So, I’ve been playing around with Mastodon and it’s great and all being decentralized and having ownership of my own data but the feel of it all just doesn’t impress me that much. Luckily, I’ve come acrross Pleroma which is another decentralized social media platform but in my opinion offers a simpler and cleaner UI. Pleroma is a free and open-source social networking platform, similar to Mastodon, that’s part of the wider Fediverse. The Fediverse is a collection of interconnected servers that use open protocols to enable users from different platforms to interact with each other. This decentralization is a key feature, as it stands in contrast to the centralized models of platforms like Twitter or Facebook.

I’m obviously not allowing open registrations as there’s so many spammers out there but I am interested in using this new instance of mine to communicate with other people who run their own instance, too.

Here’s a little more about Pleroma if you’re new to the software:

Origin and Development:

  • Pleroma was initially developed by Lain Iwakura, with its first release in 2017. The name “Pleroma” is derived from Gnostic theology, where it refers to the totality of divine powers.

  • It’s written primarily in Elixir, and uses the Phoenix framework. This makes it lightweight and efficient, allowing it to run on small servers or even Raspberry Pi setups.

Features:

  • Pleroma is compatible with the ActivityPub protocol, which is the standard for decentralized social networking. This means that Pleroma users can interact with users from other ActivityPub platforms like Mastodon, PeerTube, and more.

  • It offers a rich set of features, including customizable post lengths, media attachments, and a flexible theming engine.

  • Pleroma’s frontend, known as Pleroma-FE (FrontEnd), is reminiscent of the user interface of the now-defunct platform, GNU social. However, other frontends can also be used with Pleroma.

Community:

  • The Pleroma community is diverse, with users from all over the world. As with many decentralized platforms, there’s a strong emphasis on user freedom, privacy, and self-hosting.

  • The community is also active in development, with many contributors working on the platform’s codebase, plugins, and themes.

  • Being part of the Fediverse, Pleroma’s community often collaborates with other platforms’ communities, sharing tools, ideas, and best practices.

Advantages:

  • Decentralization: No single entity controls Pleroma. Users can host their own servers, giving them full control over their data and interactions.

  • Interoperability: Thanks to the ActivityPub protocol, Pleroma can interact with a wide range of other platforms.

  • Customization: Pleroma is highly customizable, allowing users and administrators to tweak the platform to their liking.