Comparison of software and protocols for federated social networking

The following is a comparison of both software and protocols that are used for federated social networking.


Software

Active

Project Name Features Software type Programming Language License Privacy features, if any Federation capabilities Instance count Current status
Bluesky Microblogging Client TypeScript MIT None (planned) AT Protocol (Personal Data Server, opinionated services) 2 AppViews, multiple Relays, 1640 PDSes Active
diaspora* Status messages, blogging, image sharing Client/server Ruby AGPLv3 Post reach can be controlled via "aspects" diaspora* network 61 (January 2025) Active
Friendica Rich profiles, networking groups, community/group/celebrity pages, richtext status (not specifically length limited), photo albums, YouTube share, location, like/dislike, multiple profiles w/assignment to specific friends, single sign-on to post directly to friend's profiles on co-operating systems. Communications encryption. Fans and one-way relationships. Local and global directory services. Ability to restrict connection endpoints. Client/server PHP, JavaScript AGPLv3 Access controls for content, disappearing messages, private groups ActivityPub, DFRN, diaspora* network, Email, RSS, third-party connections (Tumblr, Twitter, more via plugins) 345 (January 2025) Active
Lemmy Social news Client/server Rust AGPLv3 None ActivityPub 576 (January 2025) Active
Libervia Microblogging, group microblogging, file sharing, games, XMPP client Client/server Python, C++ AGPLv3 Presence authorization, XMPP groups XMPP, ActivityPub in beta as of 2022. Demo Active
Mastodon Microblogging Client/server Ruby, JavaScript AGPLv3 Access controls for content ActivityPub 10156 (January 2025) Active
Micro.blog Microblogging Client Unknown Proprietary Access controls for content ActivityPub, AT Protocol (Bluesky crossposting) 1 Active
Minds Microblogging Client/server PHP AGPLv3 None ActivityPub 1 Active
Misskey Microblogging Client/server TypeScript AGPLv3 Access controls for content ActivityPub 1244 (January 2025) Active
Mobilizon Events, groups, shared folders Client/server Elixir AGPLv3 Access controls for content ActivityPub 106 (January 2025) Active
Movim XMPP client, news aggregation Client/server PHP AGPLv3 Access controls for content, end-to-end encryption for chats XMPP 16 (January 2025) Active
PeerTube Video sharing Client/server TypeScript AGPLv3 Access controls for content ActivityPub 1302 (January 2025) Active
Pixelfed Image sharing, similar to Instagram Client/server PHP AGPLv3 Access controls for content ActivityPub 543 (January 2025) Active
Pleroma Instant messaging, microblogging Client/server Elixir AGPLv3 Access controls for content ActivityPub 1020 (January 2025) Active

Inactive

Project Name Features Software type Programming Language License Privacy features, if any Federation capabilities Current status
GNU social Primarily microblogging, groups Client/server PHP AGPLv3 Access controls for content ActivityPub (via plugin), OStatus Stable, last update to both supported major versions circa 2022
Kune real-time collaborative edition, XMPP chat, groups, calendar, lists, tasks, blogs, Apache Wave inbox (modern email), wave extensions (gadgets, robots), public webpages, profiles, galleries (photos, videos), maps, federation, usability Client/server Java AGPLv3 Access controls for content XMPP, Wave Federation Protocol Stable, last updated 2017
pump.io Microblogging Client/server Node.js, JavaScript Apache 2.0 Access controls for content ActivityPump Stable, inactive

