Mastodon social media platform

Mastodon is a free and open-source decentralized social networking platform that operates as a federated network of independently managed servers, known as instances. Each instance communicates using the ActivityPub protocol, allowing users to connect across different servers within the Fediverse. Unlike centralized social media platforms, Mastodon emphasizes user privacy and community-driven moderation, offering features such as granular post visibility controls, content warnings, and local moderation policies. The platform was created by German programmer Eugen Rochko and was first released in 2016. In 2021, Mastodon transitioned to a non-profit organization, Mastodon gGmbH, to further its mission of providing a decentralized alternative to mainstream social media. As of January 2026, Mastodon continues to operate as a non-profit entity, with its development and maintenance managed by Mastodon gGmbH, headquartered in Germany.