Darius Kazemi

I'm happy to announce that my barebones ActivityPub server, implemented in Node.js/Express, is now open source! I intend for it to be a reference implementation for developers who are adding ActivityPub to their own services, but also it is an application server that you can build on if you want.

In other words, t's a few hundred lines of code that lets you create Mastodon-compatible accounts that can accept follow requests and post stuff to their followers.

https://github.com/dariusk/express-activitypub

GitHub - dariusk/express-activitypub: A very simple reference implementation of an ActivityPub server using Express.js

A very simple reference implementation of an ActivityPub server using Express.js - dariusk/express-activitypub

GitHub
Sep 15, 2018 at 7:12amWeb
Show threadDarius KazemiSep 15, 2018

I actually built a little toy service (that I will also eventually open source) which converts any RSS feed to an ActivityPub actor that you can subscribe to in Mastodon (or any other AP-compatible client).

Play with it if you like! It is SUPER rough and most feeds end up horribly rendered in Mastodon but it's still kinda cool to see it work: https://bots.tinysubversions.com/convert/

Convert an RSS feed to ActivityPub

Show threadDjoerdSep 15, 2018
@darius That's pretty nifty. I created @[email protected]
Show threadAral BalkanSep 15, 2018
@djoerd @darius Just a heads up, getting this is Amaroq when I select your djoerd link.
Show threadAral BalkanSep 15, 2018
@djoerd @darius * in
Show threadDarius KazemiSep 15, 2018
@aral @djoerd I'll poke at it. Currently it's only tested in the Mastodon web client
Show threadMike [SEC=OFFICIAL]Sep 15, 2018
@darius this is exactly the service I intended to start building in a few weeks. Please alert me when you share the source! I have a project in mind that this would be a huge leg up for.
Show threadFrank MeeuwsenSep 15, 2018
@darius I just tested this on my local machine and it works great. I still need to understand the basics of ActivityPub and what I could do with this. But what sprung to mind: If it is that easy to create accounts and automate stuff with it, isn't this just another spam-flood waiting to happen?
Show threadDarius KazemiSep 15, 2018
@frank Yup. I think that's inevitable in any decentralized open system like email. I imagine what's going to have to happen is some kind of group anti spam solution (formal shared server blocks specifically for spam behavior that admins can subscribe to).
Show threadscottbw 🐧 🇬🇧🇩🇪Sep 15, 2018
@darius Great idea!
Show threadAlgotSep 15, 2018

@darius

Thanks for building this.

I set up @Algot

and then did a feed update.

As yet, the account has not displayed anything via the Mastodon web client.

Show threadDarius KazemiSep 15, 2018
@Algot Did you follow the account? Its updates will only appear in your notifications feed because there is no persistence for a "profile" page with a list of posts (yet)
Show threadDarius KazemiSep 15, 2018
@Algot if you update again with a new post, let me know, I'm following it now too
Show threadAlgotSep 15, 2018

@darius

I'll go do that next.

Does it matter how many items are in the feed?

Show threadDarius KazemiSep 15, 2018
@Algot No, it shouldn't. It just does a diff every time it polls the feed and then posts any new items.
Show threadDarius KazemiSep 15, 2018
@Algot I'll check my server logs when I get a chance, too
Show threadAlgotSep 15, 2018

@darius

How does my mastodon account get a notification?

I have followed the @Algot

But how does that account know that my masto account exists to notify me?

By way of my follow?

Show threadDarius KazemiSep 15, 2018
@Algot when you follow an account you send it a "Follow" message, and then that account adds your account to a local database. Then when it makes a post you're in the list of accounts to notify.
Show threadAlgotSep 15, 2018

@darius

Just did a site update to the RSS file with a timestamp of

Sat Sep 15 2018 16:20:00 GMT

now I wait.

Show threadDarius KazemiSep 15, 2018
@Algot Something seems not working, I'll try and figure it out!
Show threadDarius KazemiSep 15, 2018
@Algot I fixed it! Just a silly bug in my code. Your next RSS update should post to you within a minute or two. (the account I'm screenshotting here is @dfktest , I just copied your RSS feed to my own server and added/removed items for my own testing purposes)
Show threadAlgotSep 15, 2018

@darius

Glad to serve as a code-test guinea pig!

Show threadAlgotSep 15, 2018

@darius

Nothing has shown up here yet.

Should I see a notification with a message including my .art account name?

Or will the bot's toot only appear in my home timeline...where it might go by sometimes without being seen.

Show threadDarius KazemiSep 15, 2018
@Algot It simply appears in your home timeline. It's not a notification.
Show threadAlgotSep 15, 2018

@darius

As I sit thinking about it, I'll probably not use this tool as-is (or ask others to follow the account) if the bot doesn't send a notification.

That's not actually a complaint. I understand the idea it is just doing a standard toot and that that is what most bots should do.

But as a way to be sure I know about updates to a very intermittent RSS feed like mine, someone would too often miss that a new post had occurred.

