Verified against FediDB per-software API, GitHub/Codeberg/GitLab/Framagit/Akkoma forge APIs, Mastodon v4.7.3, GoToSocial v0.22.2 and Misskey source, Pleroma docs (2026-10-15) on 2026-10-15.
Server Software Overview
The Fediverse consists of many different server software implementations, each with different features, focuses, and communities.
Account counts below are from FediDB's per-software API on 2026-10-15. FediDB only counts servers that publish NodeInfo and allow crawling, so treat them as lower bounds. GoToSocial in particular asks crawlers not to collect stats by default (instance-stats-mode), so its figure is a large undercount.
Major Platforms
Microblogging
| Software | Language | Description | Accounts (FediDB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mastodon | Ruby | Most widely deployed; Twitter-like | ~8.5M |
| Misskey | TypeScript | Feature-rich, reactions, MFM formatting | ~1.26M |
| Pleroma | Elixir | Lightweight; forks include Akkoma | ~54K (Akkoma ~24K) |
| GoToSocial | Go | Lightweight, safety-focused, small servers | Undercounted (see above) |
Link Aggregation
| Software | Language | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Lemmy | Rust | Reddit-like communities |
| PieFed | Python | Reddit-like communities |
| Mbin | PHP | Link aggregation + microblogging; a fork and continuation of /kbin, which has had no commits since December 2024 |
Media
| Software | Language | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Pixelfed | PHP | Instagram-like photos |
| PeerTube | TypeScript | YouTube-like videos |
| Loops | PHP | TikTok-like short video (beta: v1.0.0-beta.14, August 2026) |
| Funkwhale | Python | Music and audio (2.0.12, October 2026) |
| Owncast | Go | Live streaming (v0.3.0, September 2026) |
Publishing
| Software | Language | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Ghost | JavaScript | Publishing platform; ActivityPub built in since 6.0 (August 2025) |
| WordPress | PHP | Via the Automattic ActivityPub plugin |
| WriteFreely | Go | Minimal federated blogging (v0.17.2, August 2026) |
Minimal / Single-User
| Software | Language | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Fedbox | JavaScript | Experimental CLI-first server by the site owner (see the security note on its page) |
| microfed | JavaScript | Experimental modular ActivityPub library by the site owner |
| Ktistec | Crystal | Single-user, lightweight (v3.13.0, September 2026) |
| Takahē | Python | Multi-domain server; dormant — no commits since August 2024 |
Other
| Software | Language | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Friendica | PHP | Facebook-like social network (2026.05-1) |
| Hubzilla | PHP | Decentralized publishing and nomadic identity (11.4.1, September 2026) |
| BookWyrm | Python | Book tracking, Goodreads-like (v0.9.3, September 2026) |
| Mobilizon | Elixir | Event organizing; now maintained by Kaihuri (5.2.5 release candidates, September 2026) |
Choosing Software
For Individual Users
- Mastodon — biggest network and the de facto reference for interop
- GoToSocial — designed for small servers; its docs suggest ~1 GB of system RAM is enough
- Pleroma / Akkoma — lightweight Elixir servers with Mastodon-compatible client APIs
For Communities
- Mastodon — mature moderation tools
- Lemmy, PieFed or Mbin — Reddit-like discussion
- Pixelfed — photo communities
- PeerTube — video
For Developers
Reading a mature implementation's federation code is one of the best ways to learn. GoToSocial, Mastodon and Lemmy all publish federation documentation alongside their source:
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Mastodon | Pleroma | Misskey | GoToSocial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ActivityPub S2S | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| ActivityPub C2S | ❌ | ⚠️ partial ¹ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Polls | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Custom Emoji | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Emoji Reactions | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Quote Posts | ✅ (4.5+, FEP-044f) | ✅ ³ | ✅ (_misskey_quote) | ❌ (publishes self-only canQuote) |
| Markdown input | ❌ | ✅ | MFM ² | ✅ |
| Local-only Posts | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Sources: Mastodon v4.7.3 activity.rb (no EmojiReact handler) and CHANGELOG; Pleroma MastoAPI differences (local visibility, emoji reactions) and NodeInfo (text/markdown post format); Misskey ApNoteService.ts; GoToSocial v0.22.2 internaltoas.go (quotes), status.go (local_only), posts guide (markdown) and federation docs (polls).
¹ Pleroma's client list names AndStatus as using ActivityPub C2S. The Akkoma fork has no outbox POST handler. ² Misskey uses its own MFM markup rather than Markdown. ³ Pleroma handles quote posts (see its quote-related MRF policies); the exact property it emits was not verified here.
Resource Requirements
Only GoToSocial publishes concrete numbers: its getting started guide says a small instance (1–20 active users) uses about 250–350 MB of RAM once caches are warm, and recommends about 1 GB of system RAM. Mastodon and Misskey additionally need PostgreSQL and Redis; check each project's installation docs for current requirements.
Starting Your Own Instance
For managed hosting, see Hosting Providers.
Most platforms provide container images. GoToSocial's official compose file uses:
# Example: GoToSocial (see its docs for the required GTS_* environment variables)
docker run -d \
-p 443:8080 \
-v ./data:/gotosocial/storage \
docker.io/superseriousbusiness/gotosocial:latest
See Also
- Mastodon - Most widely deployed platform
- Big Platforms - Threads, Ghost, WordPress and more
- Libraries Overview - Development libraries
- Hosting Providers - Managed options