Anyone can start their own server. It’s much cheaper and easier than most people realise, it starts from about 5 to 10 euros or dollars per month for a small server.
There are three main ways to start your own server on Mastodon and the wider Fediverse, depending on your technical skill level:
- If you’re non-technical, you can use a managed hosting provider ⧉. The hosting company does all the technical stuff for you behind the scenes in return for a monthly fee, but the server belongs to you and you have total control over it through the web interface. This is by far the easiest option and recommended for non-technical people, or anyone who doesn’t want the headache of doing techy stuff.
- If you’re moderately technical, you might want to use self-hosting OSes ⧉. These let you easily install and manage a wide range of online services (including Fediverse servers) through a graphical interface. This option does require you to know how to manually install a server OS though.
- If you’re very technical, you can do everything manually ⧉. all Fediverse platforms (including Mastodon) have manual installation instructions in their documentation which you can use. This is the most difficult option but also the most flexible.
Once your server is set up, you can follow people on other servers and they can follow you.
What good is my own server? Won’t that be awfully quiet if I’m the only one on there?
Your server can talk to other servers, you can follow and interact with people from other servers. That’s the idea of the Fediverse, it lets independent servers be part of a wider social network.
Should I set up my own server?
It’s much easier to join someone else’s server, but it’s really important that creating your own server is there as an option. Here’s an article on my other site about why someone might want to run their own server ⧉.
I’m interested, but I don’t know anything about this topic. Is there anywhere I can get advice?
Yes! Fedi.Tips has a sister site GrowYourOwn.Services ⧉ which tries to encourage a wider range of people to start their own online sites and services. This includes Mastodon and other kinds of Fediverse servers, and there’s an in-depth step-by-step guide to making your own Mastodon server ⧉. The site doesn’t have any connection to the providers mentioned, so it can give advice freely on what is possible.
There are also guides for Fediverse admins on Fedi.Tips, just go to the front page and scroll to the section at the bottom marked Running your own server on Mastodon and the Fediverse.
Do I need to make a public server that anyone can sign up on?
No. In fact it’s probably a bad idea to start out with a public server, as they can bring a very complicated set of responsibilities and moderation workload. It’s much easier to start out with a personal server where you’re the only member. There is more about this in the step-by-step guide ⧉.
I set up my own server but it’s really quiet! What can I do?
Your server will receive more content as you follow more accounts, and if you’re running a public server then your members will draw in more content as they follow more accounts too.
However, there are also many things you can do immediately to quickly expand your server’s view of the Fediverse and increase your server’s connections.
Can I run my server totally separately from the rest of the Fediverse if I want to?
Yes, if you want to you can cut off all outside connections and set your server to “isolated” mode. This is often used by people who just want a private small community instead of being part of a larger social network.
If I start my own Fediverse server, is it independent or does it fall under someone else’s control? For example do Mastodon’s creators have any control over servers running Mastodon?
It’s independent. Your server belongs to you and you can control every aspect of it including which other servers it federates with, who is blocked, what is allowed to be posted etc.
The Fediverse is a network of thousands of independent servers, there is no central server of any kind. Because Fediverse servers almost all run on free open source software, the creators of such software have no control over servers that run it.
The only caveat is this: online services may be subject to legal requirements from the country you live in, or your hosting company’s country. Fedi.Tips is not a legal advice site so cannot give specific information on this, you may want to ask your hosting company and/or a legal expert for more info.
What is the cost per member on Mastodon servers?
A Mastodon server for 2000 active members would cost about €0.05 per member, whereas one for 5 active members would cost about €1 per member.
The reason the smaller servers cost more per member is because there are fixed costs that don’t change as a server grows, so on larger servers these fixed costs are spread out over a larger number of members.