Protocols

Active

Project Name Features License Privacy features, if any Supported apps Instance count Current status
ActivityPub Activity Streams, WebFinger Released as a W3C standard Inbox/outbox access controls Many >42,000 Active
ActivityPump Activity Streams, WebFinger AGPLv3 Inbox/outbox access controls Pump.io Inactive, network still online
AT Protocol Modular, microservice-oriented protocol architecture Dual (MIT, Apache 2.0) None (planned) Bluesky ~2.4k data servers, few servers for other parts of the protocol (January 2025) Active
diaspora* network Status messages, blogging, photo sharing AGPLv3 Post reach can be controlled via "aspects" diaspora* (social network) 61 (January 2025) Active
FOAF User relationships CC BY 1.0 None Active
Nostr Extensible, based on event objects Public domain None Many Hundreds of relays Active, stable
OStatus OAuth 2, WebFinger, PubSubHubbub, Salmon AGPLv3 None GNU social, StatusNet Less than 100 Inactive, network still online
Twister Peer-to-peer microblogging MIT and BSD End-to-end encryption for private messages Twister Unknown Inactive, network still online
XMPP Microblogging Varied, based on implementation Access controls, presence authorization, encryption Many Many Active, stable

Inactive

Project Name Features License Privacy features, if any Current status
Distributed Social Networking Protocol DSNPd (server daemon), ChoiceSocial (web interface) beta (v0.6)
Mr. Privacy Email social network Private messaging Dead
OpenAutonomy Micro-blogging, RSS aggregation, Cloud storage MIT Trusted user list and fine-grained trusted sub-groups stable (r210) (updated: 2015)
OpenMicroBlogging Microblogging AGPLv3 None Dead
Secure Scuttlebutt social networking, messaging, games, development tools Various FLOSS licenses End-to-end encryption for private messages. Stable
SONIC Federation protocol for OSN services MIT beta (updated: 2018)


See also

References

  1. ↑ bluesky-social/social-app, bluesky-social, 16 January 2025, retrieved 16 January 2025
  2. ↑ "Bluesky: An Open Social Web". Bluesky. Archived from the original on 14 November 2024. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  3. ↑ Ricci, Robert. "Are We Decentralized Yet?". arewedecentralizedyet.online. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
  4. 1 2 "Fediverse Observer checks all servers in the fediverse and gives you an easy way to find a home". diaspora.fediverse.observer. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  5. ↑ "FediDB, Fediverse Network Statistics". fedidb.org. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  6. ↑ "FediDB, Fediverse Network Statistics". fedidb.org. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  7. ↑ "Libervia progress note 2022-W45". salut-a-toi.org. November 2022. Archived from the original on 25 December 2022. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  8. ↑ "Libervia". Libervia. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2013.
  9. ↑ "FediDB, Fediverse Network Statistics". fedidb.org. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  10. ↑ "FediDB, Fediverse Network Statistics". fedidb.org. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  11. ↑ "FediDB, Fediverse Network Statistics". fedidb.org. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  12. ↑ "Join Movim · Servers list". Join Movim. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  13. ↑ "FediDB, Fediverse Network Statistics". fedidb.org. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  14. ↑ "FediDB, Fediverse Network Statistics". fedidb.org. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  15. ↑ "FediDB, Fediverse Network Statistics". fedidb.org. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  16. ↑ "Fediverse servers directory". FediDB. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
  17. ↑ "2024 Protocol Roadmap | Bluesky". docs.bsky.app. 6 May 2024. Archived from the original on 8 December 2024. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  18. ↑ mary (16 January 2025), mary-ext/atproto-scraping, retrieved 16 January 2025
  19. 1 2 Adrian D. Thurston. "DSNP: Distributed Social Networking Protocol". Complang.org. Archived from the original on 17 January 2012. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
  20. ↑ ""Mr. Privacy" Is an Alternative to Facebook Worth Sharing | MIT Technology Review". MIT Technology Review. Archived from the original on 10 September 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  21. ↑ "Open Autonomy Inc". Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  22. ↑ "OpenAutonomy Reference Implementation". Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  23. ↑ "SOcial Network InterConnect". Sebastian Göndör. 2018. Archived from the original on 14 September 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  24. ↑ Göndör, Sebastian Jürg (2018). "Seamless interoperability and data portability in the social web for facilitating an open and heterogeneous online social network federation". FG Service-centric Networking. doi:10.14279/depositonce-7239.