# Lemmy

🐀 A decentralised discussion platform for communities.

Repository: https://github.com/LemmyNet/lemmy
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/lemmy
Homepage: https://join-lemmy.org
Language: Rust
License: AGPL-3.0
License Family: copyleft
Topics: link-aggregator, fediverse, activitypub, reddit, chat, rust, lemmy
Last push: 2026-08-18T05:19:19+00:00
Link (homepage): https://join-lemmy.org
Link (site_page): https://join-lemmy.org/docs/index.html
Link (site_page): https://join-lemmy.org/docs/users/01-getting-started.html
Link (site_page): https://join-lemmy.org/docs/administration/administration.html
Link (site_page): https://join-lemmy.org/docs/administration/install_docker.html

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 93/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 98, release rhythm 82, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2757, "days_push": 15, "days_rel": 43, "gap_med": 38.5, "n_releases_24m": 15}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 14566, forks 968 (observed 2026-08-28T04:11:07.242193+00:00)

## What it is
Lemmy is a self-hosted, federated link aggregator and discussion forum for the fediverse, similar to Reddit or Hacker News, built in Rust with an ActivityPub-based backend and an SSR web frontend (lemmy-ui). Instances interoperate over ActivityPub so users across servers can post, vote, and comment together.

## Use cases
- self-host a reddit alternative for my community
- run a federated discussion forum on my own server
- join a decentralized link aggregator on the fediverse
- host a community forum that federates with Mastodon
- replace reddit with an open-source platform without ads or tracking
- set up a low-resource discussion server on a Raspberry Pi
- build a third-party client using the Lemmy API

## When to choose
- you want a Reddit-like forum you fully control and self-host
- you need federation with other ActivityPub platforms like Mastodon or PeerTube
- you want low resource usage and a Rust backend
- you value transparency, moderation logs, and no advertising or tracking

## When to avoid
- you need a simple centralized forum without federation overhead
- you require real-time chat rather than threaded discussions
- you want a managed commercial product with vendor support
- you need heavy media features beyond basic image hosting via pict-rs

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: active
- function: http-server, web-framework, api-framework, self-hosted, search-engine
- domain: social-media, self-hosted, web-development, backend
- platform: self-hosted, rust
- tags: fediverse, activitypub, link-aggregator, reddit-alternative, forum, decentralized, federation, linux, docker, web-server

## Member repositories
- LemmyNet/lemmy (main) score 93
- LemmyNet/lemmy-ui (frontend) score 76

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:11:07.242193+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T17:12:29.121765+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/LemmyNet/lemmy (fetched 2026-08-28T04:11:07.242193+00:00, sha 7c69a7490182)
  - homepage: https://join-lemmy.org (fetched 2026-08-29T08:05:54.590936+00:00, sha 0f42640f6174)
  - site_page: https://join-lemmy.org/docs/index.html (fetched 2026-08-29T08:05:54.593764+00:00, sha 301243a78369)
  - site_page: https://join-lemmy.org/docs/users/01-getting-started.html (fetched 2026-08-29T08:05:54.595640+00:00, sha ea264169070a)
  - site_page: https://join-lemmy.org/docs/administration/administration.html (fetched 2026-08-29T08:05:54.604757+00:00, sha 94d38e2ed177)
  - site_page: https://join-lemmy.org/docs/administration/install_docker.html (fetched 2026-08-29T08:05:54.606864+00:00, sha 84e47b426933)
  - site_page: https://join-lemmy.org/docs/administration/install_ansible.html (fetched 2026-08-29T08:05:54.608758+00:00, sha fe3b7bc502cb)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.