ChirpStack ships a range of built-in integrations to push decoded payloads to your systems. These include generic MQTT and HTTP/webhooks, time-series databases such as InfluxDB, a direct Grafana path for dashboards, and connectors to major cloud services (chirpstack.io). Via the gRPC API, ChirpStack can also be fully automated and embedded into your own platforms. Sensor values can flow, for example, into a Grafana IoT dashboard or into a custom application, with no detour through a third-party cloud.
Running ChirpStack self-hosted
The key advantage of ChirpStack is sovereign, self-hosted operation. You install the stack on your own hardware, in a VM on Proxmox, on a Hetzner server or on-premises at the plant. That keeps device keys, sensor data and network configuration entirely in your hands, an important argument for data protection, industrial compliance and EU data sovereignty.
The common installation is via Docker Compose or the official Debian/Ubuntu packages. You need ChirpStack, an MQTT broker, PostgreSQL and Redis, all mature open-source components. A small server and a single gateway are enough for a pilot. As the network grows, database, broker and server can be scaled separately and made highly available across multiple gateways.
ChirpStack vs. TTN and commercial LNS
The most common comparison is with The Things Network (TTN) and with managed LoRaWAN platforms:
| ChirpStack (self-hosted) | The Things Network / Stack | Commercial cloud LNS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Model | Open source (MIT), self-operated | Community cloud / SaaS | Proprietary SaaS |
| Data sovereignty | Full, your own infrastructure | With TTN on a third-party cloud | With the provider |
| Cost | Infrastructure and operations only | Free tier / usage-based | Often per-device fees |
| Lock-in | None | Medium | High |
| Operations | Your responsibility | Provider | Provider |
ChirpStack is the right choice when you want to control data and availability yourself, avoid per-device licensing and stay independent of a single vendor. TTN is handy for quick, non-critical experiments; commercial platforms take operations off your hands, but often at the price of lock-in and usage-based fees.
How much does ChirpStack cost?
The software itself is free under the MIT license, with no license or per-device fees. The real cost sits elsewhere: server or VM, gateways, optionally an MQTT/database setup with backups, plus ongoing operations (updates, monitoring, support). We work through how these line items add up in practice in our article How much does ChirpStack cost?.
Next steps
ChirpStack is the open-source, vendor-neutral path to your own LoRaWAN network, with no cloud lock-in and no licensing trap. If you are planning a network or would rather not run ChirpStack yourself, we handle design, setup and operations on your infrastructure. Learn more on our page about ChirpStack & LoRaWAN Network Server and in our overview of LoRaWAN solutions from WZ-IT. You can book a no-obligation initial consultation directly online.
