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Self-host rss-to-activitypub

v2.0.0

RSS to ActivityPub converter for federated social networks

ReleaseOpen SourceMIT
GitHub
Install
Updated5 years ago
LanguageJavaScript
Setup difficultyAdvanced
Stars
582
Ports
3000 (HTTP), 8443 (HTTPS)
Requires
Beanstalkd
Install with Node.js

What is rss-to-activitypub?

RSS to ActivityPub Converter is a self-hosted Node.js application that transforms RSS feeds into ActivityPub actors, allowing users on federated social networks like Mastodon to follow RSS feeds as if they were local accounts. The server requires Node.js 10.10+, beanstalkd for feed polling queues, and an OAuth 2.0 provider (such as Mastodon, Keycloak, or ORY Hydra) for authentication — only authenticated users can create new feeds, while any federated user can read them. It stores data in a local SQLite database and exposes standard ActivityPub endpoints including webfinger, actor profiles, and inbox delivery. The project is licensed under MIT and last released v2.0.0 in October 2021.

Should you self-host rss-to-activitypub?

rss-to-activitypub scores 44/100 on selfhost.directory (how scoring works) and ranks #52 of 85 in Feed Reader. It has 582 GitHub stars.

There was no stable release in the past 12 months, so check the repository's recent activity before you rely on it.

Setup is advanced: plan for several services and some ongoing maintenance. It is MIT-licensed and written mostly in JavaScript.

Its closest alternative on selfhost.directory is RSSHub (85/100, 46 702 stars). It scores higher overall, so compare the two before you pick. See rss-to-activitypub vs RSSHub side by side.

Features

  • ActivityPub protocol support
  • Cron-based feed updates
  • OAuth-gated feed creation
  • RSS to ActivityPub Conversion
  • SQLite database storage
  • WebFinger support

rss-to-activitypub README

How to install rss-to-activitypub

Install rss-to-activitypub with Node.js

Clone the repository, then cd into its root directory. Install dependencies:

npm i

Then copy config.json.template to config.json:

cp config.json.template config.json

Update your new config.json file with your domain, ports, SSL paths, and OAuth settings.

Run the server:

node index.js

Set up a cron job to run queueFeeds.js periodically (e.g., every minute).

Requires Node.js v10.10.0+, beanstalkd, and an OAuth 2.0 provider

How to configure rss-to-activitypub

  • authorize_path/oauth/authorizeOAuth authorization path (default /oauth/authorize)

    OAuth authorization path (default /oauth/authorize)

  • CERT_PATHPath to SSL certificate (from Certbot or similar)

    Path to SSL certificate (from Certbot or similar)

  • client_idOAuth client ID (client key) from provider registration

    OAuth client ID (client key) from provider registration

  • client_secretOAuth client secret from provider registration

    OAuth client secret from provider registration

  • domainDomain of the OAuth provider

    Domain of the OAuth provider

  • DOMAINYour domain (e.g., example.com or rss.example.com)

    Your domain (e.g., example.com or rss.example.com)

  • domain_humanHuman-readable name of the OAuth provider

    Human-readable name of the OAuth provider

  • PORT_HTTP3000The HTTP port that Express runs on

    The HTTP port that Express runs on

  • PORT_HTTPS8443The HTTPS port that Express runs on

    The HTTPS port that Express runs on

  • PRIVKEY_PATHPath to SSL private key (from Certbot or similar)

    Path to SSL private key (from Certbot or similar)

  • redirect_uriRedirect URI after OAuth authorization (must point to /convert)

    Redirect URI after OAuth authorization (must point to /convert)

  • token_path/oauth/tokenOAuth token path (default /oauth/token)

    OAuth token path (default /oauth/token)

  • token_verification_pathPath to verify OAuth token (e.g., /api/v1/accounts/verify_credentials for Mastodon)

    Path to verify OAuth token (e.g., /api/v1/accounts/verify_credentials for Mastodon)

rss-to-activitypub releases & version history

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