ap.flask/README.md

# AP test in Flask 

A basic ActivityPub server written in Flask, that listens to follow requests, based on this tutorial: <https://blog.joinmastodon.org/2018/06/how-to-implement-a-basic-activitypub-server/>

This is a testing area :), to see if it is possible to use Python and Flask to write a small server that speaks ActivityPub.

This repository was sparked from a curiosity in federation and light-weight (static) website making.

Operating on the level of the ActivityPub protocol will hopefully give some insights in the way that networks on the Fediverse federate with each other. 

* What are the minimal requirements to run an Activity Pub server?
* How could a static site federate its content with the Fediverse? 
* How are ActivityPub feeds similar and different from RSS feeds?
* How can such server be used? What kind of publishing tools can be imagined?
* What ActivityPub "objects" (is that the right term?) can we try out and use, next to the commonly used "Note" object?

# Install this prototype

When you run this prototype on a server, you could connect to the Fediverse.

## Prepare your server

For this you need to following:

* a subdomain for the server, for example: `ap.example.com`
* a SSL certificate for this domain, for which you could use: `certbot` from <https://letsencrypt.org/>
* a reverse proxy configuration, relaying the subdomain to the Flask application running on port `5010` (by default)

Once this is set up, you can install this prototype.

## Install the prototype

Make a virtual environment:

`$ python3 -m venv FOLDERNAME`

Activate the environment:

`$ source FOLDERNAME/bin/activate`

Install the dependencies:

`$ pip install -r requirements.txt`

Run the Flask application:

`$ python3 run.py`