delightful activitypub development

A curated list of resources for ActivityPub developers who create software for the Fediverse.

Contents

• Developer tools
  • Frameworks
  • Libraries
  • Utilities
  • Testing
• Forge federation
  • Forge libraries
  • Forge tools
  • Forge plugins
• Miscellaneous projects
  • Search
  • Social sharing
  • Other projects
• Maintainers
• Contributors
• License

Developer tools

Application frameworks

• ⚗️ ActivityPods (site, fedi): A framework to create ActivityPub-compatible apps with all data stored in a single place: your Solid Pod. Apache-2.0, Javascript

• Bonfire: An extensible framework with a big focus on customisation and flexibility. Can be used to build new federated apps while focusing on a specific use case rather than reimplementing lots of boilerplate AGPL-3.0, Elixir

• Botkit (site): A framework for creating ActivityPub bots. AGPL-3.0, Typescript

• Federated Digital Commerce Template: Accelerate federated digital commercial product development with this FastAPI/ActivityPub base project generator. MIT, Python

• fedi bot club (site): Framework for creating bots scripted in Lua or Fennel. Works with Mastodon and GoToSocial. MIT, Lua

• Fedify (site, fedi): A TypeScript library for building federated server apps powered by ActivityPub and other standards. MIT, TypeScript

Libraries

• ActivityKit: An attempt to build a spec-compliant ActivityPub core library. MIT, Typescript

• ActivityPhp (site, fedi): A PHP implementation of ActivityPub protocol based upon the ActivityStreams 2.0 data format. MIT, PHP

• ActivityPub: Generic library to federate an app with ActivityPub (uses a queue for incoming/outgoing activities and adapter modules for tight integration). AGPL-3.0, Elixir

• ActivityPubClient: An ActivityPub client library developed for Kazarma, a Matrix bridge. LGPL-3.0, Elixir

• activityPub-core: An attempt to build a spec-compliant ActivityPub core library. MIT, Typescript

• ActivityPub Express: Modular ActivityPub implementation as Express.js middleware to easily add decentralization and federation to Node apps MIT, Javascript

• ActivityPub-Federation: A high-level framework for ActivityPub federation in Rust, extracted from Lemmy. AGPL-3.0, Rust

• ActivityPub Models - "ActivityPub JS/TS models with docs TypeScript, -

• ActivityPub HTTP Signatures (fedi): A library for creating, parsing, and verifying HTTP signature headers, as per the Signing HTTP Messages draft 80 specification. ISC, Javascript

• ActivityPub Kotlin: Kotlin implementation of ActivityPub. Apache-2.0, Kotlin

• ActivityPub Minimal Core: An exploration into an ActivityPub Minimal Core. MIT, Python

• ActivityPub-PHP (fedi): A PHP implementation of the ActivityPub protocol (used in Pterotype plugin). MIT, PHP

• ActivityPub Starter Kit: A tiny, single user ActivityPub server, meant to be a starting point for your own ActivityPub projects. MIT, Typescript

• activityPub4j: W3C ActivityPub and ActivityStreams implementation in Java using Spring Boot. Apache-2.0, Java

• ActivityHub.Net: A C# .NET Implementation of ActivityPub Entity Types. -, C#

• ActivityPub.Net: A parser for ActivityPub. MIT, C#

• ActivityServe: A very light ActivityPub library in Go (used to power pherephone) MIT, Go

• ActivityStream (fedi): Simple ActivityStream handling for Go. Apache-2.0, Go

• ActivityStreams (fedi): A set of Traits and Types that make up the ActivityStreams and ActivityPub specifications. GPL-3.0, Rust

• ActivityStreams: Full ActivityStreams 1.0 and 2.0 reference implementation in Java. Apache-2.0, Java

• ActivityStreams: A .NET implementation of the Activity Streams vocabulary in the form of classes that can be serialized using System.Text.Json MIT, C#

• ActivityStreams-2: ActivityStreams 2.0 library for Node.js and TypeScript. Apache-2.0, Typescript

• ap-components (fedi): A collection of Web Components for showing ActivityPub objects in a browser. Apache-2.0, Javascript

• ap-groups: Groups for the Fediverse. MIT, Typescript

• astreams (fedi): A hand-crafted implementation of the Activity Streams 2.0 specification in Go, especially suitable for projects implementing ActivityPub. AGPL-3.0, Go

• atoot: Library providing an easy way to create Mastodon API applications MIT, Python

• BigBone: A fork of Mastodon4J, a Mastodon client library for Java and Kotlin. MIT, Kotlin

• Bovine (PyPI, ReadTheDocs, fedi): Basic Python FediVerse utility library. MIT, Python

• Chatter Net Client: A decentralized semantic web built atop self-sovereign identity. Client-side. MIT, Typescript

• Chatter Net Server: A decentralized semantic web built atop self-sovereign identity. Server-side. MIT, Rust

• Clovis: [ARCHIVED] Implementation of ActivityPub in Scala. (Hobby project included here for reference only.) AGPL-3.0, Scala

• corpus-activity-streams: Activity Streams 2.0 vocabulary data and alternative docs. Unlicense license, Typescript

