Testing Tools

Tools and resources for testing ActivityPub implementations.

Online Tools

ActivityPub Academy

Test server for development.

Property	Value
Website	activitypub.academy
Purpose	Interactive testing
Features	Test actors, activities

Webfinger.net

WebFinger lookup tool.

Property	Value
Website	webfinger.net
Purpose	Test WebFinger
Usage	Enter handle, see response

JSON-LD Playground

Validate JSON-LD documents.

Property	Value
Website	json-ld.org/playground
Purpose	Expand/compact JSON-LD
Features	Visualize document

Command-Line Testing

curl for ActivityPub

Fetch an actor:

curl -H "Accept: application/activity+json" \
  https://mastodon.social/users/Gargron

Test WebFinger:

curl "https://mastodon.social/.well-known/webfinger?resource=acct:Gargron@mastodon.social"

Fetch NodeInfo:

curl https://mastodon.social/.well-known/nodeinfo

httpie (alternative to curl)

# Install: pip install httpie
http GET https://mastodon.social/users/Gargron \
  Accept:application/activity+json

Local Development

Test Servers

ActorServer - Minimal test server:

# Python example
python -m http.server 8000
# Serve static actor JSON

ngrok - Expose local server:

ngrok http 3000
# Get public URL for testing federation

Local Mastodon

For integration testing:

git clone https://github.com/mastodon/mastodon
cd mastodon
docker-compose up
# Access at localhost:3000

Test Cases

Minimum Viable Actor

Test your actor endpoint returns:

{
  "@context": "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams",
  "type": "Person",
  "id": "https://example.com/users/test",
  "preferredUsername": "test",
  "inbox": "https://example.com/users/test/inbox",
  "outbox": "https://example.com/users/test/outbox",
  "publicKey": {
    "id": "https://example.com/users/test#main-key",
    "owner": "https://example.com/users/test",
    "publicKeyPem": "-----BEGIN PUBLIC KEY-----..."
  }
}

WebFinger Response

Test /.well-known/webfinger?resource=acct:test@example.com:

{
  "subject": "acct:test@example.com",
  "links": [
    {
      "rel": "self",
      "type": "application/activity+json",
      "href": "https://example.com/users/test"
    }
  ]
}

HTTP Signature Validation

Use existing servers to test signing:

1. Create test activity
2. Sign with your implementation
3. POST to real inbox (test instance)
4. Check for 202 Accepted

Integration Testing

Test Matrix

Test	Description	Expected
Actor fetch	GET /users/test	Valid actor JSON
WebFinger	GET /.well-known/webfinger	Links array
NodeInfo	GET /.well-known/nodeinfo	Valid nodeinfo
Inbox POST	POST activity	202 Accepted
Follow	Send Follow	Accept received
Create	Send Create Note	Note appears

Automated Testing Script

import requests

BASE_URL = "https://your-server.example"

def test_actor():
    resp = requests.get(
        f"{BASE_URL}/users/test",
        headers={"Accept": "application/activity+json"}
    )
    assert resp.status_code == 200
    data = resp.json()
    assert data["type"] == "Person"
    assert "inbox" in data
    print("✓ Actor endpoint")

def test_webfinger():
    resp = requests.get(
        f"{BASE_URL}/.well-known/webfinger",
        params={"resource": "acct:test@your-server.example"}
    )
    assert resp.status_code == 200
    data = resp.json()
    assert "links" in data
    print("✓ WebFinger endpoint")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    test_actor()
    test_webfinger()
    print("All tests passed!")

Debugging

Common Issues

Symptom	Likely Cause	Solution
401 on inbox	Bad signature	Check signing
404 on actor	Wrong Accept	Add header
No federation	Blocked IP	Check firewall
Signature invalid	Clock skew	Sync NTP

Logging

Enable verbose logging:

// Node.js example
app.use((req, res, next) => {
  console.log({
    method: req.method,
    path: req.path,
    headers: req.headers,
    body: req.body
  });
  next();
});

Test Accounts

Public Test Instances

• activitypub.academy - Test server
• Your own test instance - Recommended

Creating Test Accounts

1. Set up local Mastodon
2. Create test users
3. Follow/interact with your server
4. Check delivery and responses

See Also

• Debugging Tips
• Compliance Checklist
• WebFinger Lookup