Self-host hometown
v4.6.9+hometown-1.3.1Forked Mastodon with local-only posts & Article support
- Stars
- 819
- Ports
- 3000 (HTTP web application (Puma)), 4000 (WebSocket streaming API)
- Requires
- PostgreSQL, Redis
What is hometown?
Hometown is a lightweight fork of Mastodon that adds features for private communities while maintaining near-perfect compatibility with upstream Mastodon. It enables local-only posting where users can choose per-post whether messages federate to the fediverse or stay on their home server, making it ideal for building tighter-knit online communities. Hometown also supports reading full Articles via ActivityPub (such as blog posts from Write.as) with rich text rendering. The project introduces exclusive lists that let users organize their feeds more precisely, and underlines hyperlinks by default for better accessibility. Maintained by Darius Kazemi, Hometown uses Docker Compose for straightforward self-hosting with PostgreSQL database and Redis cache as separate services.
Should you self-host hometown?
hometown scores 48/100 on selfhost.directory (how scoring works) and ranks #52 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums. It has 819 GitHub stars.
It shipped 11 stable releases in the past year. The latest, v4.6.9+hometown-1.3.1, came out on 14 October 2026. New versions land roughly every 2 weeks.
Setup is moderate: expect some configuration beyond a single command. It is AGPL-3.0-licensed and written mostly in Ruby.
Its closest alternative on selfhost.directory is Discourse (83/100, 48 024 stars). It scores higher overall, so compare the two before you pick. See hometown vs Discourse side by side.
Features
- ActivityPub FederationSame as Mastodon
- Article content supportRich text including italic and bold rendering
- Exclusive ListsHometown-exclusive list management
- Local-only PostingHometown-exclusive feature
- Underlined hyperlinksBetter accessibility defaults
hometown README
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