The Fediverse is a network of social apps that can talk to each other. Instead of one company owning and controlling the entire space, thousands of communities run their own servers and still exchange posts, follows, and media. Think of it as email for social: you pick an address, use the app you like, and you can interact with people on other servers without needing an account there.
This guide walks you through how to use the Fediverse comfortably, how to choose an instance, how to keep your account portable, what privacy tools matter, and how to run your own server if you want to. We’ll also look at how the technology works in plain language, and share a glossary to make the terminology simple.
What Makes the Fediverse Different
There are three big ideas behind the Fediverse:
- Federation: Many servers (often called instances) run similar software and share data. You can follow and talk to anyone across servers, just like email.
- Choice: You can pick a server that fits your values, moderation style, language, or interests. You can even run your own.
- Portability: Your identity can be tied to your domain name. You can migrate your followers and redirect your handle if you move to another server.
The Fediverse is built on open protocols, most notably ActivityPub, which defines how servers exchange social activities like follows, posts, likes, and boosts. Different apps focus on different media types—short posts, photos, videos, forums—but because they use compatible protocols, they can interoperate.
Choose Your Home: Finding the Right Instance
Picking an instance is like choosing a neighborhood. Your experience depends on local moderation, community norms, and performance. Here’s how to make a good choice.
Step 1: Start with your interests
Many instances organize around topics (art, science, tech), languages, or regions. A focused community often has better moderation and more relevant local discussions than giant “general purpose” servers. Search for instance directories and filters by theme, or ask friends where they are.
Step 2: Check moderation and values
Read the server’s about page, rules, and blocked servers list. Good signs include: clear policies, active moderation, a code of conduct, and transparent funding. Some servers aggressively defederate (block traffic) from places that don’t meet their safety bar; others take a lighter approach. Choose the style that fits you.
Step 3: Consider performance and reliability
Free community servers can be busy. Check recent admin posts for maintenance updates and how they handle downtime. Reliable servers often share status pages, and occasionally ask for donations to pay for hosting and storage.
Step 4: Think about your handle and domain
Your username looks like @name@server.example. If you want long-term identity, consider using your own domain (for example, @you@social.yourdomain.com) hosted by a trusted admin or your own instance. With your domain, you can move more easily without losing recognition.
Step 5: Understand moving later
Most modern microblog servers let you migrate followers from one Mastodon-compatible account to another and set a redirect. Your posts don’t move, but your social graph does. Keep a copy of your follows and bookmarks via export tools. If portability is important to you, practice the move feature early so you know how it works.
Everyday Use: Timelines, Posts, and Discovery
Once you have an account, daily use is straightforward, with a few Fediverse-specific habits worth learning.
Timelines you’ll see
- Home: Posts from people you follow, plus their boosts.
- Local: Public posts from people on your server. Good for community vibe.
- Federated: Public posts your server knows about through follows and relays. It’s a window into the broader network.
Posting well
- Use alt text for all images. Accessibility is part of the culture, and many apps will remind you.
- Content warnings (CW) let you add a short summary that hides detailed text or media behind a tap. Useful for spoilers, sensitive topics, or long threads.
- Hashtags improve discovery. Use a few precise tags rather than a long cloud. Example: #baking instead of #bakinglife #breadstuff #longtagtrain.
- Boosts are public reshares. Some servers call them “Announce.”
- Replies are part of a thread. Many apps show a clear conversation view; you can also limit who can reply when posting.
Search basics
Search varies by software. On many microblog apps, full-text search is limited to your own posts and sometimes follows; hashtags and handles are the main search tools. Use a directory or discovery bots on your instance to find accounts by topic.
Direct messages and visibility
Fediverse apps often offer several visibility levels:
- Public: Visible to everyone; may appear in local/federated timelines.
- Unlisted: Public, but not promoted to the local/federated timelines (still discoverable if linked).
- Followers-only: Visible only to people who follow you.
- Direct: Visible only to mentioned recipients.
Direct messages are convenient, but treat them more like email than end-to-end-encrypted chat. Server admins could technically read them. Use a secure messenger for sensitive topics.
