Mastodon servers can choose to block other servers, and by default this is done manually one at a time. However, this can get cumbersome if there are lots of servers you need to block quickly, especially if you’re running a new server with no blocks at all yet.
To make the process easier, servers admins can import pre-written server-level blocklists from sites such as oliphant.social ⧉. Once you have a blocklist downloaded, here’s how to add it to your own server:
- Log in on your server’s website using your admin account.
- Go to Preferences > Moderation > Federation
- Click the Import button at the top
- Browse for the blocklist’s .csv file, then click Upload
- You will be presented with a list of servers to block. If there are servers with existing connections to your server, they will be automatically unticked. If you want to include these in the block, tick them.
- When you want to implement the blocklist, click Import in the top right corner of the list and click OK to confirm.
Once the list is successfully imported, the blocks will appear alongside your existing blocks. If necessary, you can remove blocks from the list just like any manually added block.
Will it block people that have already followed me, or that I already follow?
Before any blocks happen, the blocklist import process will highlight servers on the list that your server already has connections to. You will be given the option of either going ahead with blocking those servers, or leaving them off the blocklist. By default it will leave them off the blocklist, unless you choose to add them back in.
If you block a particular server, then all the follows and followers from that particular server will lose their connections to your server.
How reliable are ready-made blocklists?
Different blocklists have different methods for compiling them, which are usually stated next to their download links. You as admin need to judge which blocklist best suits your server. The blocklist links at oliphant.social ⧉ are a good starting point for discovering ready-made blocklists.
Typically a ready-made blocklist might be compiled through some sort of vote by a pool of admins trusted by the blocklist compiler. Minimal blocklists might demand a very high number of admin votes before adding a server to the blocklist, while broad lists might block servers even after just a few votes.
If a blocklist doesn’t state any methodology, it might not be the most reliable blocklist.