Your Bonfire Profile and Identity

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When you join a Bonfire instance, you get a unique address—similar to an email address—that identifies you across the entire fediverse.

What does my address look like?

Your Bonfire address is in the format:

@username@yourinstance.tld
  • username is the name you choose when signing up.
  • yourinstance.tld is the domain of the Bonfire instance you joined.

Example:
If you sign up as alex on community.bonfire.social, your address will be @alex@community.bonfire.social.

Multiple Profiles per Account

Unlike most platforms, on Bonfire you can create and manage multiple profiles under a single account. For example, you might have:

  • A personal profile for friends and family
  • A work profile for professional contacts
  • A project or community profile (which you can also share access to with collaborators)

Each profile can have its own display name, avatar, bio, boundaries, and settings. You can easily switch between profiles, making sure to use the appropriate profile before posting or interacting.

Note: By default, other people cannot see or know that your different profiles are linked to the same account. Each profile appears as a separate identity unless you choose to reveal the connection.

Account Settings vs Profile Settings

  • Account settings set the default preferences for all your profiles (such as language, notification preferences, or privacy defaults).
  • Profile settings override those defaults for each individual profile. This lets you customize how each profile appears and behaves, independently from your main account.

How do people find me?

  • Share your full Bonfire address so people on other instances or platforms can follow or mention you.
  • You can also share a link to a specific profile, such as https://community.bonfire.social/@alex (personal) or https://community.bonfire.social/@alex/project (project profile).

Why does this matter?

  • Your address is unique across the fediverse, so even if someone else is @alex on a different instance, you are still distinct.
  • You can move your account to another instance later and take your followers with you (see the migration guides).
  • Multiple profiles let you keep different aspects of your life separate, or collaborate on shared profiles with others.

Tips

  • Always include the full address (with the instance domain) when sharing with people on other servers.
  • You can search for people by their full address from any Bonfire instance or compatible fediverse platform.
  • Use profiles to manage your presence for different contexts or communities.

Your Bonfire address is your identity in the decentralized social web!