Finding people you already know
Look for your friends’ usernames and domains in bios. Many cross-link their website to their Fediverse handle. Some apps verify links by checking that your site contains a rel link or text pointing back to your profile. Tools that scan your contacts for matches exist, but be careful with privacy: choose ones that do not upload your address book to a random server.
Privacy and Safety: Practical Tools
Because the Fediverse is made of many independent servers, your privacy and safety settings are more powerful than a single “lock” button. Here’s what matters.
Use filters and mutes
- Keyword filters: Hide posts containing certain words or hashtags.
- Mute: Hide a person’s posts without notifying them. Useful when you need quiet.
- Block: Prevent someone from following and seeing your posts; you won’t see theirs.
- Report: Send a report to your server’s moderators (and sometimes to the offender’s server). Include context if you can.
Control mentions and followers
Many microblog apps let you approve followers, restrict who can reply, and limit who can mention you. If you’re experiencing harassment, temporarily lock your account and tighten mention settings.
Server-level protections
Admins can mute or block entire domains, filter specific content types, and tune federation settings. If a server is known for abusive behavior, your instance may already be defederating it. Ask your moderators what protections are in place.
Consider your metadata
Location, EXIF data in images, and link previews can reveal more than you intend. Many clients strip EXIF data on upload; double-check your client’s settings. Avoid sharing sensitive identifiers in screenshots, and use CWs for personal or potentially risky information.
For Creators and Small Organizations
The Fediverse rewards steady, authentic engagement. You reach people across many servers, not just your own.
Make your account portable
If you publish under a domain you control, consider using that domain in your Fediverse handle. You can run a small instance only for your account, or ask a trusted admin to host social.yourdomain.com for you. This makes future moves easier without losing your public identity.
Bring people from your site
- Link clearly: Put your handle on your homepage and footer.
- Verify: Many apps show a checkmark when the site links back to your profile.
- Embed comments: Some blog tools let posts double as Fediverse threads. Readers can reply from their accounts.
Respectful cross-posting
If you cross-post from other platforms, tailor the content to the Fediverse: add alt text, trim hashtags, and avoid link-only posts. Indicate that a post is a cross-post. Don’t flood timelines; schedule posts to avoid bursts.
Monetization without paywalls
Creators often use support links like Patreon, Ko‑fi, or GitHub Sponsors. Pin a post with your links, and share occasional behind-the-scenes updates. Some instances may ask you not to run overt ad campaigns; read your server’s rules. Consider a small membership or newsletter that complements your public presence.
Running Your Own Instance
Hosting your own server gives you control and identity continuity. It also means you’re now a sysadmin and a community host. Start small and grow slowly.
Plan your scope
- Personal-only: Just you (and maybe a partner or teammate). Easiest to manage.
- Small community: Up to a few hundred active users. Requires clear rules and a moderation plan.
- Open signups: More complex: you’ll need automated anti-spam and a team willing to moderate.
Hardware and hosting basics
- Compute: For microblog servers, a modern 2–4 vCPU and 4–8 GB RAM works for small communities. Scale up if you see queue backlogs.
- Storage: Media storage grows quickly. Plan for 100+ GB and consider external object storage (S3-compatible) for images and videos.
- Networking: Use a reverse proxy (Nginx/Caddy), enable HTTPS, and set proper headers. A CDN can help with media.
- Email deliverability: Set SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records or use a transactional email provider. Without reliable email, signups and password resets suffer.
Data and backups
- Database: Back up your PostgreSQL regularly and test restores.
- Queues and cache: Redis powers background jobs. Monitor memory use and persistence settings.
- Media: Back up media if possible, or be comfortable with re-fetching some media from remote servers when needed.
- Snapshots: Keep off-site backups. Practice recovery drills.
Security hygiene
- Updates: Apply security updates to OS and app promptly.
- Secrets: Store keys and tokens safely. Rotate them periodically.
- Access: Use SSH keys, two-factor authentication, and least privilege.
- Monitoring: Track CPU, RAM, queue length, error rates, disk usage. Prometheus/Grafana are common choices.
Moderation and policies
- Rules: Write clear, short rules users can understand. Link them in your server’s about page.
