FurryFediverse

A platform for discovering and learning about Fediverse instances, with native support for Fediverse login via a custom Better-Auth adapter.

Tech Stack

• Framework: Astro 6 (SSR mode with Node.js adapter)
• Database: PostgreSQL with Prisma ORM
• Authentication: Better-Auth with custom Fediverse adapter
• Styling: Tailwind CSS 4
• UI Components: React 19
• Fediverse Integration: Megalodon (Mastodon/Pleroma/Pixelfed/Firefish/GoToSocial API client)

Architecture

Custom Fediverse Auth Adapter

This project implements a custom authentication flow that allows users to sign up and log in using their existing Fediverse accounts, rather than creating yet another username/password combination.

How It Works

1. Platform Detection: Supports Mastodon, Pleroma/Akkoma, Pixelfed, Firefish/Iceshrimp, and GoToSocial via the megalodon library.

2. OAuth Flow: When a user initiates Fediverse login:

   • The server registers a new application with the target instance
   • An OAuth authorization URL is generated with a cryptographically secure state token
   • The state is stored in the database (AuthFlowState model) with a 10-minute TTL
   • User is redirected to the instance's OAuth authorization page

3. Callback & Profile Linking: After the user authorizes:

   • The callback endpoint validates the state token and exchanges the code for an access token
   • Profile data is fetched (avatar, header, bio, follower counts, custom emoji)
   • Profile images are downloaded and cached locally
   • A LinkedProfile record is created linking the Fediverse account to the user

4. Password Derivation (src/lib/fediverse-auth.ts): Instead of storing sensitive OAuth tokens as passwords, a deterministic derived password is generated:

   deriveFediversePassword({ platform, instanceDomain, externalAccountId })
   // Returns: `ffv2-fedi-${hmac_digest}-${hmac_digest}`
   

   This allows the standard Better-Auth email/password flow to authenticate Fediverse users by generating the same password hash that was used during account creation.

5. Multi-Account Linking: Users can link multiple Fediverse accounts across different platforms to a single account, enabling a unified identity.

Key Files

File	Purpose
src/lib/fediverse-auth.ts	Password derivation using HMAC-SHA256
src/lib/auth-flow-state.ts	Secure state token management with TTL
src/lib/auth.ts	Better-Auth configuration with Prisma adapter
src/lib/social/providers/index.ts	Fediverse platform configurations
src/pages/api/auth/link/start.ts	Initiates OAuth flow
src/pages/api/auth/link/callback.ts	Handles OAuth callback
src/pages/api/auth/fediverse-signup/complete.ts	Completes Fediverse sign-up

Auth Flow Modes

The Fediverse auth can operate in three modes:

• register: Creates a new account linked to the Fediverse profile
• login: Authenticates an existing user via their linked Fediverse account
• link: Links a Fediverse account to an already-logged-in user

Database Models

Core Models

• User — Better-Auth user with role-based access control (admin, reviewer, user)
• Session — Active user sessions with IP/User-Agent tracking
• Account — OAuth provider accounts (credential-based for Fediverse derived passwords)
• LinkedProfile — Fediverse accounts linked to users, includes profile sync data
• LinkedProfileHashtag — Cached hashtag subscriptions per linked profile

Application Models

• Instance — Fediverse instances with metadata (user count, instance type, registration status)
• InstanceApiKey — API keys for verifying instances
• Article — Published articles (how-to, self-hosting guides)
• ArticleDraft — Draft articles pending review

API Reference

Authentication

All auth endpoints are under /api/auth/ and use Better-Auth's REST API (/[...all].ts).

Fediverse Auth Endpoints

Endpoint	Method	Description
/api/auth/link/start	POST	Initiates Fediverse OAuth flow
/api/auth/link/callback	GET	OAuth callback handler
/api/auth/fediverse-signup/complete	POST	Completes Fediverse account registration

Linked Accounts

Endpoint	Method	Description
/api/auth/linked-accounts	GET	List user's linked Fediverse accounts
/api/auth/linked-accounts/[id]	DELETE	Unlink a Fediverse account
/api/auth/linked-accounts/[id]/sync	POST	Manually sync profile data
/api/auth/linked-accounts/sync-all	POST	Sync all linked profiles
/api/auth/linked-accounts/[id]/hashtags	GET	List subscribed hashtags
/api/auth/linked-accounts/[id]/hashtags/[tagId]	DELETE	Unsubscribe from hashtag

Instances

Endpoint	Method	Description
/api/instances	GET	List verified instances (search, filter by type)
/api/instances/add	POST	Submit a new instance (requires auth)
/api/instances/[id]	GET	Get instance details
/api/instances/[id]/refresh	POST	Refresh instance metadata
/api/instances/refresh-all	POST	Refresh all instances (admin)
/api/instances/verify/[apiKey]	GET	Verify instance via API key
/api/instances/images/[filename]	GET	Serve cached instance thumbnails

Articles

Endpoint	Method	Description
/api/learn	GET	List published articles
/api/learn	POST	Submit new article draft (auth required)
/api/learn/articles/[id]	GET	Get article by ID
/api/learn/my-drafts	GET	List user's drafts
/api/learn/images/[filename]	GET	Serve cached article images

Admin

Endpoint	Method	Description
/api/admin/instances	GET	List all instances (admin)
/api/admin/actions	POST	User management (ban, unban, roles)

Development

Prerequisites

• Node.js >= 22.12.0
• pnpm
• Docker (for PostgreSQL)

Setup

# Install dependencies
pnpm install

# Copy environment file
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your configuration

# Generate Prisma client
pnpm db:generate

# Push schema to database
pnpm db:push

# Start development server
pnpm dev

Dev Container

The project includes a Dev Container configuration with Node.js 22, all native dependencies, and PostgreSQL 16:

1. Open VS Code in the project folder
2. Press Ctrl+Shift+P → Dev Containers: Reopen in Container
3. The container builds automatically

Commands

Command	Action
pnpm dev	Start dev server at localhost:4321
pnpm build	Production build
pnpm preview	Preview production build
pnpm db:studio	Open Prisma Studio
pnpm db:push	Push schema changes
pnpm db:migrate	Create and apply migrations

Deployment

# Build and run with Docker
docker compose up --build

The production Dockerfile uses a multi-stage build with the Node.js adapter for SSR.

Environment Variables

Variable	Description
DATABASE_URL	PostgreSQL connection string
BETTER_AUTH_SECRET	Secret for deriving Fediverse passwords
AUTH_SECRET	Fallback secret for password derivation
SITE_URL	Public site URL (for OAuth redirect URIs)
SMTP_HOST	SMTP server for transactional emails
SMTP_PORT	SMTP port
SMTP_USER	SMTP username
SMTP_PASS	SMTP password
LINKED_PROFILE_SYNC_SECRET	Secret for syncing linked profiles via webhook