Synapsis

Synapsis is an open-source, federated social network built to serve as global communication infrastructure. It is designed to be lightweight, easy to deploy, and interoperable with the broader fediverse.

Features

• Federation Ready: Built with ActivityPub compatibility in mind (WebFinger, NodeInfo).
• Identity: Portable identity system backed by user handles.
• Modern UI: Clean, responsive interface inspired by Vercel's design system.
• Rich Media: Support for image uploads and media galleries.
• Moderation: Built-in admin dashboard for user management and content moderation.
• Setup Wizard: User-friendly /install flow to get your node running in minutes.
• Curated Feeds: Smart feed algorithms to highlight engaging content.

Tech Stack

• Framework: Next.js 15+ (App Router)
• Database: PostgreSQL (via Neon / Drizzle ORM)
• Styling: Tailwind CSS v4 & custom Vercel-like design system
• Authentication: Auth.js (NextAuth)
• Type Safety: TypeScript

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+
• A PostgreSQL database (e.g., Neon)

Installation

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/cyph3rasi/Synapsis.git
   cd Synapsis
   

2. Install dependencies

   npm install
   

3. Configure Environment Copy the example environment file:

   cp .env.example .env
   

   Update .env with your credentials:

   # Database (PostgreSQL connection string)
   DATABASE_URL="postgresql://user:password@host/dbname..."
   
   # Auth (Generate with: openssl rand -base64 33)
   AUTH_SECRET="your-secret-key"
   
   # Node Configuration
   NEXT_PUBLIC_NODE_DOMAIN="your-domain.com"
   NEXT_PUBLIC_NODE_NAME="My Synapsis Node"
   
   # Admin Access (Comma-separated emails)
   ADMIN_EMAILS="admin@example.com,moderator@example.com"
   

4. Initialize Database Push the schema to your database:

   npm run db:push
   

5. Start Development Server

   npm run dev
   

   Visit http://localhost:3000 to see your node.

Initial Setup

1. Go to http://localhost:3000 (or your deployed URL).
2. You will be redirected to the Setup Wizard (/install) if the node is not configured.
3. Follow the wizard to verify your environment and database connection.
4. Register your first account.
5. Add your email to ADMIN_EMAILS in your .env file to grant yourself admin privileges.
6. Restart the server (if running locally) to apply the admin changes.

Deployment (VPS)

Since Synapsis stores media files locally by default, it is best hosted on a VPS (Virtual Private Server) like DigitalOcean, Hetzner, or AWS EC2.

Prerequisites

• A VPS running Ubuntu 20.04 or later.
• A domain name pointing to your VPS IP address.
• PostgreSQL database (managed or self-hosted).

1. Server Setup

Install Node.js 18+ and PM2 (process manager):

# Install Node.js
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_18.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs

# Install PM2
sudo npm install -g pm2

2. Installation

Clone and configure the application:

# Clone repo
git clone https://github.com/cyph3rasi/Synapsis.git
cd Synapsis

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Setup Env
cp .env.example .env
nano .env # (Edit with your DB credentials and domain)

# Build the project
npm run build

# Push Database Schema
npm run db:push

3. Start Application

Use PM2 to run the app in the background:

pm2 start npm --name "synapsis" -- start
pm2 save
pm2 startup

Your node is now running on port 3000!

4. Reverse Proxy (Nginx)

It is highly recommended to use Nginx to handle SSL and forward traffic to port 3000.

server {
    server_name your-domain.com;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:3000;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection 'upgrade';
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_cache_bypass $http_upgrade;
    }
}

Updating Your Instance

To update your node when a new version is released:

cd Synapsis
git pull origin main
npm install
npm run build
pm2 restart synapsis

License

Licensed under the Apache 2.0 License. See LICENSE for details.