The Future Is Federated: My Fediverse Starter Guide

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Editor’s note: this article was first published on September 25, 2025 but will be updated regularly, as new articles about Fediverse software are published on the blog.

Dear Fedi friends,

A few days ago I was talking on the phone with one of my best friends who lives overseas and is not on the Fediverse. Fascinated by the good words I put in about this galaxy of independent social networks, by the people for the people, she said: “maybe I will create an account.” And then it hit me: for a good experience on the Fediverse, a new arrival needs to be guided. There are so many options (a plethora of software, with a different look and feel), apps and - this is key - a very strong culture unlike anything I have ever seen on for profit social networks.

How could I help? Well, a "Fediverse Starter Guide" could be a first step in the right direction, helping someone curious about the Fediverse to get a grasp about what it is, its unique advantages and how to join. So I am attempting to make one.

First up, here is a short video introduction I made (with subtitles available in 14 languages):

For additional information about this video:

The Next Steps

You are intrigued and what to hear more? I can help! I wrote over two dozen articles about various Fediverse software (shall we say “platforms” for simplicity’s sake?) and the values that drive this diverse community of 15+ million members.

It’s about time I organized my articles by topic, making them easier to peruse.

So, without further ado, here are my articles covering:

Fediverse Software

There are so many different Fediverse projects that I think it's wise to cover various options before picking a software and server to join.

Microblogging

You are familiar with Big Tech platforms like Facebook, X and Threads that allow the sharing of short text posts or status updates. Well, the Fediverse has you covered, with alternatives to any offerings by Big Tech (minus the opaque algorithms and surveillance capitalism).

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If the guides below overwhelm you, here is some quick advice: I would personally pick either Mastodon (most solid option) or Sharkey (most beautiful and fun interface) for a first Fediverse account.

Mastodon 🦣

Mastodon is the most popular software and is analogous to the old Twitter (RIP). Its flagship instance is mastodon.social, which is free to join (like any other Fediverse software) but monthly donations are very much encouraged.

I wrote a blog post about Mastodon's unique advantages last year. I cringe at the title now - after having tried lots of different software - but I stand behind the spirit of the piece:

Mastodon is so popular that it won't go away anytime soon. When I mentioned it's the "most solid option" I meant in terms of longevity, as some Fediverse projects and servers have folded in recent years.

Here is FediDB's list of all the active Mastodon servers: https://fedidb.com/software/mastodon

Sharkey 🦈

The Fediverse gets a bad reputation for "dated" and stale design... fair enough for certain projects, but Sharkey in my opinion has the most gorgeous and fun user experience design in the whole Fediverse (inherited from Misskey). Here is my write-up about it:

If Sharkey intrigues you, FediDB keeps a list of Sharkey instances that are open for registration. Again, joining is free but donations to server admins are very much encouraged: https://fedidb.com/software/sharkey

Friendica 👫

Many say Friendica is the Fediverse's answer to Facebook - I find the description a little reductive, considering everything that Friendica empowers you to do. It's a blend between Facebook, Google+ (remember Circles?) and an advanced RSS reader. It has the most sophisticated Fediverse functionalities - compared to any software I have tried - and even allows you to post status updates with HTML formatting.

I was totally smitten with Friendica and even ended up self-hosting my own instance for a while... I eventually abandoned it because I was already posting microblogs via two accounts: Mastodon and GoToSocial. It felt a little excessive and unnecessary to have a third microblogging account. But if you're into function (over form), I'd say go for it! Here is my write-up of Friendica:

Here is a list of Friendica servers open for registration: https://fedidb.com/software/friendica?registration=open

GoToSocial 🦥

This is relevant for developers only, as GoToSocial is a Fediverse software written in Golang that needs to be self-hosted (on your own home server or VPS).

I have a GoToSocial account where I chronicle my self-hosting adventures and really enjoy its customizations (no short character limit, custom emojis, etc). My GoToSocial write-up:

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Finding interesting accounts to follow can prove a hurdle for someone new to the Fediverse. I recently offered a few suggestions in a toot.

