Social network hosting for your own community
Build a community on a platform you control. Mastodon and Misskey run your own instance in the fediverse, connected to other servers across it, and Discourse runs a modern discussion forum. Run any of them on a HyperDC server sized for your members, preinstalled as an app option or installed with our guide.
- Mastodon and Misskey instances in the fediverse
- Discourse forums for communities and support
- Your domain, your rules, your moderation
- Media on local disk or S3-compatible storage
- Install
- Source, install script or official Docker
- StackMastodon needs Ruby 3.3+, Node.js 22+, PostgreSQL 14+ and Redis 7+. Misskey runs on Node.js with PostgreSQL 15+ and Redis. Discourse ships as an official Docker container.
- Ruby, Node.js, PostgreSQL and Redis
- Default ports
- 80 and 443
- MinimumDiscourse needs at least 1 GB of RAM with swap, 1 core and 10 GB of disk, and recommends 2 GB and 2 cores. Misskey’s install script stops below 3 GB of memory. Mastodon publishes no minimum.
- Discourse: 1 GB with swap; Misskey script: 3 GB
- DomainMastodon’s LOCAL_DOMAIN and Misskey’s URL cannot be changed once the instance has started. Choose the final domain first.
- Permanent for Mastodon and Misskey
- Current release
- Mastodon 4.7 · Misskey 2026.10 · Discourse 2026.9
Platforms and features
- Mastodon
- Misskey
- Discourse
- ActivityPub
- Fediverse
- Moderation tools
- S3 media storage
- Full-text search
- Mobile apps
- SSO
Facts from the project’s official website, documentation and repository, checked in October 2026.
Community plans are being prepared
Tell us which platform you want and how many members you expect, and our team will reply with the right server. Or start today on a Linux VPS and install Community with our guide.
How big a server does your community need?
Active members, background jobs and media decide the size. Fediverse servers also cache media from the servers they follow.
| Feature |
Small instance
Friends or a small group
|
Recommended Community
Hundreds of active members
|
Large
Thousands of active members
|
|---|---|---|---|
| vCPUVirtual processor cores of the server. | 2 | 4 | 8 |
| MemoryMemory for the app, its database and the operating system. | 4 GB | 8 GB | 16 GB+ |
| DiskNVMe or SSD storage for the app, its data and local backups. | 40 GB | 100 GB | 200 GB+ |
| Media storageUploads and cached remote media grow every day; move them to S3-compatible storage as the community grows. | Local disk | Local disk or S3 | S3-compatible storage |
-
Small instance
Friends or a small group
- vCPUVirtual processor cores of the server.
- 2
- MemoryMemory for the app, its database and the operating system.
- 4 GB
- DiskNVMe or SSD storage for the app, its data and local backups.
- 40 GB
- Media storageUploads and cached remote media grow every day; move them to S3-compatible storage as the community grows.
- Local disk
-
Recommended
Community
Hundreds of active members
- vCPUVirtual processor cores of the server.
- 4
- MemoryMemory for the app, its database and the operating system.
- 8 GB
- DiskNVMe or SSD storage for the app, its data and local backups.
- 100 GB
- Media storageUploads and cached remote media grow every day; move them to S3-compatible storage as the community grows.
- Local disk or S3
-
Large
Thousands of active members
- vCPUVirtual processor cores of the server.
- 8
- MemoryMemory for the app, its database and the operating system.
- 16 GB+
- DiskNVMe or SSD storage for the app, its data and local backups.
- 200 GB+
- Media storageUploads and cached remote media grow every day; move them to S3-compatible storage as the community grows.
- S3-compatible storage
Discourse needs at least 1 GB of RAM with swap and recommends 2 GB; Misskey’s installer asks for 3 GB; Mastodon publishes no minimum, but its media cache grows with every server it federates with.
A community on your own terms
No algorithm you do not control, no ads you did not choose: your members, your rules and your data.
Part of the fediverse
Mastodon and Misskey speak ActivityPub, so your members follow and talk to people on other servers across the fediverse.
Forums that last
Discourse organises long conversations in categories with search, trust levels and email notifications, ideal for product communities.
