Mastodon is a free and open-source social network server, designed around the ActivityPub standard, that empowers users to connect and engage in a decentralized social media experience. It provides an alternative to centralized platforms, offering greater control and a community-focused environment. On a Mastodon Server, users are free to share diverse content, including links, images, text updates, and videos, fostering rich and varied interactions. The federated nature of Mastodon servers is a core strength, allowing seamless communication between users on different servers, and even with other platforms that support ActivityPub, creating a vast interconnected social network.
Key Features of Mastodon Server
Mastodon server stands out with a range of features designed to prioritize user experience and community control:
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Vendor Lock-in Avoidance: Built on the ActivityPub protocol, Mastodon ensures full interoperability with any platform adhering to the same standard. This means the network extends beyond just Mastodon servers, embracing a diverse ecosystem of compatible platforms, preventing users from being confined to a single provider. This commitment to open standards is crucial for a truly decentralized social web. Learn more about ActivityPub and its role in the future of social networking.
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Real-Time, Chronological Updates: Experience social media in real-time with Mastodon’s chronological timeline. Updates from followed accounts are instantly streamed via WebSockets, ensuring you never miss a beat. For those seeking a comprehensive overview, a firehose view is also available, displaying all public updates in real-time.
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Rich Media Attachments: Enhance your posts with images and short videos. Mastodon servers support uploading and viewing images, as well as WebM/MP4 videos. Notably, videos without audio tracks are intelligently treated as GIFs, looping continuously for engaging visual content.
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Robust Safety and Moderation Tools: Mastodon prioritizes user safety and community well-being with a comprehensive suite of moderation tools. Features include private posts for controlled sharing, account locking for privacy, phrase filtering to manage content, muting and blocking to personalize user experience, and a reporting system to ensure community standards are upheld. These tools empower both users and server administrators to cultivate a positive and safe environment. Learn more about Mastodon’s approach to safety and moderation.
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Open API and App Ecosystem: Mastodon acts as an OAuth2 provider, featuring a straightforward REST API that facilitates integration with third-party applications. This open approach has fostered a vibrant ecosystem of apps, offering users a wide array of choices and functionalities to extend their Mastodon experience.
Deploying Your Own Mastodon Server
Setting up your own Mastodon server provides you with complete control over your social media experience. The Mastodon server software is built using a robust tech stack, including:
- Ruby on Rails: Powering the backend REST API and core web functionalities.
- React.js and Redux: Driving the dynamic and interactive elements of the user interface.
- Node.js: Enabling the real-time streaming API for instant updates.
To deploy a Mastodon server, you will need to ensure your system meets the following requirements:
- PostgreSQL 12+: For database management.
- Redis 4+: For caching and real-time data handling.
- Ruby 3.2+: The primary programming language for the server.
- Node.js 18+: Required for the streaming API and asset compilation.
The Mastodon repository offers deployment configurations for Docker and docker-compose, simplifying setup across different environments. Support for platforms like Heroku and Scalingo is also available. For Kubernetes deployments, Helm charts are provided in the mastodon/chart repository. A comprehensive standalone installation guide is available in the official Mastodon documentation, offering step-by-step instructions for manual server setup.
Contributing to Mastodon Server Development
Mastodon thrives on community contributions as a free, open-source project licensed under AGPLv3. There are numerous ways to get involved and contribute to the Mastodon server:
- Bug Reporting and Feature Requests: Open issues on the GitHub repository to report bugs or suggest new features you believe would enhance the platform.
- Code Contributions: Submit pull requests with code improvements, bug fixes, or new functionalities. Refer to the CONTRIBUTING and DEVELOPMENT guides for detailed contribution workflows.
- Translations: Contribute to Mastodon’s localization efforts by providing translations through Crowdin, making the platform accessible to a global audience.
Contributors whose changes are accepted into Mastodon can request financial compensation through the project’s OpenCollective, acknowledging and rewarding community involvement.
For real-time discussions and community support, join the #mastodon IRC channel on irc.libera.chat.
License and Open Source Commitment
Mastodon server is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3 (AGPLv3). This ensures that the software remains free and open-source, promoting collaboration and community-driven development. The license details are available in the LICENSE file within the repository, reaffirming the commitment to open access and community contribution that defines the Mastodon project.
Copyright (c) 2016-2024 Eugen Rochko & other Mastodon contributors This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU Affero General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version. This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU Affero General Public License for more details. You should have received a copy of the GNU Affero General Public License along with this program. If not, see https://www.gnu.org/licenses/