Connecting Channels

Salamandr normalizes communications across every channel into a unified ticket inbox. Regardless of whether a customer sends an email, a WhatsApp message, or an Instagram DM, support reps work from the exact same interface.

To configure channels, navigate to Admin Panel → Channels & Sources.

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1. Email (IMAP & SMTP)

Salamandr polls inbound emails over IMAP and dispatches replies over SMTP. Passwords and app tokens are encrypted at rest using AES-256-GCM.

Configuration Steps

Navigate to Admin Panel → Settings → Mail Settings:

1. Inbound (IMAP):
   • Host: imap.yourmailserver.com
   • Port: 993 (SSL/TLS) or 143 (STARTTLS)
   • Username / Password: Your support inbox credentials (e.g. support@yourcompany.com)
   • Poll Interval: 60s (configurable)
2. Outbound (SMTP):
   • Host: smtp.yourmailserver.com
   • Port: 587 (STARTTLS) or 465 (SSL/TLS)
   • From Name / Address: Your Support Team <support@yourcompany.com>
3. Click Test IMAP Connection and Test SMTP Delivery to verify connectivity.

Spam Filtering & Blacklists

Go to Admin Panel → Settings → Email Blacklist to block automated spam bots or specific wildcard domains (*@spam-offers.xyz) from generating tickets and triggering mail loops.

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2. Website Live Chat Widget

The live chat widget is an ultra-lightweight, zero-dependency script served directly by your self-hosted Salamandr instance using Server-Sent Events (SSE).

Installation

1. Go to Admin Panel → Sources → Website chat.
2. Add your allowed domain under Allowed Origins (e.g., https://yourwebsite.com). Requests from unauthorized origins are rejected automatically.
3. Paste the embed script before the closing </body> tag of your website:

<!-- Salamandr Live Chat Widget -->
<script
  src="https://helpdesk.yourcompany.com/livechat/widget.js"
  data-salamandr-id="YOUR_TENANT_ID"
  data-theme="dark"
  async>
</script>

Features Supported in Widget

• Real-time Server-Sent Events (SSE) stream
• File attachments & screenshots drag-and-drop
• Online/offline status based on configured Business Hours
• Pre-chat data capture form (Name, Email)

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3. WhatsApp Business (Cloud API)

Salamandr connects directly to Meta’s WhatsApp Business Cloud API using your own Meta Developer App credentials.

Configuration Steps

1. In the Meta for Developers Console, create a Business App and enable WhatsApp.
2. In Salamandr, go to Channels → Add Source → WhatsApp.
3. Fill in your credentials:
   • Phone Number ID: From your Meta App Dashboard
   • WhatsApp Business Account ID (WABA): From Meta Business Manager
   • Permanent System User Access Token: Generated in Meta Business Settings
4. Copy the Webhook Callback URL (https://helpdesk.yourcompany.com/api/v1/integrations/whatsapp/webhook) and Verify Token from Salamandr and paste them into your Meta App Webhook configuration.
5. Subscribe to the messages and message_template_status_update webhook fields.

24-Hour Messaging Window & Templates

Standard replies are permitted within 24 hours of the customer’s last message. Outside this window, reps can trigger approved WhatsApp Template Messages created in Admin Panel → Channels → WhatsApp → Templates.

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4. Telegram

1. Open Telegram and search for @BotFather.
2. Send /newbot, choose a name and username for your support bot.
3. Copy the HTTP API Token provided by BotFather.
4. In Salamandr, navigate to Channels → Add Source → Telegram.
5. Paste the token and click Save & Connect. Salamandr will automatically register its webhook URL with Telegram’s API.

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5. Instagram DMs & Facebook Messenger

1. Create a Meta Developer App with the Instagram Graph API and Messenger API permissions.
2. In Salamandr, go to Channels → Add Source → Instagram / Messenger.
3. Input your Page ID, App ID, App Secret, and Page Access Token.
4. Set the Webhook Callback URL provided by Salamandr in your Meta Developer App.

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6. Migration from osTicket (Live Database Import)

Salamandr includes a native background migration worker for teams transitioning from osTicket via direct MySQL/MariaDB connection:

1. In Admin Panel → Settings → osTicket Import, enter your osTicket MySQL connection parameters:
   • Host & Port: e.g. mysql.internal:3306
   • Database Name: e.g. osticket_db
   • Username & Password: Read-only database user credentials
   • Table Prefix: e.g. ost_
2. Click Test Database Connection to verify database connectivity and table schemas.
3. Click Start Migration. The background worker streams tickets, messages, customer profiles, staff assignments, and attachments into PostgreSQL with real-time progress tracking.