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[[File:microsub.svg|frameless|right|128px|Microsub icon]]

'''<dfn>Microsub</dfn>''' is a [[Microsub-spec|proposed standard]] for creating a new generation of social [[readers]] that decouples the management of subscriptions to [[feeds]] and the parsing/delivering content from the user interface and presentation of the content.

The broad goal of the specification is to split up the many pieces of older [[feed reader]]s into smaller [[:Category:building-blocks|building blocks]] so that developers and designers can more closely focus on the individual pieces. It separates the plumbing piece of the problem from the design and user interface portion allowing for greater competition and [[plurality]] in the overall space. The split between the two additionally allows subscription lists to be portable between readers as well as allowing a person to resume reading posts where they left off when switching between readers.

__TOC__

The '''[[Microsub#Servers|Microsub server]]''' provides for maintaining a subscription list of feeds, collecting and parsing posts from them (potentially using [[WebSub]]) while providing a consistent API so that '''[[Microsub#Clients|Microsub clients]]''' can present the contents of the feeds/posts in a [[reader]] interface by fetching the most recent ones from the server. In addition to display and presentation of posts, the reader client can also potentially make decisions about how to interact with individual posts from within the reader itself.

Reader clients or apps can (optionally) use [[Micropub]] to post responses composed within the reader to the the website of the person reading the post and responding to it. These responses, which often include [[like]]s, [[repost]]s and/or [[comment]]s, once posted to the person's site can in turn send [[Webmention]]s (aka notifications) to the site that was being responded to.

Servers and clients can potentially be directly integrated into websites or made as stand-alone web, mobile, or other applications.

A short discussion of Microsub can be heard on {{aaronpk}}'s [https://percolator.today/media/Episode_17.mp3#t=53 Percolator podcast].

* Want to implement a Microsub client or server? See '''[[Microsub-spec|the Microsub specification]]'''.

=== Articles ===
* {{aaronpk}} 2018-03-12 [https://aaronparecki.com/2018/03/12/17/building-an-indieweb-reader Building an IndieWeb Reader]
* {{aaronpk}} 2018-04-20 [https://www.godaddy.com/garage/an-indieweb-reader-my-new-home-on-the-internet/ An IndieWeb reader: My new home on the internet]


== Clients ==
=== IndiePass ===
[[IndiePass]] (formerly Indigenous) is a set of in-development native iOS and Android Microsub reader apps.
<div style="float:left;max-width:45%;padding-right:5%">
==== iOS ====
[[Indigenous for iOS]] is a native iOS Microsub reader app built by {{eddiehinkle.com}}

<img src="https://indieweb.org/images/2/2a/indigenous-0.3-reader.png" width="300">
</div><div style="float:left;max-width:45%">

==== Android ====
[[IndiePass for Android]] is a native Android Microsub reader app built by {{realize.be}}

<img src="https://realize.be/indigenous-screenshots/indigenous_timeline.jpg" width="300">
</div><div style="clear:both">&nbsp;</div>

==== Desktop ====
IndiePass for Desktop is built by {{realize.be}} using Electron. Source and releases are available at https://github.com/IndiePass/indiepass-desktop

=== Monocle ===
[[Monocle]] is a Microsub reader web app built by {{aaronpk}}. If you have a Microsub server, you can use the hosted version at https://monocle.p3k.io

[[File:monocle-timeline-view.png|600px]]

=== Together ===
[[Together]] a web-based Microsub reader, primarily developed by {{grantcodes}}. Source code at [https://github.com/alltogethernow/web/ https://github.com/alltogethernow/web/] and an online at [https://alltogethernow.io https://alltogethernow.io]

[[File:together-screenshot-2019-06-19.jpg|600px]]

=== Ekster Reader ===
[[Ekster Reader]] is a Microsub reader, running in a browser. It connects directly to a Microsub server without its own Microsub proxy backend. For this to work you do need a Microsub server that handles CORS headers, to allow access from the browser. This also applies for the [[IndieAuth]] endpoint. A version is hosted at https://reader.p83.nl/

[[File:ekster-reader.png]]

=== Microsub Notifier ===
[[microsub notifier]] is a Microsub client built purely to send notifications of new content in any of your Microsub channels. Built by {{grantcodes}} is is hosted at https://microsub-notifier.tpxl.io

(needs screenshots!)

