§2024-11-30

1. Room

General Term: "Room" is a more general term that refers to any kind of space where communication occurs. This could be a direct message, group chat, or even a public or private channel.

Types of Rooms:

• Direct Message (DM): A one-on-one conversation between two users.
• Group DM: A conversation involving multiple users (like a small team or project chat).
• Channels: Public or private spaces for group discussions.

Essentially, "room" is an overarching term for any chat space in Rocket.Chat, regardless of its type.

2. Channel

Specific Type of Room: A "Channel" is a specific kind of room designed for group communication.

• Public Channel: Anyone in the organization can join and view the messages.
• Private Channel: Access is restricted, and only invited members can join.

Channels are typically used for team discussions, projects, or topics that require ongoing group interaction. Channels can be categorized by the organization’s needs, and their purpose is more formal and organized compared to a direct message.

3. Key Differences:

Room is a more generic term, covering any communication space in Rocket.Chat (including DMs, group chats, and channels). Channel is a type of room that specifically refers to a group communication space, often public or private. So, all channels are rooms, but not all rooms are channels!