**Part of the Fediverse. Based on open standards, with no vendor lock-in.** - the network goes beyond just Mastodon; anything that implements ActivityPub is part of a broader social network known as [the Fediverse](https://jointhefediverse.net/). You can follow and interact with users on other servers (including those running different software), and they can follow you back.
**Real-time, chronological timeline updates** - updates of people you're following appear in real-time in the UI.
**Media attachments** - upload and view images and videos attached to the updates. Videos with no audio track are treated like animated GIFs; normal videos loop continuously.
**Safety and moderation tools** - Mastodon includes private posts, locked accounts, phrase filtering, muting, blocking, and many other features, along with a reporting and moderation system.
**OAuth2 and a straightforward REST API** - Mastodon acts as an OAuth2 provider, and third party apps can use the REST and Streaming APIs. This results in a [rich app ecosystem](https://joinmastodon.org/apps) with a variety of choices!
## Deployment
### Tech stack
- [Ruby on Rails](https://github.com/rails/rails) powers the REST API and other web pages.
- [PostgreSQL](https://www.postgresql.org/) is the main database.
- [Redis](https://redis.io/) and [Sidekiq](https://sidekiq.org/) are used for caching and queueing.
- [Node.js](https://nodejs.org/) powers the streaming API.
- [React.js](https://reactjs.org/) and [Redux](https://redux.js.org/) are used for the dynamic parts of the interface.
- [BrowserStack](https://www.browserstack.com/) supports testing on real devices and browsers. (This project is tested with BrowserStack)
- [Chromatic](https://www.chromatic.com/) provides visual regression testing. (This project is tested with Chromatic)
### Requirements
- **Ruby** 3.2+
- **PostgreSQL** 13+
- **Redis** 6.2+
- **Node.js** 20+
This repository includes deployment configurations for **Docker and docker-compose**, as well as for other environments like Heroku and Scalingo. For Helm charts, reference the [mastodon/chart repository](https://github.com/mastodon/chart). A [**standalone** installation guide](https://docs.joinmastodon.org/admin/install/) is available in the main documentation.
## Contributing
Mastodon is **free, open-source software** licensed under **AGPLv3**. We welcome contributions and help from anyone who wants to improve the project.
You should read the overall [CONTRIBUTING](https://github.com/mastodon/.github/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md) guide, which covers our development processes.
You should also read and understand the [CODE OF CONDUCT](https://github.com/mastodon/.github/blob/main/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md) that enables us to maintain a welcoming and inclusive community. Collaboration begins with mutual respect and understanding.
You can learn about setting up a development environment in the [DEVELOPMENT](docs/DEVELOPMENT.md) documentation.
If you would like to help with translations 🌐 you can do so on [Crowdin](https://crowdin.com/project/mastodon).
## LICENSE
Copyright (c) 2016-2025 Eugen Rochko (+ [`mastodon authors`](AUTHORS.md))
Licensed under GNU Affero General Public License as stated in the [LICENSE](LICENSE):
```text
Copyright (c) 2016-2025 Eugen Rochko & other Mastodon contributors
This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under
the terms of the GNU Affero General Public License as published by the Free
Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any
later version.
This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT
ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS
FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU Affero General Public License for more
details.
You should have received a copy of the GNU Affero General Public License along
with this program. If not, see https://www.gnu.org/licenses/
```