Remote Interactions and the Fediverse

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Bonfire is part of the fediverse—a network of independent platforms that communicate using open standards like ActivityPub.

Interacting with Remote Users

You can follow, mention, and message people on other Bonfire instances or compatible platforms (like Mastodon, PeerTube, etc.).

  • To follow someone from another instance, copy their full address (e.g. @alex@community.bonfire.social) and search for it on your own instance.
  • Remote posts and profiles appear in your feeds just like local ones, depending on your privacy and boundary settings.

Interacting from Remote Sites

When browsing a remote site powered by an ActivityPub platform (such as Bonfire, Mastodon, etc), clicking on any interaction button (e.g. Follow, Reply, Boost) will usually open a dialog that lets you enter your Bonfire address. You will then be redirected to your local Bonfire instance to complete the action.

Example:
If you find a profile or post on another Mastodon site, click "Follow" and enter your Bonfire address (e.g. @yourname@yourinstance.tld). You’ll be redirected to your Bonfire instance to confirm the follow.

This works for replies, boosts, and other interactions as well.

Sharing and Messaging

  • You can reply to, boost, or share posts from remote users, as long as their privacy settings allow it.
  • Direct messages may work across the fediverse if the remote platform supports ActivityPub DMs.

Tips

  • Use full addresses to find and follow remote users.
  • Some features may work differently or be limited when interacting with other platforms.
  • Respect boundaries and privacy settings—remote users may have different defaults.

For more on finding and following remote users, see Finding people & Following. For technical details, see What is Federation, the Fediverse, and ActivityPub?.