The release of a free platform for the deployment of decentralized social networks - Mastodon 3.5, which allows you to create services that are not controlled by individual providers at your own facilities. If the user is not able to run his own node, then he can choose a trusted public service to connect to. Mastodon belongs to the category of federated networks, which use the ActivityPub protocol suite to form a single communication structure.
The server side of the project is written in Ruby using Ruby on Rails, and the client interface is written in JavaScript using the React.js and Redux libraries. The source texts are distributed under the AGPLv3 license. There is also a static frontend for publishing public resources such as profiles and statuses. Data storage is organized using PostgreSQL and Redis. An open API is provided for developing add-ons and connecting external applications (there are clients for Android, iOS and Windows, you can create bots).
In the new release:
- Added the ability to edit already sent publications. The original and edited versions of publications are saved and remain available for analysis in the transaction history. Users who have shared a post with other members receive a notification when they make changes to the original post and can undistribute the message they shared. The feature is currently disabled by default in the web application and will be enabled once enough servers migrate to version 3.5.
- The order of attachments in a message no longer depends on the file upload order.
- A new page has been added with a selection of popular posts, trending hashtags, recommended followings, and news posts shared by the most members. Collections are formed taking into account the user's language. All materials included in the lists of publications gaining popularity are manually moderated before being displayed as recommendations.
- Moderators have a new multi-stage process for reviewing warnings of violations with the possibility of considering appeals. Any moderator actions, such as deleting a post or pausing publications, are now shown in the user's settings and, by default, are accompanied by sending a notification to the violator by email, with the opportunity to challenge the actions taken, including through personal correspondence with the moderator.
- A new summary page has been proposed with general metrics for moderators and additional statistics, including data on where new users come from, what languages are spoken, and how many of them remain on the server afterwards. The complaints page has been updated to streamline alert handling processes and improve tools for mass removal of spam and bot activity.
Source: opennet.ru