Fediverse

Copied from the Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA 4.0) on 2018-12-19: = https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fediverse

File:Fediverse logo proposal.svg

Fediverse logo proposal

File:Fediverse logo proposal (mono version).svg

Fediverse logo proposal (mono)

The Fediverse (a portmanteau of "federation" and "universe") is the ensemble of federated servers that are used for web publishing (i.e. social networking, microblogging, macroblogging, or websites) and file hosting. On different servers (instances), users can create so called identities. These identities are able to communicate over the boundaries of the instances because the softwares running on the servers support one or more communication protocols which follow the open standard. As an identity on the fediverse, you are able to exchange private messages or other data with other identities or to follow posts by other identities. In some cases, you can even show or share data (video, audio, text and other files) publicly or to a selected group of identities and allow other identities to edit your data (i.e. a calendar or an address book).

History

In 2008, the social network identi.ca was founded by Evan Prodromou. He published the software GNU Social under a free license (GNU Affero General Public License, AGPL). Besides the server, identi.ca, there were only few other instances existing, run by persons for their own use. This changed in 2011/2012 when identi.ca switched to another software called pump.io. Several new GNU Social instances were created. At the same time as GNU Social, other projects like Friendica, Hubzilla, Mastodon and Pleroma integrated the OStatus protocol, thus extending the fediverse.

In the meantime, other communication protocols have evolved which are integrated to different degrees into the platforms. In January 2016, the W3C presented the ActivityPub protocol, aiming to improve the interoperability between the platforms. Template:As of, this protocol is supported by thirteen platforms (see the table below).

Communication protocols used in the fediverse

These communication protocols which follow the open standard are used in the fediverse:

• ActivityPub
• DFRN
• Diaspora Network
• OStatus
• Zot & Zot/6

Fediverse software platforms

The software spanning the fediverse are all free. Some of them vaguely resemble Twitter in style (for example, Mastodon and GNU Social, which are similar in their microblogging function), while others include more communication and transaction options that are instead comparable to Google+ or Facebook (such as is the case with Friendica and Hubzilla).

The following software platforms span the fediverse by using the listed communication protocols:

Platform Name	Type	ActivityPub	DFRN	Diaspora Network	OStatus	Zot Zot/6
Aardwolf	Social network	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No
Anfora	Image hosting	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No
CloutStream	Professional Social network	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No
diaspora* software	Social network, Microblogging	Template:No	Template:No	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:No
distbin	Pastebin	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No
Friendica (f. Friendika; orig. Mistpark)	Social network, Microblogging	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:No
Funkwhale	Audio, sound hosting	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No
GNU MediaGoblin	file, image, audio, video hosting	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No
GNUsocial (f. StatusNet; orig. Laconica)	Microblogging	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:Yes	Template:No
Hubzilla (f. RedMatrix; orig. Friendica-Red)	CMS, Social network, Microblogging, Wiki, Blogging, Image gallery, File hosting	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes
Littr.me	Link-sharing	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No
Mastodon	Microblogging	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:No	Template:Yes	Template:No
microblog.pub	Microblogging	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No
Misskey	Social network, Microblogging	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No
Nextcloud	File hosting	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No
Numaverse	Microblogging, ETH blockchain	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No
Osada	Social network, Microblogging	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:Yes
PeerPx	Image hosting	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No
PeerTube	Video hosting	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No
PixelFed	Image hosting	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No
Pleroma	Microblogging	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:No	Template:Yes	Template:No
Plume	Blogging	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No
postActiv	Microblogging	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:Yes	Template:No
Prismo	Link-sharing	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No
Pubcast (f. Metapods)	Netcasting	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No
pump.io	Microblogging	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No
Read.as	Feed reader	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No
Socialhome	Website, Social network, Microblogging	Template:No	Template:No	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:No
Write.as / Write Freely	Blogging	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No
Zap	Social network, Microblogging	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:No	Template:Yes

Actual spreading

The statistic service the-federation.info states for the 6th of December 2018 following data about the fediverse. The statistics do not reflect the whole fediverse.

• Number of instances (servers): 3,952
• Number of identities: 2,382,670
• Number of posts: 201,681,558
• Number of comments: 4,764,706

See also

• Comparison of software and protocols for distributed social networking