=== capjamesg's Microsub Client ===

{{capjamesg}} has built an [https://github.com/capjamesg/microsub open-sourced Microsub client] with Python Flask. The client is connected to a Microsub server but use of the server is optional. Currently, the client is for personal use, but anyone can deploy their own version.

[[File:feed.png]]

== Servers ==
=== Aperture ===
* [[Aperture]], built by {{aaronpk}}, is a Microsub server with no UI for rendering posts. This is intended to be a server only, and all rendering happens using Microsub clients. It is built in PHP with MySQL storage. [https://github.com/aaronpk/Aperture Source on Github]

=== Drupal IndieWeb Module===
* The [https://drupal.org/project/indieweb Drupal IndieWeb] module, built by {{realize.be}} includes a built-in Microsub server.

=== Dobrado ===
* [[dobrado]] includes a Microsub server, built by {{mblaney}}

=== Micro.blog ===
* [[Micro.blog]] can be used as a Microsub server. Channels are mapped to the built-in sections of Micro.blog like Timeline, Mentions, and Favorites.

=== Yarns ===
* [[Yarns]] is a plugin to run a Microsub server from your [[WordPress]] site, built by {{jackjamieson}}. It uses the [https://github.com/dshanske/parse-this Parse This] library built by {{GWG}}. It has a UI for managing channels and subscriptions. 

=== Ekster ===
* [[Ekster]], built by {{pstuifzand}}, is a Microsub server written in Go using Redis or Postgres for storage. It supports full text search, WebSub for realtime feed fetching. [https://github.com/pstuifzand/ekster Source on Github] and is also available as [https://hub.docker.com/r/pstuifzand/ekster a Docker image].

=== Other Proxies ===
Proxies - not entire server(s), but implements Microsub server API wrapped around existing service(s):

==== Baffle ====
* [[Baffle]] was a bridge that made traditional feed readers like [[NewsBlur]] and [[Feedly]] support Microsub. [https://snarfed.org/microsub-bridge More background]

=== capjamesg's Microsub Server ===

* {{capjamesg}} has developed a Microsub server using Python Flask and SQLite. The project contains both a Microsub server and a script that will let you poll all the feeds to which you are subscribed. The server is not open for registrations but the code is [https://github.com/capjamesg/microsub open-sourced for anyone to use on GitHub].

== IndieWeb Examples ==
* {{aaronpk}} uses [[Aperture]] as his Microsub server, and the [[Together]] and [[IndiePass]] clients.
** https://aaronparecki.com/2018/03/12/17/building-an-indieweb-reader
* {{eddiehinkle.com}} uses a self-hosted [[Aperture]] as his Microsub server, and the [[Indigenous for iOS]] (mobile) and [[Monocle]] (on computer) clients.
** {{martymcguire}} uses an identical setup since 2018-03-05.
* {{realize.be}} uses the built-in Microsub server of the Drupal Indieweb module and the [[IndiePass for Android]] (mobile) and [[Monocle]] (on computer) clients
* {{doubleloop}} uses an account on {{aaronpk}}'s Aperture instance and the [[IndiePass for Android]] (mobile) and [[Monocle]] (on computer) clients since 2018-09-07
* {{pstuifzand}} uses [[Monocle]], [[IndiePass]], [[Together]] and Ekster Reader with his own microsub-server, [[Ekster]]. 
* {{jamesgoca}} uses [[Monocle]] and his own custom-built Microsub server.
* {{tonz}} uses [[Yarns_Microsub_Server]] in a separate WordPress instance from his own WordPress blog, and a self built Microsub client that can post to his blog.
* {{addyourself}}

