--- title: Review / Mastodon - Self-hosted twitter alternative description: Mastodon is a globally interconnected, federated, microblogging community / social network upstream_version: v3.5.3 upstream_repo: https://github.com/mastodon/mastodon/ review_latest_change: Initial review! --- # Mastodon - Open Source Twitter Alternative | Review details | | | ----------- | ------------------------------------ | | :material-calendar-check: Last updated | *{{ git_revision_date_localized }}* | | :octicons-number-24: Reviewed version | *[{{ page.meta.upstream_version }}]({{ page.meta.upstream_repo }})* | Mastodon is a twitter-inspired, federated, microblogging community ("social network"), which anybody can partricipate in by joining a public instance, or running their own instance. ![Mastodon 3.5 Hero](/images/reviews/mastodon.png){ loading=lazy } ## Background I've been interested in running a Mastodon instance since I [read about it](https://www.theverge.com/2017/4/4/15177856/mastodon-social-network-twitter-clone) back in 2017. I gave it a try back then, but IIRC Docker support was iffy, and the way federation worked was a bit hit-and-miss (*at least, in my attempts*) I did learn a bit about "[WebFinger](https://docs.joinmastodon.org/spec/webfinger/)" :fingers_crossed: though, which still sounds a bit dirty! :smiling_imp: ![My 2017 Federation-debugging](/images/reviews/mastodon-back-in-2017.png){ loading=lazy } After abandoning my dreams of hosting an instance, I kept a few accounts on mastodon.social, experimenting with cross-posting from Micro.blog, and using the native RSS feature to provide a manually-created [changelog of new recipes](/recent-changes/). In 2022, finding myself wanting to up my "social game" without tying myself into Twitter, I started assembling a typically geeky, over-engineered workflow to [cross-post between Mastodon and Twitter](https://crossposter.masto.donte.com.br/), and easily produce RSS feeds. I decided to take a fresh attempt (*5 years on*) at running [my own instance][community/mastodon], and in the process, I re-introduced myself to elements of the Mastdon experience, which I'll explain below... ## What's notable about Mastodon? Here are my thoughts: ### Technology 1. There's a [steady cadance of ongoing new releases](https://blog.joinmastodon.org/categories/new-features/), and a dedicated [Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/user?u=619786) and [Sponsor](https://joinmastodon.org/sponsors) supporter base. 2. There are now (*as of April 2022*) [official mobile apps](https://blog.joinmastodon.org/2022/04/official-apps-now-available-for-ios-and-android/) for iOS and Android (*there are also dozens of 3rd-party apps which have appear over the years, but some of these are no longer updated*). ### Culture Community is hard, [federation can be abused to harass target users and administrators](https://wilwheaton.net/2018/08/the-world-is-a-terrible-place-right-now-and-thats-largely-because-it-is-what-we-make-it/), and community moderation is generally a thankless job. Social "platforms" are no longer just fun cat pictures, they're a now powerful social tool for effecting change or producing life-destroying harm, and a mature, open-source code-base is an attractive starting point[^1] for those wanting to establish[^2] their own platforms. Public servers tend to serve [communities](https://joinmastodon.org/communities) of a particular interest, be it art, music, gaming, etc. ## Details ### Docker Install Mastodon includes a [docker-compose](https://github.com/mastodon/mastodon/blob/main/docker-compose.yml) file for deploying under Docker, but it's not a "fire-and-forget" deal, since there are some manual steps required to migrate (or instantiate) the database, setup users, secrets, etc. More importantly, since docker-compose will only run containers on a single host, this provides no resilience to failure, and no container orchestration like we're used to with Docker Swarm / Kubernetes. I've adapted the docker-compose for swarm mode, and written a recipe to [install Mastodon in Docker Swarm][mastodon]. ### Kubernetes Install Mastodon's repo also [includes a helm chart](https://github.com/mastodon/mastodon/tree/main/chart), which makes the process of deploying to Kubernetes **much** simpler than either Docker or Docker Swarm. The chart isn't published on [ArtifactHUB](https://artifacthub.io/packages/search?ts_query_web=mastodon&sort=relevance&page=1) yet (*I hope to fix this with a PR*), which means it's hard to discover. There are other elements I'd like to improve about the official chart, such as the use of env variables for secrets (*these should ideally be Kubernetes secrets*), but the availability of contructs such as Jobs makes the whole deployment and setup process work. Here's my an opinionated guite to [installing Mastodon in Kubernetes][k8s/mastodon], which is how I've deployed my [FNKY](https://so.fnky.nz ) instance. ### Admin UI You could probably browse any public instance to get a feel for the user-facing UI and options, but it's harder to get a feel for the admin backend without performing your own installation. Here's a quick video of the admin options to scratch that itch... ## Alternatives ### Twitter OK, obviously one is a bot-filled :robot: cesspool so scary that Elon Musk doesn't want to buy it, and the other is open-source, self-hosted, federated, and can't be censored, monetized, mined, advertised to, etc. Here are some other differences...
