Cloudflare has introduced Wildebeest, an easy-to-deploy Mastodon-compatible server that is built open-source and completely on top of Cloudflare's Supercloud. The server uses D1, the first SQL database for the Workers platform built by Cloudflare on top of SQLite.
(https://blog.cloudflare.com/content/images/2023/02/Wildebeest-1.png)
Users interested in joining a federated network such as Mastodon can join an existing server or run their self-hosted servers. Creating their servers allows users to create communities based on common themes and usage rules. Users who want complete control over data, personal information, content, and visibility can prefer creating their servers rather than trusting third-party servers.
Wildebeest allows users to deploy a Mastodon-compatible server on top of Cloudflare quickly and easily without needing to maintain or protect it from abuse or attacks. This serves users' instance, data, and code while running in Cloudflare's cloud under the user's account. It is not a managed service.
Wildebeest currently supports ActivityPub, WebFinger, NodeInfo, WebPush, and Mastodon-compatible APIs. It is also compatible with the most popular Mastodon web, desktop, and mobile clients. Additionally, users can follow anyone, search for content, register one or multiple accounts, and edit profile information, avatar, and header image.
At its core, Wildebeest is a Cloudflare Pages project running its code using Pages Functions. This provides a foundation for building and deploying applications and serving bundled assets. Functions give full access to the Workers ecosystem, which enables users to run any code. Wildebeest stores and queries data using D1, which is Cloudflare's first SQL database for the Workers platform built on top of SQLite and now available to everyone in alpha.
Let's talk about setting up a Mastodon-compatible server on Cloudflare with Wildebeest. Mastodon is a popular federated social network that allows users to create their own instances and connect with others across different instances. Cloudflare is a content delivery network (CDN) that provides various services to improve the performance and security of websites. Wildebeest is an open-source tool created by Cloudflare that simplifies the process of deploying and managing Mastodon instances.
By using Cloudflare with Wildebeest, you can quickly set up and manage your Mastodon instance with ease. Cloudflare's CDN services help improve the loading times of your Mastodon instance, ensuring a smooth user experience.
Wildebeest, being specifically designed for Mastodon, makes the deployment process much simpler. It automates tasks such as configuring the necessary DNS records, setting up SSL certificates, and handling the backend infrastructure.
With Wildebeest, you can also take advantage of Cloudflare's security features to protect your Mastodon instance from cyber threats. Cloudflare's DDoS protection, firewall rules, and rate limiting capabilities provide robust security measures for your server.
Overall, setting up a Mastodon-compatible server on Cloudflare with Wildebeest is an efficient way to deploy and manage your instance. With Cloudflare's CDN services and Wildebeest's automation features, you can ensure a fast, secure, and reliable experience for both you and your Mastodon users.