• DarkLink.Web.ActivityPub: A framework (kinda) to work with ActivityPub with .NET MIT, C#

• Dialtone: An "un-imagined" ActivityPub service, to address emergent use cases. Multi-tenant, multi-personality, multi-ownership. Apache-2.0 / MIT, Rust

• Digit: Simple API for building WebFinger resource responses. Apache-2.0, Go

• Disboard: Collection of fediverse API wrapper libraries for .NET Standard 2.0. MIT, C#

• Drastic.Mastodon: A fork of Masto.NET, a C#/.NET Library for accessing Mastodon. MIT, C#

• Express ActivityPub: A very simple reference implementation of an ActivityPub server using Express.js. MIT, Javascript

• Federails: An ActivityPub engine for Ruby on Rails. MIT, Ruby

• Federation: Library to abstract social web federation protocols like ActivityPub, Diaspora and Matrix (see docs) BSD-3-clause, Python

• Fedi: ActivityStreams and ActivityPub in Elixir. Based on a a literal translation from the go-fed package. Apache-2.0, Elixir

• FediKit: Building Blocks for Fediverse. MIT, TypeScript

• fedi-games (site): A simple framework to build games for the Fediverse using the ActivityPub protocol. AGPL-3.0, Go

• fedi-inbox (fedi): Basic Fediverse Inbox. Writing software is hard and time consuming. What's the most basic practical system that lets us connect to the fediverse? Public domain, Javascript

• fuwuqi (fedi): A useless C2S ActivityPub server for "extremely hardcore" ActivityPub enthusiasts. GPL-3.0, Python

• Golang ActivityPub (fedi): Libraries for using ActivityPub in the Go language. MIT, Go

• go-activitypub: An opionated (and incomplete) ActivityPub service implementation in Go. ISC, Go

• go-fed activity (site, fedi): Full ActivityStreams & ActivityPub implementation in Golang. Extensions can be easily added by design-time code generation from JSON-LD schema's (also supports ForgeFed this way, by default). BSD-3-clause, Go

• go-fed apcore (site, fedi): A powerful single server ActivityPub framework for performant Fediverse applications. AGPL-3.0, Go

• go-mastodon: Mastodon client for Golang. MIT, Go

• Hannibal (fedi): ActivityPub library for Golang. Apache-2.0, Go

• hare-activity (fedi): Hare package provides a extensible implementation of the ActivityStreams 2.0 format and the ActivityPub protocols. MPL, Hare

• http-signature: Implementation of the HTTP Signature scheme as used in ActivityPub. Apache-2.0, Typescript

• Incognitum: A .NET Standard library for Mastodon. MIT, C#

• Lemmy-Swift-Client (site): A Swift client for Lemmy. MIT, Swift

• LittleActivityPub: A minimal and incomplete implementation of an ActivityPub server, for didactic purposes. MIT, PHP

• Little Boxes: Tiny ActivityPub framework, both database and server agnostic ISC, Python

• Little Library: A digital give-a-book, take-a-book library for ebooks AGPL-3.0, Javascript

• Mastodon.py: Python wrapper for the Mastodon API. MIT, Python

• masto.js: Mastodon API client for Javascript . MIT, Javascript

• Masto.Net: A C# Library for Mastodon. MIT, C#

• Megalodon: Mastodon, Pleroma and Misskey API client library for node.js and browser. MIT, Typescript

• Megalodon-rs: Mastodon and Pleroma API client library for Rust. Apache-2.0, Rust

• minipub (site): Minimal ActivityPub server for posting federated podcast comments. MIT, Typescript

• Mod.ActivityPub: ActivityPub Server services for ASP.NET -, C#

• NActivityPub: ActivityPub & ActivityStreams support library for Common Lisp. BSD-3-Clause, Lisp

• one-page-pub (fedi): A compliant, robust ActivityPub server in one page Apache-2.0, Javascript

• ProboscisKit: A lightweight Mastodon Swift framework, made for iOS and macOS. CC BY-SA 4.0, Swift

• Pub: A tiny ActivityPub to Mastodon bridge. BSD-3-Clause, Go

• Pubstrate: ActivityStreams and ActivityPub library implementation for GNU Guile. Includes a full ActivityStreams library and most of an ActivityPub implementation. GPL-3.0, Guile

• Pyfed: A robust, type-safe ActivityPub library for Python. Maintained by Funkwhale GPL-3.0, Python

• pynodeinfo: NodeInfo library implemented with poetry. AGPL-3.0, Python

• Python ActivityPub: A general ActivityPub library MPL-2.0, Python

• rdf-pub (site, fedi): An activity-pub server implementation, that is not limited to the activity-stream vocabulary, but supports RDF per se. EUPL, Java

• rustypub (site, fedi): Early beginnings of ActivityPub library in Rust (started August 2022, see announcement). Apache-2.0, Rust

• Sigh (fedi): HTTP signatures for ActivityPub in Rust. MIT, Rust

• SofaPub: A minimally functional ActivityPub Server. MIT, Rust

• The Old Dog and Duck: A Clojure library designed to implement the ActivityPub protocol. GPL-2.0, Clojure