Longform writing

Wordpress ✏️

Did you know that Wordpress powers 43% of ALL WEBSITES? That is, there are 564 million websites built on Wordpress according to recent statistics. And thanks to the brilliant work of Matthias Pfefferle and his team people can now "federate" their Wordpress sites, turning them into ActivityPub social profiles.

What does it mean? If you have a federated Wordpress site, when you publish a new blog post it automatically appears in the feeds of your Fediverse followers.

When someone on the Fediverse replies to the blog post (from the Fediverse feed) the comment syncs automatically with the website. This creates a direct, two-way relationship with readers. Seeing this in action is truly awe-inspiring.

How do I know? I have THREE federated Wordpress sites. I wrote about my experience here:

Wordpress isn't unique in this. Ghost.org recently turned on ActivityPub federation... and micro.blog and Write Freely are other projects that allow federated longform writing.

Content aggregators

The Fediverse has not one but THREE alternatives to Reddit.com. Meet Lemmy, PieFed and Mbin:

Photos

If your Big Tech platform of choice is Instagram but you want to move to an open source, decentralized alternative, the Fediverse has Pixelfed.

I haven't written a piece about how to join it, but rather a show-and-tell demonstrating interoperability between Mastodon and Pixelfed:

For a list of Pixelfed servers open for registration, check out FediDB: https://fedidb.com/software/pixelfed?registration=open

Videos

Does the Fediverse have an alternative to BigTech video sharing sites? Yes! Meet PeerTube:

I wrote two articles about PeerTube - first, from the point of view of a viewer:

And then as a content creator:

Check out FediDB for a list of PeerTube servers open for registration: https://fedidb.com/software/peertube?registration=open

Now monthly donations to your PeerTube server of choice is a must, as hosting videos requires a lot of bandwidth and high server costs.

The Fediverse even has an alternative to TikTok: meet Loops, a project by Pixelfed creator Daniel Supernault: https://loops.video

I only scratched the surface with my write-ups as there are plenty of other Fediverse projects (I'm thinking of Akkoma, BookWyrm, Castopod, Hubzilla and Bonfire). But this overview gives you a sense of where you can sign up for an account as an alternative to Big Tech, for-profit closed silos.

The values of the Fediverse

The Fediverse has its own unique strong culture - unlike anything I have ever seen on for-profit social platforms.

I wrote several articles about the values of the Fediverse.

First up: striving for genuine connections and in defense of privacy and consent:

Then: the importance of #AltText and content warnings:

A new way to describe the Fediverse and its opposition to Big Tech - with the organic food analogy:

How does Bluesky fit into this? In my opinion, the food analogy is still apt:

Why the Fediverse? Digital sovereignty and resistance to Big Tech

Why do I care so much about the Fediverse and prefer it to Big Tech social platforms? For starters, my personal data isn't mined to serve me advertisements... and the Fediverse empowers me with data ownership and control over my audience; should something go wrong with a platform I am using, I can migrate my entire social graph (the accounts I'm following and that I follow) to a new server, with just a few clicks.

Here are a few articles I have written on the topic:

And:

I admire writers and activists who "speak truth to power" and bravely oppose Big Tech oligarchs. Some still use only tools by Big Tech companies to share their messages, while others show that another way is possible. I wrote about this in the article: "This is what resistance to the digital coup looks like."

And to show that I'm walking the talk, I wrote an article disclosing my tech stack (which is still very much a work in progress, especially regarding hardware):

One Final Point

The Fediverse is by the people, for the people - as I said in my video "Introducing the Fediverse: A New Era of Social Media".

We can all play a part and contribute to its health and sustainability:

There has never been a better time to join the Fediverse. Or to help it out. Come join us.

Elena

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The Future is Federated

Last Update: September 25, 2025

The Future Is Federated: My Fediverse Starter Guide

The Next Steps

Fediverse Software