How to join the Fediverse
Learn how you can join the Fediverse.
How the Fediverse works
The Fediverse is a collection of different social networks that are all compatible with each other. This means that you can follow someone on one social network, and they can follow you back on a different social network. This is possible because all the social networks in the Fediverse use the same protocol, ActivityPub.
On the Fediverse, you can find other people not only by their username but also by their server, since it’s possible that another person can have the same username on a different instance. For example, if you want to follow me on Mastodon (Instance: techhub.social), you can find me by my username @chraebsli@techhub.social; technically the pattern @username@domain.tld or username@sub.domain.tld. There is one exception: Matrix. On Matrix, it follows the pattern @username:domain.tld. For example, if you aim to follow me on Matrix (Domain: matrix.org), you can find me by my username @chraebsli:matrix.org.
Why should you join the Fediverse?
Currently, conventional Social Media like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, … are based on a centralized model. This means that all the data is stored on a single server and the company that owns the server has full control over the data. This is a problem because the company can do whatever they want with your data, like use it for advertisements or sell the data.
The Fediverse is based on a decentralized model. This means that the data is stored on many servers and no single entity has full control over the data. This means that you can choose a server that you trust, and you can be sure that your data is safe. You can also pick a server that is located in your country so that you are protected by your country’s laws. Furthermore, you can set up your server with your own rules.
How you can join the Fediverse
To join the Fediverse, you need to first select a social network. Here are some of the most popular social networks in the Fediverse:
| Category | Original Platform | Fedi Alternative |
|---|---|---|
| Microblogging | Mastodon | |
| Misskey | ||
| Link Aggregator | Lemmy | |
| Kbin | ||
| Video | YouTube | PeerTube |
| Photo | Pixelfed | |
| Chat | Discord | Matrix |
| Calls | Zoom | Jitsi |
After you have selected a social network, you have to find an instance of that social network, since it’s a decentralized network and there are multiple (different) instances per platform. These instances are often for a specific group of people or have different interests & rules.
You can find instances on fedidb.org, a web application with stats about the Fediverse. If you want to find an instance for a specific social network, you can use the following links:
Some terms you should know
- Fedi: Short for Fediverse
- Fediverse: A collection of different social networks that are all compatible with each other
- ActivityPub: The protocol that defines how all social networks in the fediverse communicate with each other
- Instance: A server that runs a specific social network. For example, techhub.social is an instance of Mastodon
- Decentralization: The data is stored on many servers and no single entity has full control over the data
- FOSS: Free and Open Source Software (Software that is free to use, and the source code is available for everyone)