'use client'; import Link from 'next/link'; import { ArrowLeftIcon } from '@/components/Icons'; import { Rocket } from 'lucide-react'; export default function GuidePage() { return (
Understanding the federated social network
The Fediverse (federated universe) is a network of interconnected social platforms that can talk to each other. Unlike centralized platforms like Twitter or Facebook, the Fediverse is made up of thousands of independent servers (called "instances" or "nodes") that share a common protocol.
Think of it like email: you can send an email from Gmail to Outlook because they speak the same language. Similarly, you can follow someone on a Mastodon server from your Synapsis account because they both speak ActivityPub.
@alice@mynode.com).While Synapsis uses ActivityPub like Mastodon, it introduces a key difference: Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs).
On Mastodon, your identity is @username@server.com. If your server shuts down, or you want to move to a different one, you effectively lose your identity. Your followers have to re-follow your new account, and your post history doesn't come with you.
When you create an account on Synapsis, you're assigned a unique DID (Decentralized Identifier) — a cryptographic ID like did:key:z6Mk.... This DID is your true identity. Your human-readable handle (@alice) is simply a friendly pointer to that DID.
To follow a user on a different Synapsis node, use the Explore / Search feature. Enter their full handle in the format:
Synapsis uses WebFinger to discover the user's profile on the remote server, then sends a Follow request via ActivityPub.
The process is identical! Enter their full handle:
Because ActivityPub is an open standard, Synapsis can communicate with Mastodon, Pleroma, Misskey, and other compatible platforms.
To let someone on another server follow you, share your full handle. It includes your username and this node's domain:
When they search for your handle on their platform (Mastodon, another Synapsis node, etc.), their server will use WebFinger to find your profile and send a Follow request.
You can find your full handle on your Profile page.
Synapsis offers true account portability powered by DIDs. You can migrate your entire account — identity, posts, and media — to another Synapsis node.
Unlike Mastodon where followers must manually re-follow you, Synapsis followers are automatically migrated because they follow your DID, not just a server-specific account. This is true account portability.