Moderation tools
Write your rules, review reports, block servers or users and share the work with a moderation team.
Media on S3
All three can store uploads in S3-compatible object storage, such as Garage on a second server, to keep the main disk small.
Email that arrives
Connect the app to an SMTP or transactional email service and add SPF, DKIM and DMARC to your domain, so invitations and notifications reach the inbox.
Root access, your rules
Every Linux VPS, VDS and dedicated server comes with full root access: you choose the versions, the add-ons and the security settings.
Backups included
Free weekly and monthly backups come with every VPS and VDS plan. For data that changes every day, keep copies of your own as well.
Locations on three continents
Run your server in the United States, Europe or Asia, close to the people who use it. The order form estimates the latency from where you are to each location.
Start your community in four steps
Order the app preinstalled on your server, or install it yourself with our guide.
-
Choose the platform and domain
Pick Mastodon, Misskey or Discourse and decide on the final domain, then pick the server size from the table above.
-
Install it
Choose it as an app option, or follow our guide: Mastodon from source, Misskey with its script or Docker, Discourse with its official Docker installer.
-
Add your domain and TLS
Point a subdomain such as app.example.com at the server’s IP address and serve the app over HTTPS with a free Let’s Encrypt certificate.
-
Set the rules and invite members
Create the admin account, add SMTP for sign-ups and notifications, write your rules and open registrations or send invitations.
Step-by-step setup guides
Install, secure and update the app with our guides, written for current Ubuntu and Debian releases.
-
How to install Discourse with the official Docker installer
Set up Discourse the supported way: Docker from the official repository, the discourse_docker installer and setup wizard, automatic Let's Encrypt, backups and one-command upgrades.
40 min Intermediate -
How to install Docker Engine on Ubuntu 24.04 and 26.04
Install Docker Engine, Buildx and Compose from Docker's official apt repository on Ubuntu LTS, run it without sudo, rotate logs and keep published ports private.
15 min Beginner -
How to install Mastodon from source on Ubuntu 24.04 or Debian 13
Build your own Mastodon instance on Ubuntu 24.04 or Debian 13 with the official from-source method, then add HTTPS, SMTP, media cleanup, backups and a safe upgrade routine.
90 min Advanced
Related solutions
Frequently asked questions
Mastodon, Misskey or Discourse: which should I choose?
Mastodon for a microblogging server whose members also follow people on other fediverse servers. Misskey for a fediverse server with a more playful interface, reactions and many customisation options. Discourse for a forum with long-lived topics, categories and search, such as a product or support community.
Can I change my domain later?
Not on Mastodon or Misskey: the domain becomes part of every account and post in the fediverse, and both projects warn that it cannot be changed safely once the instance has started. Discourse can move to a new domain, but plan the final one from the start.
Does my community need email?
Mastodon and Misskey send sign-up confirmations and notifications by email. Discourse can now start without SMTP and use Discourse ID for logins, but digests and reply by email still need it. Connect a transactional email service with SPF, DKIM and DMARC on your domain.
How much storage will a Mastodon server use?
It depends on how many servers you federate with: Mastodon caches images and videos from the accounts your members follow. Remove old cached media regularly with tootctl, and move media to S3-compatible storage before the disk fills up.
How is Discourse installed?
With the official discourse_docker installer, the only installation Discourse supports. It needs a 64-bit Linux server with Docker, ports 80 and 443 free and a domain; Ubuntu LTS is recommended. Discourse now ships monthly releases, plus extended support releases for sites that update less often.
Who is responsible for the content on my server?
You are, as the operator of the community: publish clear rules, moderate reports promptly and follow the laws that apply to you. Our terms of service apply to everything hosted on the server.
Is port 25 open on my VPS?
Outbound port 25 is closed by default on HyperDC VPS. For services ordered for a term of 3 months or longer, we open it on request: open a support ticket. Until then, send through an SMTP relay on port 587. A relay or email service also helps your mail reach the inbox.
Ready to start your own community?
Tell us what you want to run and for how many people, and we will help you pick the right server.