=== In Progress ===
* {{sknebel}} is building a bridge from [[Inoreader]]  to Microsub (not ready yet, sorry!)
* {{jackjamieson}} is building a WordPress plugin called Yarns Microsub Server. [https://github.com/jackjamieson2/yarns-microsub-server Source on Github]
* {{sebsel}} is working on a project codenamed Leesmap, as described on [https://seblog.nl/2018/10/22/13/three-things-about-readers this post on Seblog.nl]
* {{jackyalcine}} is working on a Microsub client + server called [[Lwa]]
* {{capjamesg}} is actively developing a Microsub server.

== IndieWebCamp Related Sessions ==
* [[2020/London/microsubfeeds|London 2020: Microsub and Feeds]]
* [[2018/indieweb-readers|The Next Wave of IndieWeb: Readers]], keynote at [[2018|IndieWeb Summit 2018]]
* [[2018/microsub|Microsub: how to build servers and clients]] at IndieWeb Summit 2018
* [[2017/Austin/audio|Austin 2017: Audio]] (tangential ideas relating to microsub here)


== Getting Started ==
To use a Microsub app, your website will need to support [[IndieAuth]] and advertise a Microsub endpoint. Starting with a plain HTML home page, the steps below will walk you through getting set up so you can log in to an IndieWeb reader app.

=== Setting up IndieAuth ===
If you have WordPress or another website that has native IndieAuth support, that is your best option. Install the IndieAuth plugin in WordPress or your CMS.

If you are not using a CMS that has native IndieAuth support, you can use the steps below to delegate all the authentication to external services so that you can use it with a static site or any other project.

* add a rel=me link to your GitHub profile
** e.g. <code><nowiki><a href="https://github.com/username" rel="me">username</a> on github</nowiki></code>
* add the following tags to delegate your [[IndieAuth]] handling to indieauth.com
** <code><nowiki><link rel="authorization_endpoint" href="https://indieauth.com/auth"></nowiki></code>
** <code><nowiki><link rel="token_endpoint" href="https://tokens.indieauth.com/token"></nowiki></code>

=== Setting up Microsub ===
* sign in to https://aperture.p3k.io/login with your domain
** after you sign in you will see a link tag displayed on your dashboard
* add the <link> tag it generates for you to your web page
** e.g. <code><nowiki><link rel="microsub" href="https://aperture.p3k.io/microsub/000"></nowiki></code>
* sign in to an IndieWeb reader! 
** https://monocle.p3k.io
** https://alltogethernow.io
** [[IndiePass]]

== Libraries ==

== Brainstorming ==
See [[Microsub-spec#Brainstorming]]

[[Category:building-blocks]]
[[Category:jargon]]
== See Also ==
* [[Microsub-spec]]
* [[Micropub]]
* [[IndieAuth]]
* [[obtaining-an-access-token]]
* [[token-endpoint]]
* [[access_token]]
* http://tantek.com/presentations/2005/01/attentionxml.html
* http://web.archive.org/web/20051228094539/developers.technorati.com/wiki/attentionxml
* [[Microsub bridge]]
* 2018-04-20 {{aaronpk}} on GoDaddy blog: [https://www.godaddy.com/garage/an-indieweb-reader-my-new-home-on-the-internet/ An IndieWeb reader: My new home on the internet]
* [[2018/indieweb-readers|The Next Wave of IndieWeb: Readers]] was a keynote talk at [[2018|IWS 2018]]
* [[2018/microsub|Microsub session at IWS 2018]]
* [[2018/indiealgorithm|IndieAlgorithm session at IWS 2018]]
* [https://p83.nl/posts/701 Adding feeds from an OPML file to a Microsub server]
* [https://www.jvt.me/posts/2021/05/01/social-reader-features/ "Features I Want In My Social Reader"] by {{jamietanna}}
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