Friendica

Friendica is a decentralized social networking and communications platform you can run on your own server. It connects to the wider Fediverse, enabling interaction across multiple compatible networks while keeping control over your data and privacy.

Key Features

• Federation with other networks via ActivityPub and diaspora* (and legacy compatibility such as OStatus)
• Fine-grained privacy controls, including access lists per post and private group conversations
• Social features including posts with edits, comments, reactions (like/dislike), and direct messaging
• Events and profiles with public and private aspects
• Photo sharing with audience restrictions
• Content ingestion via RSS/Atom feeds and support for additional integrations through plugins
• Optional content expiration and personal data export

Use Cases

• Hosting a personal or community social network that federates with the broader Fediverse
• Privacy-focused group communication for clubs, NGOs, or teams using access-controlled spaces
• Aggregating blogs and feeds into a social stream while publishing to a federated network

Friendica is a practical choice for users who want a familiar social networking experience while remaining interoperable with other federated platforms. Its plugin and theme ecosystem makes it adaptable for personal sites, families, and small communities.