- Moderation team: Even small servers benefit from at least two moderators for coverage.
- Appeals: Define how users can appeal decisions.
- Defederation: Document why a domain was blocked. Transparency posts build trust.
Federation tuning
- Relays: ActivityPub relays feed your server with posts from the wider network. They help new servers discover content, but can increase load.
- Allowlist vs. blocklist: An allowlist lets you talk only to approved servers. A blocklist lets you talk to most servers except those you block. Pick what matches your moderation capacity.
- Media control: Limit remote media caching size and expiration to control costs.
Costs and sustainability
Share transparent costs with your community. Donation platforms, small memberships, or sponsors can help. Keep one-time goals (upgrades, storage expansion) separate from recurring costs so supporters see where funds go.
How the Tech Works (Without the Jargon)
Under the hood, most Fediverse apps use ActivityPub to exchange social activities. Here’s the flow at a high level.
Identity and discovery
- Actor: Your account is an “actor” with a profile document (a URL) and an inbox for receiving activities.
- Handle: People mention you with @name@server.example. Servers use WebFinger to translate that handle into your actual profile URL.
Posting and delivery
- Create: You post a note with text and attachments. Your server wraps it in a “Create” activity and signs it.
- Addressing: The activity lists “to” and “cc” fields indicating who should get it—followers, mentioned people, or the public.
- Delivery: Your server sends it to recipient servers’ inboxes over HTTPS, usually with HTTP Signatures so receivers can verify who sent it.
Interactions
- Follow/Accept: When someone follows you, their server sends a “Follow” to your inbox. Your server replies with an “Accept” (or ignores/blocks).
- Like/Announce: Likes and boosts are sent as activities, too. Servers decide how to show them in timelines.
- Undo: Unlikes, unboosts, and unfollows use “Undo.”
Why posts don’t always appear everywhere
Servers only learn about posts through connections. If nobody on your server follows anyone on a remote server, your server might not fetch that server’s posts until a link is created, a hashtag search happens, or a relay introduces content. This is normal—and it keeps the network efficient.
JSON-LD and ActivityStreams
Data is formatted as JSON based on the ActivityStreams 2.0 vocabulary, with optional JSON-LD context. Apps can extend this vocabulary to add features, as long as they keep compatibility with core types like Note, Image, Create, Follow, and Announce.
Apps and Services You’ll Meet
There isn’t just one Fediverse app. That’s a strength—pick what fits your style, while still talking to friends who prefer something else.
- Microblogging: Mastodon, Misskey, Firefish, Pleroma/Akkoma.
- Photos: Pixelfed.
- Video: PeerTube.
- Link forums: Lemmy, Kbin.
- Events and groups: Mobilizon, Gancio.
Clients exist for mobile and desktop: official apps, Tusky, Ivory, Ice Cubes, Elk, and more. Try a few; you can use multiple clients with the same account.
Migration and Longevity: Don’t Get Locked In
The most powerful habit is to think of your Fediverse identity like your email address: own the domain.
- Own a domain: If you can, use a domain you control for your handle or instance. Your identity survives server moves.
- Export regularly: Download your follows, bookmarks, and archive of posts. Schedule a reminder.
- Practice follower move: On Mastodon-compatible servers, test the “Move” feature by migrating a secondary account first, so you understand the steps.
- Use redirects: If an instance is closing, set a redirect to your new account so people find you.
Community Culture: The Social Layer That Matters
The Fediverse is as much social as technical. Most communities encourage constructive conversation, accessibility, and patient onboarding of newcomers.
- Write a short bio: Helps people decide if they should follow you.
- Pin an intro post: Start with who you are, what you share, and how to contact you.
- Use CWs thoughtfully: They’re polite for spoilers and sensitive topics.
- Credit creators: Tag artists, link sources, and ask before reposting private work.
- Volunteer: If you can, help your server with moderation, docs, or donations.