• Toki: A C# ActivityPub Fediverse-compatible server designed mostly for small-ish instances. AGPL-3.0, C#

• TootSDK: Cross-platform Swift library for the Mastodon API. BSD-3-Clause, Swift

Utilities

• FedIAM (fedi): A research project which aims to offer login and access control based on open identities using Fediverse and IndieWeb protocols. Apache-2.0, Go

• Granary (site): The social web translator. Fetches and converts data between social networks, HTML and JSON with microformats2, ActivityStreams, Atom, JSON Feed, and more. Public domain, Python

• Minoru's Fediverse Crawler (site, fedi): Crawls the Fediverse and produces a list of instances that are alive. AGPL-3.0, Rust

• M-OAuth(site) (fedi): Access token generator for Akkoma, Pleroma, Mastodon APIs. GPL-3.0, TypeScript

• ⚗️ Mentions United: Client-side retrieving and rendering of interactions from the fediverse. MIT, Javascript

• Pythörhead: A python library for interacting with Lemmy. AGPL-3.0, Python

• rtoot (site, fedi): R package to interact with the mastodon API. MIT, R

• Sherlock (fedi): Library that inspects a URL for any and all available metadata, pulling from whatever metadata formats are available, and returning it as an ActivityStreams 2.0 document. Apache-2.0, Go

• Steampipe Mastodon Plugin: Use SQL to instantly query Mastodon timelines and more. Open source CLI to Steampipe SaaS. No DB required. Apache-2.0, Go

• storage-sqlite: Filesystem based storage for GoActivitypub. MIT, Go

Utilities unmaintained

• 👻 ActivityPubSchema: JSON Schema definition of the ActivityStreams and ActivityPub specifications. MIT, Javascript

• 👻 activity-streams-validator (fedi): Activity Streams validation for Typescript. MIT, Typescript

• 👻 ap (fedi): Command-line client for the ActivityPub API. GPL-3.0, Python

• 👻 bots-rodeo (fedi): A bots-only server framework for ActivityPub. AGPL-3.0, Javascript

• 👻 MastoBot (fedi): NodeJS Mastodon client library with an eye to making bot development fun & easy. ISC License, Javascript

• 👻 MastodonKit (site): A Swift Framework that wraps Mastodon's API. MIT, Swift

• 👻 n8n-nodes-mastodon: A community node that lets you use Mastodon in your n8n automation workflows. MIT, Typescript

• 👻 toot-volute: An interpreter for Mastodon posts. GPL-3.0, Javascript

Testing

• activitypub-mock: A mock ActivityPub server to use in testing code Apache-2.0, Javascript

• APDebug (fedi): A set of tools to debug ActivityPub requests. You can inspect requests, see the flow in real time, run arbitrary requests with HTTP signature handled for you. AGPL-3.0, PHP

• dfk-ap (site): A small ActivityPub debugging server on Glitch MIT, Javascript

• FediDB (site, fedi): A suite of tools for AP devs to help make it easier to test and validate your implementation with existing implementations like Mastodon, PeerTube, Pixelfed and Pleroma AGPL-3.0, PHP

• rocks-testsuite (fedi): A rewrite of the activitypub.rocks test suite in Python. GPL-3.0, Python

• Test Suite: An unofficial partially-automated ActivityPub test suite AGPL-3.0, Go

Forge federation

This category is dedicated to an important new direction on the Fediverse, where Software Development itself becomes federated. Currently the focus is on projects and protocols that allow for the federation of code forges (such as Gitea and Gitlab).

Forge libraries

• gofff (fedi): Reference implementation of Friendly Forge Format in Golang. AGPL-3.0, Go

• pyfff (fedi): Reference implementation of Friendly Forge Format in Python. AGPL-3.0, Python

Forge tools

• ForgeFlux StarChart: Software forge spider. Crawler that maps and advertises self-hosted code forge instances. AGPL-3.0, Rust

• giteacat: Python script that allows sign up to a Gitea instance to all local users of a Mastodon server. -, Python

Forge plugins

• ForgeFed extension for Pagure: An extension for the Pagure forge that adds ForgeFed federation to Pagure instances. GPL-2.0, Python

Miscellaneous projects

This category is for any code project related to the Fediverse. They need not be directly development related.

Search

• Sepia Search (site): A search engine of PeerTube videos and channels Developed by Framasoft AGPL-3.0, Typescript

Social sharing

• Share Buttons: Share buttons that support dynamic input of Fediverse URLs and require no Javascript. AGPL-3,0, PHP

• Fedishare: Firefox toolbar extension to share the current browser tab on the Fediverse GPL-3.0, Typescript

Other projects

• Mastodon Simplified Federation: FireFox browser plugin, that simplifies following and interacting with remote users on other Mastodon instances. ISC, Javascript

Maintainers

If you have questions or feedback regarding this list, then please create an Issue in our tracker, and optionally @mention one or more of our maintainers:

• @circlebuilder
• @lostinlight

Contributors

With delight we present you some of our delightful contributors (please add yourself if you are missing).

License