dais
Active DevelopmentA single-user social media server speaking both ActivityPub and the AT Protocol, for content creators and the curious. Built around the idea that your content should live on infrastructure you control, federating with the wider social web rather than capturing you inside one platform.
Overview
Social media platforms have become digital landlords—you create content, they own the infrastructure, control the algorithms, and decide what gets seen. dais inverts this relationship: you own your content and infrastructure, while still benefiting from social connection.
Features
- Self-hosted by default - Run on your own infrastructure, not rented from platforms
- Content ownership - Your writing, your images, your domain
- Federation built in - Speaks both ActivityPub and the AT Protocol, connecting with the Fediverse and the wider social web without centralized control
- Creator-focused - Tools for people who make things and want to share them
- Curiosity-driven - Discovery mechanisms based on interest, not engagement metrics
Philosophy
The "dais" is a raised platform speakers stand on. This project embodies that metaphor: you build your platform, others can visit and listen, but you're not performing in someone else's theater.
Content creation should serve the creator's goals, not the platform's growth metrics. dais provides the infrastructure for publishing and connection without the perverse incentives of ad-driven social media.
Use Cases
- Writers and bloggers - Publish without platform lock-in
- Independent creators - Share work without algorithmic manipulation
- Researchers and thinkers - Build an audience based on substance, not virality
- Communities - Federated networks of like-minded people
Architecture
dais is designed to be lightweight and self-hostable:
[Your Content] → [dais Server] → [Your Domain]
↓
[Federation Protocol]
↓
[Other dais Instances]
Start with a single-user instance, scale to communities, federate with others who share your values.