Mastodon servers run on free open source software made by the Mastodon development team. This server software is constantly updated to add features, fix things and strengthen security.
Each Mastodon server is totally independent, and the server admins choose when to update their server’s software. You may want to check which version of Mastodon a particular server is running, for example if it’s your server or if you’re considering moving to the server.
To check a Mastodon server’s version:
- Go to the server’s website (you don’t need to log in or be a member)
- If you’re on the desktop website, the server’s Mastodon version will be written in the bottom left corner of the screen. If you’re on the mobile website, click ☰ in the bottom right corner, then click About, then scroll to the bottom of the page.
- You will recognise it as version number because it will look something like “v4.6.4” or similar. (It may have some extra letters or words if it’s a customised or experimental version of Mastodon, but you can ignore these. Just look for the first three numbers after the V.)
Why would I want to know the version number of a server?
There are two main reasons for checking the version of Mastodon a server is running:
- Some features are only available on servers running a certain version or newer.
- Security updates are only available for server running a certain version of newer. Servers which are no longer receiving security updates may be dangerous to use.
When looking for version numbers, you want the number to be the same or higher than the minimum requirement. For example if a feature was introduced in v4.5.0 then you would want your server’s version number to be the same as or higher than this.
How do I find out the latest version numbers for Mastodon?
The Mastodon developers’ Github page has the latest three version numbers written at the top of its releases page ⧉.
(If you’re technical that page also lets you browse through the details of the latest version, but you don’t need to do this.)
Which versions of Mastodon get security updates?
The Mastodon developers provide security updates for the latest version and two versions before that. For example if the latest version is 4.6.x then there will be security updates for servers running 4.6.x, 4.5.x and 4.4.x.
That’s why there are usually three versions at the top of the latest versions page ⧉, because these are the three versions that are receiving security patches.
What do I do if my server is running an older version of Mastodon?
There are sometimes good reasons for running an older version, you may want to contact your server admin to ask about it. For example servers with customised features such as longer character limits can take a bit more work to update, so they may take a bit longer to install updates.
As long as your server is running one of the versions that is still receiving security updates, it should be okay to use it. If you’re in any doubt, ask your server admin.
The server has “glitch” or “hometown” written on its version number. What does this mean?
Mastodon is free open source software, which means anyone with the necessary programming knowledge can create their own customised version, known as a “fork”. Two of the most popular and well-established forks are Glitch Mastodon ⧉ and Hometown Mastodon ⧉. If you see these names in the version number, it means your server is running one of these forks.
There’s nothing wrong with a server running on a fork of Mastodon, in fact it often brings more features. Forks and originals aren’t rivals or competitors, they can contribute to each other in both directions. Many features of standard Mastodon originally appeared on the Glitch fork. Whichever fork your server is running, it’s still compatible with standard Mastodon and you’ll be able to follow and interact with people from standard Mastodon servers.
Standard Mastodon is often called “Vanilla Mastodon” to distinguish it from Glitch Mastodon, Hometown Mastodon and other forks.
The server’s version number has lots of letters and numbers and the word “alpha” or “beta”. What does this mean?
When the Mastodon developers are working on adding new features, they may test these new features on a special experimental version of the software. This experimental version is available to any server that wants to use it, but the vast majority of servers prefer to stick to the stable release versions as they are known to work well.
However, some servers prefer to have the very latest cutting edge experimental features, and they will run the experimental version which is usually labelled differently. In software development, the words “alpha”, “beta” and “nightly” usually indicate an experimental version that isn’t yet ready for release, and these may be added to the end of the version number. Some experimental version numbers may look even more complicated such as “v4.6.5alpha.0+pr-28693-384ec56” or similar.
If your server is running the experimental version of Mastodon, you will probably see new features before people on servers that are running the release version. However, features on the experimental version may disappear without warning, or not work properly, or break other features, and that’s why most servers just use the stable release version instead.