Glossary: Fediverse Terms You’ll Actually Use
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Fediverse | A network of independent servers running social apps that can talk to each other. |
| Instance | An individual server in the Fediverse (e.g., mastodon.example). |
| Handle | Your address, like @name@server.example. |
| ActivityPub | The protocol many Fediverse apps use to exchange follows, posts, and likes. |
| Actor | A profile or account in ActivityPub; it has an inbox/outbox. |
| Inbox / Outbox | URLs where a server receives and sends activities for an actor. |
| WebFinger | A lookup method to translate @name@server into a profile URL. |
| Boost / Announce | A reshare of someone’s public post to your followers. |
| CW (Content Warning) | A short summary that hides details of a post until clicked. |
| Local / Federated timelines | Local shows public posts from your server; Federated shows public posts your server knows about across the network. |
| Defederation | When one server blocks or limits communication with another server. |
| Relay | A service that shares posts between servers to improve discovery. |
| Followers-only | Visibility level that shows a post only to your followers. |
| Direct | Visibility level limited to specific mentioned recipients (not end-to-end encrypted). |
| Move / Redirect | Features to migrate followers or point people from an old account to a new one. |
| Object storage | External storage (e.g., S3-compatible) used to hold images and videos. |
| HTTP Signatures | Signing method for verifying who sent an ActivityPub message over HTTPS. |
| JSON-LD | A way to add meaning to JSON so different systems agree on what fields mean. |
| Mastodon / Misskey / Akkoma | Popular microblog servers in the Fediverse. |
| Pixelfed / PeerTube / Lemmy | Apps for photos, video, and link forums that also federate. |
| Allowlist / Blocklist | Federation controls: talk only to approved servers (allowlist) or talk to most servers except blocked ones (blocklist). |
| Alt text | Descriptions for images so screen readers and low-bandwidth users can understand the content. |
Troubleshooting: Common Questions, Short Answers
Why can’t I find a friend by name?
Search their full handle, including the server (for example, @name@server.example). If you only type @name, your server won’t know which domain to use. If search still fails, ask them to send you their profile link.
Why does my home timeline feel empty?
Follow more accounts and hashtags. Consider asking your admins to join a relay temporarily. Engage with replies and boosts; your server learns about more people as you connect.
Why are my images missing alt text warnings?
Some clients don’t enforce alt text. Switch to a client that prompts for it, or get into the habit of adding a description before posting media.
I moved servers, but my posts didn’t move. Is that normal?
Yes. Most platforms can migrate followers and set redirects, but posts stay where they were published. Keep your old server running as an archive if you want to preserve links.
People say my server is blocked. What can I do?
Ask your admins for context. They may need to reach out to other admins, document policy changes, or adjust moderation practices. If you disagree with your server’s approach, consider moving to a server whose policies match your expectations.
My posts don’t appear on a specific remote server
That server may not have a follower connection to you, may have rate limits, or may have blocked your server. Ask someone on that server to follow you to create a route, or check with admins on both sides.
Good Citizenship: Tips for a Healthy Fediverse
- Be accessible: Always add alt text; consider captions for short videos and transcripts for audio.
- Avoid engagement bait: People value substance over tricks.
- Respect local rules: Your post may be legal where you are, but still against a server’s house rules.
- Keep automation gentle: If you run a bot, disclose it, rate-limit it, and make it opt-in for mentions.
- Credit and consent: Ask before re-uploading someone’s work; boosting is safer than reposting.
Developers: Building With ActivityPub
If you’re adding Fediverse features to your app, start small and focus on compatibility.
Core steps
- Model an actor: Provide a stable profile URL with an inbox and outbox.
- Implement WebFinger: Answer handle lookups with links to your actor.
- Sign and verify: Use HTTP Signatures so other servers trust your deliveries.
- Support Follow, Accept, Create: These three unlock most of the network.
- Address carefully: Use proper “to” and “cc” to limit who receives posts.
- Handle Undo: For unfollows and unlikes.
Robustness and scale
- Queues: Delivery is asynchronous; use background workers.
- Retries: Remote servers can go down; retry with backoff.
- Rate limits: Limit inbound and outbound requests to avoid abuse.
- Pagination: Inboxes and outboxes should support pagination for large timelines.
- Media: Consider signed URLs for object storage; set content length limits.
Interoperability etiquette
- Don’t invent too much: Extend formats carefully and document extensions.
