Pixelfed

Decentralized Instagram alternative. Photo and video sharing in the Fediverse.

Overview

Pixelfed is a free, open-source image sharing platform that federates via ActivityPub. Created by Daniel Supernault in 2018, it provides an Instagram-like experience without algorithms, ads, or centralized control.

Key Features

Instagram-Style Interface

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                   Pixelfed                           │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐│
│  │                                                  ││
│  │              📷 Your Photo Feed                  ││
│  │                                                  ││
│  │  ┌─────────┐  ┌─────────┐  ┌─────────┐        ││
│  │  │  📸     │  │  📸     │  │  📸     │        ││
│  │  │ Photo 1 │  │ Photo 2 │  │ Photo 3 │        ││
│  │  └─────────┘  └─────────┘  └─────────┘        ││
│  │                                                  ││
│  │  ♥️ 42 likes    💬 5 comments    ↗️ Share       ││
│  │                                                  ││
│  └─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘│
│                                                      │
│  🏠 Home    🔍 Discover    ➕ Post    ❤️    👤      │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

No Algorithm

• Chronological timeline — See posts in order
• No content manipulation — What you post is what followers see
• No promoted content — No ads or sponsored posts
• No engagement tricks — No infinite scroll manipulation

Privacy-Focused

Feature	Description
No tracking	No third-party analytics
GDPR compliant	European privacy standards
Data export	Download your data
Account migration	Move to another instance
Visibility controls	Public, unlisted, followers-only

Federation

Connect with the entire Fediverse:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    Fediverse                         │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                      │
│   ┌──────────┐        ┌──────────┐                  │
│   │ Pixelfed │◄──────►│ Mastodon │                  │
│   │  📷      │   AP   │  💬      │                  │
│   └──────────┘        └──────────┘                  │
│        │                    │                        │
│        │    ActivityPub     │                        │
│        │                    │                        │
│   ┌────▼─────┐        ┌────▼─────┐                  │
│   │ PeerTube │        │ Pleroma  │                  │
│   │  🎬      │        │  💬      │                  │
│   └──────────┘        └──────────┘                  │
│                                                      │
│   Your Pixelfed posts appear in Mastodon feeds!     │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Content Features

Feature	Description
Photo posts	Single or multiple images
Stories	Ephemeral content (24hr)
Video	Short video clips
Collections	Organize posts into albums
Filters	Image editing tools
Alt text	Accessibility support
Hashtags	Discover content
Direct messages	Private conversations

Platforms

Mobile Apps (2025)

Official apps now available:

Platform	Status
Android	Google Play — #1 in Social
iOS	App Store

Third-party apps:

• PixelDroid (Android, F-Droid)
• Vernissage (iOS)

Web Interface

Access any instance via browser at their domain.

Self-Hosting

Requirements

• PHP 8.1+
• MySQL/MariaDB or PostgreSQL
• Redis
• Nginx/Apache
• Composer
• Storage for media

Docker Installation

# docker-compose.yml
version: '3'
services:
  db:
    image: mariadb:10
    volumes:
      - ./mysql:/var/lib/mysql
    environment:
      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: secret
      MYSQL_DATABASE: pixelfed

  redis:
    image: redis:alpine

  app:
    image: pixelfed/pixelfed
    depends_on:
      - db
      - redis
    ports:
      - "8080:80"
    volumes:
      - ./storage:/var/www/storage
    environment:
      APP_NAME: "My Pixelfed"
      APP_URL: "https://pixelfed.example.com"
      DB_CONNECTION: mysql
      DB_HOST: db
      DB_DATABASE: pixelfed

Manual Installation

# Clone
git clone https://github.com/pixelfed/pixelfed.git
cd pixelfed

# Install dependencies
composer install --no-dev

# Configure
cp .env.example .env
php artisan key:generate

# Edit .env with your settings

# Database
php artisan migrate --force
php artisan import:cities

# Storage
php artisan storage:link

# Optimize
php artisan config:cache
php artisan route:cache
php artisan view:cache

Configuration

# .env essential settings

APP_NAME="My Pixelfed"
APP_URL=https://pixelfed.example.com
APP_DOMAIN="pixelfed.example.com"

# Database
DB_CONNECTION=mysql
DB_HOST=127.0.0.1
DB_PORT=3306
DB_DATABASE=pixelfed
DB_USERNAME=pixelfed
DB_PASSWORD=secret

# ActivityPub
ACTIVITY_PUB=true
AP_REMOTE_FOLLOW=true
AP_INBOX=true
AP_OUTBOX=true
AP_SHAREDINBOX=true

# Features
OPEN_REGISTRATION=true
ENFORCE_EMAIL_VERIFICATION=true
MAX_PHOTO_SIZE=15000  # KB
MAX_ALBUM_LENGTH=10

Instance Discovery

Popular public instances:

Instance	Focus
pixelfed.social	Flagship
pixelfed.art	Art/Artists
pix.diaspodon.fr	French community
pixel.tchncs.de	German tech

Or run your own!

Comparison with Instagram

Aspect	Pixelfed	Instagram
Algorithm	None	Heavy
Ads	None	Many
Data ownership	You	Meta
Open source	Yes	No
Federation	Yes	No
Stories	Yes	Yes
Reels	No	Yes
Shopping	No	Yes

Links

• Website: pixelfed.org
• GitHub: pixelfed/pixelfed
• Docs: docs.pixelfed.org
• Find instances: fedidb.org/software/pixelfed

See Also

• ActivityPub Protocol — The protocol
• Mastodon — Microblogging server
• Pleroma — Lightweight server
• Federation — The concept