this post was submitted on 18 Jun 2023
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Fediverse
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This magazine is dedicated to discussions on the federated social networking ecosystem, which includes decentralized and open-source social media platforms. Whether you are a user, developer, or simply interested in the concept of decentralized social media, this is the place for you. Here you can share your knowledge, ask questions, and engage in discussions on topics such as the benefits and challenges of decentralized social media, new and existing federated platforms, and more. From the latest developments and trends to ethical considerations and the future of federated social media, this category covers a wide range of topics related to the Fediverse.
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An instance is an individual installation of the (Lemmy / Kbin / Mastodon) system. One person might be hosting something on Docker, another might pay a web host, another might just have an old Linux box they set up with a static IP and such. Each instance is self-contained and could function as an independent entity but there are also tools built in that let those independently hosted instances talk and share.
I like to liken it to email providers for simplicity. Gmail and Hotmail are independently hosted, COULD function as independent, internal only systems... but they use common protocols to talk and share email.