This site is currently struggling to handle the amount of new users. I have already upgraded the server, but it will go down regardless if half of Reddit tries to join.
However Lemmy is federated software, meaning you can interact seamlessly with communities on other instances like beehaw.org or lemmy.one. The documentation explains in more detail how this works. Use the instance list to find one where you can register. Then use the Community Browser to find interesting communities. Paste the community url into the search field to follow it.
You can help other Reddit refugees by inviting them to the same Lemmy instance where you joined. This way we can spread the load across many different servers. And users with similar interests will end up together on the same instances. Others on the same instance can also automatically see posts from all the communities that you follow.
Edit: If you moderate a large subreddit, do not link your users directly to lemmy.ml in your announcements. That way the server will only go down sooner.
Ok. I have what might be a strange question. Can you host a server but disable community creation (even if only temporarily)? So, the server would essentially just be a platform from which others could access content published elsewhere in the Fediverse. I'm assuming the load would then be on the database behind my instance, correct?
I'm a Platform/Cloud/DevOps Engineer (the titles are always changing) working in software. I'm reasonably sure I could host an instance to help out without much difficulty. But I'm not sure I'm ready to jump into the moderator role, though I realize I'll need to deal with those who break some basic rules.
Sure. Just create a server and subscribe to communities. Then disable public registration. Anybody can read the content on your instance. So far as I know, you can read the content on any public instance without an account.
Or am I not understanding your question?
Ah, no - I think I just worded it poorly. I realize I could host my own instance for myself, but I meant hosting my own instance for myself and others. You know, to help spread the load. But I assume, then, they'd be able to create new communities on my instance/node.
Just set 'Only Admins can create Communities' in your instance. Then people can sign up, comment, and participate, but can't create communities.
You'd still need to moderate comments, and posts made from your instance though.
Outstanding. I'll start reviewing the documentation tonight. Thank you.
If I host an instance and disable community creation, and my users comment & post in lemmy.ml communities, I still have to mod those comments in lemmy.ml even though I'm not a mod in any lemmy.ml community?
What about the mods in lemmy.ml communities? Can they still mod content made by my instance's users?
The mods at lemmy.ml moderate the content that is hosted there. That includes copies of content that originate elsewhere, such as your instance. You're still responsible for moderating the content your instance sends out regardless of where it is sent to. For example, this post will show up at lemmy.ml. The mods could delete it, or ban me, but the post will still exist on my instance and be readable to the general public. At least that is how I understand it.
If a post from a remote user gets removed in a community on lemmy.ml, that removal should also federate back to the user's home instance. At least in theory.
So if you host an instance with no communities, the only moderation you need to do is prevent spam bots or trolls from using it.
Interesting. So if you delete this comment on lemmy.ml, it will delete off my instance too?
Yes it should. I tried to test it just now but federation is overloaded.
I've learned something new :)
Can you tell me why my comments show up at lemmy.ml even if my instance is turned off? Is it a cache thing, or is the content copied / stored at lemmy.ml?
Yes comments are stored in the database of each instance. Similar how email is stored on the servers of each participant. Fetching it from the remote server for each view would be way too slow.
Are posts stored the same way?
Yes everything except images/videos.
So actually, your comment's actual data is in your grouchysysadmin.com instance, and similar to following a symlink, lemmy.ml is just pointing to your data.
Oh that's super interesting.
It's mirrored in both databases.
I think this is the part I see as a potential hurdle for hosting a primarily auth-purposed instance. Fetching remotely would be too slow but data replication would exponentially increase storage over time. So anyone planning to self-host would need to take on the storage growth costs of all other federated instances raising the barrier for entry over time. Unless I've misunderstood this point
You only need to store the content from communities that you follow. So in a single user instance it will be very limited. And anyway its all text which doesnt take much space. Remote images/video are not mirrored.
You can disable the creation of new communities. If I understand what you want to do correctly (host users but not content), just make an instance, disable community creation, and put a stickied post linking the community finder and explaining that you should add using the full URL of the community
Yes, even some of the big instances disable community creation.