Show threadDarius KazemiSep 15, 2018
@Algot It only appears in your timeline, not as a notification. If you want to prioritize it you could always make a list for RSS feeds. But it's essentially like following the feed for any website or company or person -- most updates do not get addressed directly to you.
Show threadAlgotSep 15, 2018

@darius

I remain very impressed with the concept of making RSS accessible using ActivityPub.

I am a fan of the RSS feed concept, and your work clearly shows that it can have legs in the fediverse, too.

Show threadDarius KazemiSep 15, 2018
@Algot Thanks! What I actually hope happens is that clients begin to support things like "notify me in my notifications column every time this account posts even if it's not directed at me". My hope is that by providing these kinds of tools, client implementors will be incentivized to support them.
Show threadAlgotSep 15, 2018

@darius

Have you reached out to the main Mastodon/Pleroma/PixelFed/etc.
developers?

I would expect that they would be interested in your ideas.

Show threadDarius KazemiSep 15, 2018
@Algot Yes! I even know some people involved in ActivityPub itself.
Show threadAlgotSep 15, 2018

@darius

I'll be interested to see how this whole federation thing continues to develop.

Accessory projects like your bot have real potential to enrich the system.

Show threadAlgotSep 15, 2018

@darius

I do follow a lot of people, probably more than I should, but I like to be able to catch onto new ideas like yours as random people I follow boost posts like yours.

Show threadAlgotSep 15, 2018

@darius

I see the profile page but have had no notifications.

I did follow the account and can see the account (with a nice avatar image built from my RSS header graphic - COOL!)

Show threadGreg McVerrySep 17, 2018
@darius I need to finish my Bridgy Fed set up but I was able to turn my blog into a Fediverse instance at [email protected]
Show threadTaco DaveSep 20, 2018
@darius it didn't work. :( It only took me to /u/test instead of the user page for the bot I tried making, and when I manually changed the URL, it said no bot was found.
Show threadTaco DaveSep 20, 2018
@darius also it appears to have changed the test profile to the RSS feed I chose, or we both had the same weird idea for what feed to try... (your Mastodon profile's own RSS feed...)
Show threadDarius KazemiSep 21, 2018
@dave that is what happened! It redirected you because the feed already exists as "test", heh
Show threadDarius KazemiSep 21, 2018
@dave I should make that clearer
Show threadTaco DaveSep 21, 2018
@darius oh man, the ol' "it's not a bug, it's a feature" except legit this time! 😃
Show threadDrew SchusterSep 15, 2018
@darius yay! So excited to check it out!
Show threadDusk Sep 15, 2018
@darius Question about licensing: the readme says MIT at the end, but there's no normal slightly tweaked MIT LICENSE file, and the package.json says ISC. What's it under?
Show threadDarius KazemiSep 15, 2018
@bb010g I meant for it to be MIT, will fix
Show threadDarius KazemiSep 15, 2018
@bb010g Okay, all fixed!
Show threadCasey KolderupSep 15, 2018
@darius
Show threadAral BalkanSep 15, 2018
@darius Can’t wait to check it out; thank you for making and sharing this :)
Show threadDEFUND.Sep 15, 2018
@darius 🤔 this is nice! Can it be run standalone and controlled via command line?
Show threadDarius KazemiSep 15, 2018
@brandon no, it's a reference implementation so it's not really designed to be useful as-is
Show threadDEFUND.Sep 15, 2018
@darius alright :)
Show threadDerek ArnoldSep 15, 2018
@darius Nice! This is absolutely the sort of thing I was talking about that post from a couple of nights ago, this rules because I stop working on mine and just use this
Show threadgaeelSep 15, 2018
@darius
Oh nice! Cool stuff!
Show threadEd SummersSep 15, 2018
@darius this is awesome Darius — thanks for working on it!
Show threadDJ SundogSep 15, 2018
@darius this is ​ 👌
Show threadRipp (Old Account ➡ Chitter)Sep 15, 2018

@darius I thank you

I am going to make use of this
Or maybe not, the project back burner is rather large

Show threadOlivier ForgetSep 15, 2018
@darius This is fantastic, thank-you!
Show threadDavidSep 15, 2018
@darius fantastic! I'll definitely be checking it out
Show threaderin ｡:ﾟ૮ ˶ˆ ﻌ ˆ˶ ა ﾟ:｡Sep 15, 2018
@darius oooooh this is awesome! thank you <3
Show threadDan PhifferSep 15, 2018
this is great! I set up @test. I am curious about images, is this the best place to start? https://www.w3.org/wiki/SocialCG/ActivityPub/MediaUpload
SocialCG/ActivityPub/MediaUpload - W3C Wiki

Show threadjonSep 15, 2018
@darius this is great, thanks for doing it!
Show threadDJ SundogSep 17, 2018
@darius thanks again for this, Darius - humming right along on the raspberry pi 3 I set up as a dev system for my fork of your code  gimme a few days to knock a couple more of my ideas into it and maybe I'll be able to return the favor a bit ;)
Show threadDarius KazemiSep 17, 2018
@djsundog Fantastic!! This is all I wanted :)