Replace Canny with Selfhosted Alternative
closed
Mr Quack
Hi all,
I’d like to propose replacing the paid Canny feedback system with a self-hosted alternative: LogChimp: https://github.com/logchimp/logchimp
LogChimp is open-source, looks and works very similarly to Canny, and would be easy to migrate to. It doesn’t depend on any third-party service, doesn’t have the login issues we’ve seen, and can be fully managed on second life servers.
This would make it both more secure (since data stays on SL web server) and cost-effective, since it’s free to host and maintain internally, and can be easy adapt to SL needs.
Thanks for considering this!
— Marty
Log In
Maestro Linden
updated the status to
closed
Maestro Linden
Hello, and thank you for your feature request.
Incoming suggestions are reviewed in the order they are received by a team of Lindens with diverse areas of expertise. We consider a number of factors: Is this change possible? Will it increase lag? Will it break existing content? Is it likely that the number of residents using this feature will justify the time to develop it? This wiki page further describes the reasoning we use: Feature Requests
This particular suggestion, unfortunately, cannot be tackled at this time. However, we regularly review previously deferred suggestions when circumstances change or resources become available.
We are grateful for the time you took to submit this feature request. We hope that you are not discouraged from submitting others in the future. Many excellent ideas to improve Second Life come from you, our residents. We can’t do it alone.
Thank you for your continued commitment to Second Life.
Mr Quack
hard to comment this...
Photo Viewer
View photos in a modal
Coyote Enthusiast
From my understanding, one of the reasons LL moved to from Jira to Canny was to get away from self-hosting. This puts the maintenance and hosting requirements on Canny's side, rather than LL's side.
Additionally, I'm not seeing LogChimp use their own platform like Canny does, or at the very least, provide a demo.
Christy Rain
A Warning: The Hidden Risks of "Free" Open-Source Software
Hi Marty,
I am sure LL appreciates you looking for alternatives, but I have serious concerns about moving a critical system like their feedback platform to a self-hosted, open-source project.
My main issue is that "free to host" is never "free to maintain." By moving away from a paid service like Canny, LL are not eliminating costs; they are simply trading a predictable subscription fee for the unpredictable (and often much higher) internal cost of their own developer hours.
With a self-hosted solution, LL becomes 100% responsible for:
• Security: You mention it's "more secure" because the data is on LL servers, but this is a double-edged sword. It means LL are now solely responsible for patching it, monitoring for exploits, and securing the entire stack. Canny has a dedicated team whose entire job is this.
• Maintenance & Updates: When the tool breaks or needs an update, it's on LL team to fix it. That's time LL developers aren't spending on Second Life itself.
• Stability & Risk: This is the biggest problem. LL become completely dependent on the goodwill of a few open-source maintainers.
I’m sure LL has seen high-profile incidents in the tech world where developers of popular open-source tools, frustrated with corporations using their "free" work, have intentionally sabotaged their own code. One dev pushed an update with an infinite loop that crashed thousands of commercial applications. Another famously deleted his 11-line-of-code package over a dispute, which broke builds for major tech companies worldwide.
If the LogChimp maintainer abandons the project, or worse, pushes a malicious update, LL are left holding the bag.
With Canny, LL are paying for accountability. The login issues are frustrating, but LL have a vendor they can hold responsible. They are paying for a service-level agreement, dedicated support, and peace of mind that comes from a team whose business depends on keeping the service stable and secure.
I don't believe the perceived cost savings are worth the massive new risks and maintenance burden this would place on LL internal teams.
Mr Quack
Christy Rain Hi Christy,
Thanks for your thoughtful reply — I completely understand your concerns.
However, my suggestion comes from direct experience rather than theory. For almost a year now, I haven’t been able to log into Canny with my main avatar due to a persistent login bug. I’ve tried from multiple computers and browsers, with no success. Other residents have reported similar problems with their own avatars, too — and since each account in Canny is tied to a specific avatar, it means some users are completely locked out of the official feedback system.
Unfortunately, Canny’s support has essentially washed their hands of the issue, saying it’s on LL’s side — while LL can’t fix what they don’t control. This situation leaves both users and LL stuck, unable to properly use a platform we’re paying for.
That’s the main reason I looked into self-hosted and alternative solutions. The goal isn’t to find something “free” just for cost savings, but to restore reliable access, transparency, and control.
With a self-hosted system like LogChimp
, LL could manage authentication directly, ensure everyone can log in, and avoid vendor dependency for basic functionality.
I completely agree that self-hosting brings some maintenance overhead — but in this case, the value of accessibility and control likely outweighs that. LL already manages much more complex services than a small Node.js web app, and with Docker or similar containerized deployment, maintenance and patching are straightforward.
There are also many modern, stable feedback management tools — both open-source and paid — that LL could evaluate before deciding.
This isn’t only about eliminating cost — it’s about regaining reliability, accessibility, and control over a system that’s currently not functioning as intended in many cases.
Best,
Marty
Mr Quack
also as u see is not easy to even reply...
Photo Viewer
View photos in a modal