| Feature | :material-twitter: Twitter | :material-mastodon: Mastodon | Notes | ----- | ----------- | ------------------------------------ | ----- | | :octicons-comment-16: A post is.. | a "tweet" | a "toot[^4]/post" :material-thought-bubble-outline: | yes, really! | | :material-comment-multiple-outline: Sharing a post.. | retweeting | boosting | no, not "retooting"! | | :material-link: Links count as | 9 chars | 23 chars | Regardless of length of URL | | :material-counter: Character limit | 280 | 500 | | | :octicons-video-24: Media | :white_check_mark: | :white_check_mark: | video/audio/images work as you'd expect | :material-poll: Polls | :white_check_mark: | :white_check_mark: | yes, polls too | | :material-sunglasses: Privacy | :white_check_mark: | :white_check_mark: | you can hide your toots! | | :octicons-comment-discussion-16: Threads | :white_check_mark: | :white_check_mark: | like [this](https://so.fnky.nz/web/@funkypenguin/108790252118210551)| | :material-sticker-emoji: Custom emoji | :x: | :white_check_mark: | like Discord, you can define custom emoji for your community | | :material-rss: RSS feed | :x: | :white_check_mark: | like [this](https://so.fnky.nz/web/@funkypenguin.rss) | | :bikini: Content warnings | :x: | :white_check_mark: | hide NSFW content, spoilers, etc | | :material-police-badge: Moderation | TWTR | per-instance | |
Mastodon vs Twitter
**Conclusion**: Although the primary differentiator is centralized "Big Tech" vs federated open-source, there are some feature advantages (*and some quirks!*) to Mastodon vs Twitter :thumbsup: ## Summary ### TL;DR If you.. * Just like the tech.. * Want to "*stick it to the man*".. * Find the concept of an isolated, themed social community attractive... .. Then join one of the thousands of [available instances](https://joinmastodon.org/communities). If you additionally: * Prefer to self-host your own tools.. * Want an instance to share with your community... .. Then install your own instance in [Docker][mastodon] or [Kubernetes][k8s/mastodon]! I want to "own" my content[^3], and I want to invest in the [Geek Cookbook community](/community/), so I chose my own instance. Whichever path you take into the "fediverse", [toot me up](https://so.fnky.nz/@funkypenguin) when you get here! --8<-- "review-footer.md" [^1]: https://blog.joinmastodon.org/2019/07/statement-on-gabs-fork-of-mastodon/ [^2]: https://blog.joinmastodon.org/2021/10/trumps-new-social-media-platform-found-using-mastodon-code/ [^3]: I'll continue to cross-post from Mastodon to Twitter though, for visibility and engagement [^4]: In a [highly controversial PR](https://github.com/mastodon/mastodon/pull/16080), "toots" were renamed to "posts", although my instance [apparently still uses "Toot!"](https://static.funkypenguin.co.nz/2022/FNKY_2022-08-15_19-50-49.png) by default...