social-mastodon

Mastodon per-instance API

Every Mastodon server exposes a built-in REST API, and public reads such as account lookups and public timelines generally work without a token. There is no global search: each query targets one specific instance, federation gives only partial cross-instance reach, and full-text search requires a token on most servers. Reach for it to check a particular Mastodon account or browse an instance's public posts.

API

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Why it’s useful & how it works

Each Mastodon server runs its own independent API, and Echo queries individual instances on your behalf. Public timelines and account lookups on most instances work without any login, so you can browse recent posts or look up a profile immediately. Full-text search across posts, however, requires a user token on most servers, and there is no global search spanning all of Mastodon at once: each query reaches only the instance it is sent to, plus whatever cross-instance content that server has received through federation. Echo lets you target specific instances rather than managing API connections yourself.

What’s inside

Each instance holds only its own posts and the federated content it has received from connected servers. Coverage varies widely by instance size, from a few hundred users to hundreds of thousands.