GoToSocial is an [ActivityPub](https://activitypub.rocks/) social network server, written in Golang.

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GoToSocial is a Fediverse server project, written in Golang. It provides a lightweight, customizable, and safety-focused alternative to existing projects such as [Mastodon](https://joinmastodon.org/), [Pleroma](https://pleroma.social/), [Friendica](https://friendica.net), [PixelFed](https://pixelfed.org/) etc.
GoToSocial provides a lightweight, customizable, and safety-focused entryway into the [Fediverse](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fediverse), and is comparable to (but distinct from) existing projects such as [Mastodon](https://joinmastodon.org/), [Pleroma](https://pleroma.social/), [Friendica](https://friendica.net), and [PixelFed](https://pixelfed.org/).
One of the key differences between GoToSocial and those other projects is that GoToSocial doesn't include an integrated client front-end (ie., a webapp).
With GoToSocial, you can keep in touch with your friends, post, read, and share images and articles, without being tracked or advertised to.
Instead, like the Matrix.org's [Synapse](https://github.com/matrix-org/synapse) project, it provides only a server implementation, some static pages, and a well-documented API. On top of this API, developers are free to build any front-end implementation or mobile application that they wish.
## Features
Because the server implementation is as generic and flexible/configurable as possible, GoToSocial provides the basis for many different types of social media experience, whether Tumblr-like, Facebook-like, or Twitter-like.
### Federation
## Features
Because GoToSocial uses the [ActivityPub](https://activitypub.rocks/) protocol, you can Keep in touch not only with people on your home server, but with people all over the [Fediverse](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fediverse), seamlessly!
### Mastodon API compatible
Full support for modern, elegant apps like [Tusky](https://tusky.app/) and [Pinafore](https://pinafore.social/).
 | 
### Customizable
#### Granular post settings
You should be able to choose how your posts can be interacted with:
* Local-only posts.
* Rebloggable/boostable toggle.
* 'Likeable' toggle.
* 'Replyable' toggle.
#### Easy customizability for admins
* Adjustable post length.
* Media upload size settings.
### Convenient
#### LetsEncrypt
Built-in, automatic support for secure HTTPS with [LetsEncrypt](https://letsencrypt.org/).
#### Light footprint and good performance
Plays nice with lower-powered machines like Raspberry Pi, old laptops and tiny VPSes.
A grab-bag of things that are already included or will be included in the first release(s) of the project:
* Mastodon API compatible, which means full support for apps you already know and love like [Tusky](https://tusky.app/) and [Pinafore](https://pinafore.social/).
* Various federation modes:
* 'Normal' federation
* Allowlist-only federation
* Zero federation.
* Granular post settings:
* Local-only posts.
* Rebloggable/boostable toggle.
* 'Likeable' toggle.
* 'Replyable' toggle.
* Easy customizability for admins, without messing around in the source code:
* Adjustable post length.
* Media upload size settings.
* Built-in, automatic LetsEncrypt support (no messing around with Nginx or Certbot).
* Good performance on lower-powered machines like Raspberry Pi, old laptops and tiny VPSes (the test VPS has 1gb of ram and 1 cpu core).
* Subscribeable and shareable allow/denylists for federation.
* Strict privacy enforcement for posts and strict blocking logic.
* HTTP signature authentication by default (equivalent to Mastodon's [Secure Mode](https://docs.joinmastodon.org/spec/security/#http) being always-on).
* No external dependencies apart from a database. Binary + static assets only.
#### Easy to deploy
No external dependencies apart from a database. Just download the binary + assets (or Docker container), and run.
### Secure
#### HTTP signature authentication
Protect your data.
#### User Safety
Strict privacy enforcement for posts and strict blocking logic.
#### Subscribeable and shareable allow/denylists for federation
Import and export allowlists and denylists. Subscribe to community-created blocklists (think Adblocker, but for federation!).
#### Various federation modes
* 'Normal' federation; discover new servers.
* Allowlist-only federation; choose which servers you talk to.
* Zero federation; keep your server private.
### Wishlist
These cool things will be implemented if time allows (because we really want them):
* Groups and group posting!
* **Groups** and group posting!
* Reputation-based 'slow' federation.
* User-selectable custom templates for rendering public posts:
* Twitter-style
@ -50,6 +88,14 @@ These cool things will be implemented if time allows (because we really want the
* Gallery
* Etc.
## Design Ethos
One of the key differences between GoToSocial and other federated server projects is that GoToSocial doesn't include an integrated client front-end (ie., a webapp).
Instead, like the Matrix.org's [Synapse](https://github.com/matrix-org/synapse) project, it provides only a server implementation, some static pages, and a well-documented API. On top of this API, developers are free to build any front-end implementation or mobile application that they wish.
Because the server implementation is as generic and flexible/configurable as possible, GoToSocial provides the basis for many different types of social media experience, whether Tumblr-like, Facebook-like, or Twitter-like.
## Status
Work began on the project around February 2021, and the project is still in prerelease.
@ -74,24 +120,24 @@ For bugs and feature requests, please check to see if there's [already an issue]
The following libraries and frameworks are used by GoToSocial, with gratitude 💕
* [buckket/go-blurhash](https://github.com/buckket/go-blurhash); used for generating image blurhashes.
* [stretchr/testify](https://github.com/stretchr/testify); test framework.
* [superseriousbusiness/exifremove](https://github.com/superseriousbusiness/exifremove) forked from [scottleedavis/go-exif-remove](https://github.com/scottleedavis/go-exif-remove); EXIF data removal.
* [superseriousbusiness/oauth2](https://github.com/superseriousbusiness/oauth2) forked from [go-oauth2/oauth2](https://github.com/go-oauth2/oauth2); oauth server framework and token handling.
* [buckket/go-blurhash](https://github.com/buckket/go-blurhash); used for generating image blurhashes. [GPL-3.0 License](https://spdx.org/licenses/GPL-3.0-only.html).
* [stretchr/testify](https://github.com/stretchr/testify); test framework. [MIT License](https://spdx.org/licenses/MIT.html).
* [superseriousbusiness/exifremove](https://github.com/superseriousbusiness/exifremove) forked from [scottleedavis/go-exif-remove](https://github.com/scottleedavis/go-exif-remove); EXIF data removal. [MIT License](https://spdx.org/licenses/MIT.html).
* [superseriousbusiness/oauth2](https://github.com/superseriousbusiness/oauth2) forked from [go-oauth2/oauth2](https://github.com/go-oauth2/oauth2); oauth server framework and token handling. [MIT License](https://spdx.org/licenses/MIT.html).