Build your own Mastodon client

Conclusion

As mentioned elsewhere, creating a basic Mastodon reader is dirt simple with Mastodon.py. Making it attractive is another matter, but that is like everything: Your mileage will vary according to how far you want to go and how many features you want to pack into your client.

However, there is one thing you must always be aware: Different nodes in the Mastodon network implement different versions of the Mastodon server software. And different versions implement slightly different features or implement similar features in slightly different ways. Check what version your instance is running with Mastodon.py's Mastodon.instance() function [5].

Also bear in mind that the administrator can enable or lock down certain features, so don't expect all the API's features to work everywhere.

In the next issue, we'll see how to build an application that lets you post toots and even schedule toots for later posting. See you then!

Infos

  1. Mastodon: https://joinmastodon.org/
  2. "Tutorial – Mastodon Clients" by Paul Brown, Linux Magazine, issue 228, November 2019, pp. 92-95
  3. Mastodon.py documentation: https://mastodonpy.readthedocs.io/en/stable/index.html
  4. "Welcome to the Fediverse" by Paul Brown, Linux Magazine, issue 227, October 2019, pp. 90-94: http://www.linux-magazine.com/Issues/2019/227/Tutorial-Fediverse
  5. Mastodon.instance: https://mastodonpy.readthedocs.io/en/stable/index.html#reading-data-instances

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