StatusNet

StatusNet is an open-source software package for decentralized, federated microblogging. It enables a network of independent servers to host short messages that can be read and responded to across the federation. The project was originally developed as Laconica by Evan Prodromou and later renamed StatusNet. One notable deployment in its early days was identi.ca, a social platform built on StatusNet’s codebase. In the broader history of federated microblogging, a fork in 2010 led to GNU social, with many later networks tracing their lineage back to StatusNet.

Technical overview and features

StatusNet is primarily written in PHP and uses relational databases such as MySQL or PostgreSQL for data storage. It provides a web-based interface for users to post status updates, follow other users, and view timelines. For federation, StatusNet supported standard protocols of the era, notably the OStatus family, which facilitated the distribution of posts between compatible servers and clients. The software also offered common social features such as user accounts, mentions, and hashtags, along with extensibility through plugins and themes.

Legacy and impact

StatusNet played a significant role in the early development of federated microblogging and helped popularize the concept of interoperable, server-to-server social networks. Its architecture and community around Laconica/StatusNet influenced subsequent projects, most prominently GNU social, and contributed to the broader evolution of decentralized social networking.

Current status

The original StatusNet project has seen declining active development, as the community migrated to GNU social and other platforms. While the status.net ecosystem remains of historical interest, most active development and deployments occur within forks and successor projects.