Mastodon is a free, open-source social networking service that’s decentralized and distributed. It was created in 2016 as an alternative choice to centralized social media platforms corresponding to Twitter and Fb.
One of many key options of Mastodon is using the WebFinger protocol, which permits customers to find and entry details about different customers on the Mastodon community. WebFinger is an easy HTTP-based protocol that allows a consumer to find details about different customers or sources on the web through the use of their e mail tackle or different figuring out data. The WebFinger protocol is necessary for Mastodon as a result of it permits customers to search out and observe one another on the community, no matter the place they’re hosted.
WebFinger makes use of a “well-known” path construction when calling an area. You could be acquainted with the robots.txt conference. All of us simply agree that robots.txt will sit on the prime path of everybody’s area.
The WebFinger protocol is an easy HTTP-based protocol that allows a consumer or search to find details about different customers or sources on the web through the use of their e mail tackle or different figuring out data. My is first identify ultimately identify .com, so…my private WebFinger API endpoint is right here https://www.hanselman.com/.well-known/webfinger
The concept is that…
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A consumer sends a WebFinger request to a server, utilizing the e-mail tackle or different figuring out data of the consumer or useful resource they’re making an attempt to find.
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The server appears to be like up the requested data in its database and returns a JSON object containing the details about the consumer or useful resource. This JSON object is named a “useful resource descriptor.”
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The consumer’s consumer receives the useful resource descriptor and shows the knowledge to the consumer.
The useful resource descriptor incorporates varied sorts of details about the consumer or useful resource, corresponding to their identify, profile image, and hyperlinks to their social media accounts or different on-line sources. It might additionally embody different sorts of data, such because the consumer’s public key, which can be utilized to determine a safe reference to the consumer.
There’s an excellent explainer right here as nicely. From that web page:
When somebody searches for you on Mastodon, your server will probably be queried for accounts utilizing an endpoint that appears like this:
Be aware that Mastodon consumer names begin with @ so they’re @username@someserver.com. Identical to twiter can be @shanselman@twitter.com I will be @shanselman@hanselman.com now!
So maybe https://www.hanselman.com/.well-known/webfinger?useful resource=acct:FRED@HANSELMAN.COM
Mine returns
{
"topic":"acct:shanselman@hachyderm.io",
"aliases":
[
"https://hachyderm.io/@shanselman",
"https://hachyderm.io/users/shanselman"
],
"hyperlinks":
[
{
"rel":"http://webfinger.net/rel/profile-page",
"type":"text/html",
"href":"https://hachyderm.io/@shanselman"
},
{
"rel":"self",
"type":"application/activity+json",
"href":"https://hachyderm.io/users/shanselman"
},
{
"rel":"http://ostatus.org/schema/1.0/subscribe",
"template":"https://hachyderm.io/authorize_interaction?uri={uri}"
}
]
}
This file must be returned as a mime kind of software/jrd+json
My web site is an ASP.NET Razor Pages web site, so I simply did this in Startup.cs to map that well-known URL to a web page/route that returns the JSON wanted.
providers.AddRazorPages().AddRazorPagesOptions(choices =>
{
choices.Conventions.AddPageRoute("/robotstxt", "/Robots.Txt"); //i did this earlier than, not wanted
choices.Conventions.AddPageRoute("/webfinger", "/.well-known/webfinger");
choices.Conventions.AddPageRoute("/webfinger", "/.well-known/webfinger/{val?}");
});
then I made a webfinger.cshtml like this. Be aware I’ve to double escape the @@ websites as a result of it is Razor.
@web page
@{
Structure = null;
this.Response.ContentType = "software/jrd+json";
}
{
"topic":"acct:shanselman@hachyderm.io",
"aliases":
[
"https://hachyderm.io/@@shanselman",
"https://hachyderm.io/users/shanselman"
],
"hyperlinks":
[
{
"rel":"http://webfinger.net/rel/profile-page",
"type":"text/html",
"href":"https://hachyderm.io/@@shanselman"
},
{
"rel":"self",
"type":"application/activity+json",
"href":"https://hachyderm.io/users/shanselman"
},
{
"rel":"http://ostatus.org/schema/1.0/subscribe",
"template":"https://hachyderm.io/authorize_interaction?uri={uri}"
}
]
}
This can be a static response, but when I used to be internet hosting pages for a couple of particular person I might need to take within the url with the consumer’s identify, after which map it to their aliases and return these appropriately.
Even simpler, you’ll be able to simply use the JSON file of your individual Mastodon server’s webfinger response and SAVE IT as a static json file and replica it to your individual server!
So long as your server returns the proper JSON from that well-known URL then it’s going to work.
So that is my template https://hachyderm.io/.well-known/webfinger?useful resource=acct:shanselman@hachyderm.io from the place I am hosted now.
If you wish to get began with Mastodon, begin right here. https://github.com/joyeusenoelle/GuideToMastodon/ it seems like Twitter circa 2007 besides it is not owned by anybody and is predicated on internet requirements like ActivityPub.
Hope this helps!
About Scott
Scott Hanselman is a former professor, former Chief Architect in finance, now speaker, guide, father, diabetic, and Microsoft worker. He’s a failed stand-up comedian, a cornrower, and a guide writer.