- Be strict in what you send, liberal in what you accept: Validate inputs but avoid breaking on harmless extra fields.
- Test against others: Try your implementation with popular servers before announcing widely.
Legal and Admin Checklist (Non-Exhaustive)
- Terms and privacy: Publish clear terms of service and a privacy policy in plain language.
- Contact: Offer an abuse contact email and response window.
- Data requests: Provide export tools and a process for account deletion.
- Media safety: Proactively filter known illegal content and act on reports quickly.
- Logging: Keep minimal logs needed for security, with clear retention.
Laws vary by country; if you host at scale, consult a professional. Many community servers use volunteer guidelines and adapt as they grow.
A Day in the Fediverse: A Simple Walkthrough
Imagine you join a science-focused instance. You write a short intro, pin it, and add a profile image with alt text. You follow a handful of researchers and tag your first post #microbiology. Someone on a different server boosts your post, and a small discussion begins. You move a long tangent into a thread and add a CW so your main post stays tidy.
A week later, you decide to keep your identity portable. You connect a domain you own and create @you@social.yourdomain.com, then migrate followers. Your old profile now redirects with a clear note. You start posting short video clips of lab setups on a PeerTube channel while your microblog posts link to them. People from photo-focused servers can still follow your updates because everything speaks ActivityPub.
A month later, you and two colleagues launch a tiny instance for your research group. You set modest rules, enable manual signups, and connect a relay to help discovery. You monitor queue lengths, keep email deliverability high, and publish a monthly transparency post about costs. The server stays friendly because you set expectations early and practice steady moderation. That’s the Fediverse at its best: small groups, interoperable tools, and control where it matters.
Practical Setup Recipes
Recipe: Moving your account safely
- Create an account on the destination server and verify your email.
- On your current server, export your follows and bookmarks.
- In account settings, set the move/redirect to the new handle.
- Import your follows on the new server; confirm the migration.
- Pin a post on both accounts explaining the change for a few weeks.
Recipe: Reducing timeline noise
- Create lists for work, friends, and hobbies.
- Mute noisy hashtags for a limited time (e.g., 7 days) during events.
- Turn off boosts from accounts that overwhelm your feed, while keeping their original posts.
- Use “unlisted” visibility for long threads to avoid flooding public timelines.
Recipe: Launching a tiny personal server
- Acquire a domain like social.yourname.com.
- Deploy via a maintained package or container with sensible defaults.
- Set up email with SPF/DKIM/DMARC or pick a trusted email provider.
- Point media to S3-compatible storage to avoid filling local disks.
- Enable backups for database and configuration; test a restore.
- Keep signups closed unless you plan to moderate.
What the Fediverse Is Not
Clarity helps avoid disappointment:
- Not one app: It’s an ecosystem. Each app has strengths; pick what you like.
- Not ad-driven: Most servers avoid targeted ads. Support your instance if you can.
- Not perfectly private: Direct messages are not end-to-end encrypted.
- Not centralized search: Discovery depends on follows, hashtags, relays, and directories.
That said, these tradeoffs buy you something rare: choice, portability, and communities shaped by people—not by a single company.
Final Advice for Newcomers
- Start on a friendly server: A medium-sized, moderated instance will feel welcoming.
- Follow generously: Discovery improves as you connect.
- Post with care: Alt text, CWs, and tags make your posts more useful to more people.
- Keep your bags packed: Own a domain if possible and export data occasionally.
- Ask questions: People are happy to help; that’s the point of community.
Summary:
- The Fediverse is a network of interoperable social apps powered by open protocols like ActivityPub.
- Choose an instance by topic, moderation style, reliability, and whether you want your own domain.
- Use accessibility features (alt text, CWs) and tune visibility, filters, mutes, and blocks for a calmer experience.
- Creators should link handles on their sites, use portable domains, and avoid flooding timelines.
- Running a server requires planning for storage, email, backups, moderation, and federation strategy.
- ActivityPub’s building blocks are actors, inbox/outbox, signed deliveries, and activities like Follow, Create, and Announce.
- Migration moves followers and sets redirects; posts typically remain on the old server.
- Healthy community norms—accessibility, consent, and clear rules—are as important as the tech.
