Moving away from your Bonfire instance

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A step-by-step guide for migrating your account from Bonfire to another fediverse instance.

Moving between fediverse instances preserves the decentralized nature of the network while giving you control over your online presence.

Table of Contents

Before you move

Things to consider

  • Process is irreversible - Account moves cannot be undone
  • Different features - Your new instance may have different capabilities than Bonfire

What can be migrated

✅ Automatically transferred:

  • Your followers (if the destination supports ActivityPub moves)

✅ Can be manually exported:

❌ Cannot be migrated:

  • Private conversation history
  • Media files (though references may be preserved)
  • Instance-specific features (circles may become lists, etc.)

Available exports

You can export the following data from Settings > Export:

Relationship data (CSV format):

  • Following and Follow Requests - Everyone you follow or want to follow
  • Followers - Everyone who follows you
  • Circles - Your custom groups and their members
  • Blocked, silenced and/or ghosted accounts - Privacy and safety settings

Activity data (CSV format):

  • Posts and Messages - Things you've shared
  • Bookmarks - Posts you've saved for later
  • Likes - Posts you've appreciated
  • Boosts - Posts you've shared with your followers

Complete archives (JSON + files): You can request a complete archive once every 7 days that includes:

  • All the CSV data above
  • Your posts in ActivityStreams format (compatible with other platforms)
  • Your uploaded images and files
  • Your profile information

Step 1: Export your Bonfire data

  1. Go to Settings > Export in your Bonfire instance
  2. Download CSV files for:
    • Following list
    • Blocked, silenced, and ghosted profiles
    • Bookmarks
    • Likes
    • Boosts
    • Circles/Lists
  3. Also request a full archive of your posts for personal backup, which will contain:
    • All of the CSV files above
    • Activities in ActivityPub JSON format
    • Your uploads
    • Your profile info and public/private key

💡 Tip: Export your data even if you're just testing - it's good to have a backup!

Step 2: Create your new account

  1. Choose your destination instance

    • Research the instance's rules and community
    • Check if they support account migration (most Bonfire, Mastodon, Akkoma, Pixelfed, and some other ActivityPub instances should)
    • Verify the new instance can federate with your old Bonfire instance

  2. Sign up for your new account on your destination instance

    • Use the same username if available
    • Set up your profile with the same display name and bio
    • Upload your profile picture and header

Step 3: Set up account aliases

On your new instance

  1. Go to your new instance's profile settings
  2. Look for section such as "Aliases" or "Moving from another account"
  3. Add your old Bonfire account as an alias:
    • Enter: @youroldusername@your-bonfire-instance.org
  4. Save the alias

On your old Bonfire instance

  1. Go to Settings > Account
  2. Scroll to the bottom for migration options
  3. In the "Account aliases" section:
    • Add your new account: @yournewusername@new-instance.net
  4. Save the alias

Verify your new account is working

  1. Follow it from your old Bonfire profile
  2. Follow your old Bonfire profile from your new account
  3. Make a test post on each profile
  4. Ensure federation is working properly in both directions
  5. ✅ Both accounts should now show the other as a verified alias

Step 4: Import your data to the new instance

  1. Go to your new instance's Settings > Import (location may vary by software)

  2. Import following list:

    • Upload your following.csv from Bonfire
    • Choose "Merge" to add to existing follows, or "Overwrite" to replace

  3. Import blocks and mutes:

    • Upload blocked_accounts.csv and muted_accounts.csv
    • Choose your merge/overwrite preference

  4. Import other data:

    • Upload any other CSV files (bookmarks, likes, boosts, custom lists/circles)
    • Upload your outbox JSON file to import posts and activities, if supported
    • Note: Not all instance types support all import types

⏱️ Processing time: Large lists may take several minutes to process

Step 5: Move your followers

⚠️ Warning: This step is irreversible!

  1. On your old Bonfire instance, go to Settings > Export
  2. Scroll to the bottom and find "Move to a different account"
  3. Enter your new account address: @yourusername@new-instance.com
  4. Read all warnings carefully
  5. Enter your old account password to confirm
  6. Click "Move followers"

What happens next:

  • Your followers will receive a notification to follow your new account
  • Most ActivityPub-compatible software will automatically act on that notification and re-follow your new account on behalf of your followers <!--
    • Your Bonfire account will be restricted (no new posts, followers, etc.) -->

Step 6: Clean up your old account

  • Leave your account as-is to to point visitors to your new account (you can update your bio with a notice)
  • This means your old posts and activities are still accessible
  • No further action needed

Option B: Delete your old account

⚠️ Only do this if you're absolutely sure!

  1. Wait at least a week after moving to ensure followers have migrated
  2. This is permanent and irreversible
  3. Your old username will become permanently unavailable
  4. If you're sure, follow the instructions to delete your data, profile, and/or account

Troubleshooting

My followers didn't transfer

  • Check if the destination instance supports moves - Some software, or older or custom instances may not
  • Wait 48-72 hours - Federation can be slow
  • Manual solution: Ask followers to follow your new account directly

Import failed

  • Check file format - Ensure CSV files are from Bonfire export
  • File size limits - Very large lists may need to be split
  • Instance compatibility - Not all software supports all import types

Can't set up aliases

  • Federation issues - Ensure both instances can communicate
  • Account not found - Verify the account address is correct and the account exists
  • Wait and retry - Sometimes federation takes time

Move button is disabled

  • Aliases not set up - Both accounts must have each other as aliases
  • Recent move - You may be in the 30-day cooldown period
  • Account restrictions - Ensure your account is in good standing

Getting error messages

  • Double-check account addresses - Ensure the format is @username@instance.com
  • Contact instance admin - They may need to check federation or account status
  • Try again later - Temporary server issues can cause problems

Need help?

  • Check your Bonfire instance's documentation or help section
  • Consult the destination instance's migration guide and documentation
  • Contact your instance administrators
  • Ask for help in the Bonfire community