Pixelfed.social is the original flagship instance of Pixelfed, a free, open-source, decentralized photo-sharing platform that serves as a privacy-focused alternative to Instagram.

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🚀 Overview

Pixelfed is a decentralized social network for sharing photos and videos, powered by the ActivityPub protocol, allowing seamless interaction across the Fediverse with platforms like Mastodon. Launched in 2018, it emphasizes chronological feeds, no ads, and strong privacy controls, letting users own their data without algorithmic manipulation or tracking.

It solves the problems of centralized platforms like Instagram, which prioritize engagement over privacy, sell user data, and hide content behind algorithms. Pixelfed offers an ethical, ad-free space for genuine photo sharing.

• What problem does this project solve? It provides a decentralized, privacy-respecting alternative to proprietary photo-sharing apps that exploit users.
• Who is it built for? Photographers, casual users, and anyone tired of Big Tech's data practices.
• Why did you build it? Creator Daniel Supernault aimed to build a federated platform where users control their experience, free from corporate interference.

Keep it human and honest: Pixelfed feels like Instagram should have been—simple, beautiful, and user-first.

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✨ Key Features

• Photo albums (up to 20 photos or 1 video per post, 15MB max, 2000 char captions) for storytelling (essential for rich sharing without multiple posts)
• Stories that disappear after 24 hours, filters, likes, threaded comments, and direct messages for full social engagement
• Federation via ActivityPub: interact with Mastodon, etc., plus privacy options like unlisted/followers-only posts, account locking, muting/blocking
• Optional: Collections, hashtags, notifications, mobile apps (iOS/Android), 2FA security

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🛠 Tech Stack

• Frontend: Vue.js, Blade (Laravel templates)
• Backend: PHP, Laravel framework
• Database: MariaDB, Redis (caching)
• Auth: Built-in with 2FA (TOTP)
• Hosting: Docker Compose for self-hosting, NGINX/Apache compatible

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👥 Who Is This For?

This project is useful for:

• Photographers who want to share high-quality albums without ads or algorithms
• Privacy advocates looking for decentralized social networking
• Server admins and indie makers self-hosting Fediverse instances

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📸 Screenshots / Demo

• Live demo: https://pixelfed.social
• GitHub: https://github.com/pixelfed/pixelfed

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🔥 Project Status

• 🟢 Actively building

Last updated: 2026-03-24

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❓ FAQ

Is this project free?

Yes — completely free to use, join any instance or self-host. Open source with no paid tiers.

Is the source code available?

Yes — https://github.com/pixelfed/pixelfed (server) and https://github.com/pixelfed/pixelfed-rn (mobile app)

Can I contribute?

Yes, check CONTRIBUTING.md on GitHub for guidelines. Open issues, submit PRs to dev/staging branches, or provide feedback on Mastodon @pixelfed. 184 contributors so far.

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📬 Contact & Links

• Website: https://pixelfed.org/
• GitHub: https://github.com/pixelfed/pixelfed
• Twitter/X: https://x.com/PixelFed
• Email: hello@pixelfed.org

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