Self-host Mastodon on a no-KYC VPS
Run your own federated social server with full moderation control and zero ads. Anonymous signup, no email required, no KYC. Pay with crypto or card, full root, no logs.
Quick start: Mastodon on Servury via Docker Compose
Tested on Ubuntu 24. Pick a 4 GB+ plan, deploy, SSH in. Have your domain ready.
# 1. Install Docker
curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh
# 2. Clone Mastodon
git clone https://github.com/mastodon/mastodon /opt/mastodon
cd /opt/mastodon
# 3. Generate secrets and run interactive setup wizard
docker compose run --rm web bundle exec rake mastodon:setup
# It will ask for domain, email (SMTP), and write .env.production for you
# 4. Bring up the stack (Postgres + Redis + web + sidekiq + streaming)
docker compose up -d
# 5. Put Caddy in front for HTTPS:
# social.yourdomain.com {
# reverse_proxy localhost:3000
# reverse_proxy /api/v1/streaming/* localhost:4000
# }
# 6. Open https://social.yourdomain.com, sign in as the admin you created
Why run your own Mastodon instance
Big public instances enforce broad rules. Your instance, your rules. Federate with whoever you want, defederate the rest.
@you@yourdomain.com is portable forever. Your followers never lose you to a server shutdown or admin drama.
From a 1-user single-actor instance to a 10k-user community, the same software scales. Pick the VPS size that matches.
Strict reverse-chronological timeline. No promoted posts, no engagement-bait algorithm. The opposite of Twitter/X.
ActivityPub means you can also follow accounts on Pleroma, Akkoma, Misskey, PixelFed, PeerTube, Lemmy. One identity, whole federated web.
No tracking pixels, no SDK fingerprints, no targeted ads. Combined with Servury's no-logs hosting, your instance stays your own.
Frequently asked questions
How much VPS do I need?
For a single-user or small instance (under 50 users), 4 GB RAM is the floor. The Postgres + Redis + Sidekiq + Puma + streaming stack is heavy. For 100+ active users, plan 8 GB and offload media to S3-compatible storage. The biggest growth driver is media storage, not compute.
Do I need an SMTP server?
For account confirmations and admin emails, yes. The setup wizard asks for SMTP credentials. Use any transactional provider (Postmark, AWS SES, Mailgun, Resend) or run your own.
Can I run a single-user instance?
Yes, that is one of the most popular use cases. Disable signups so only you can register, and you have a personal corner of the fediverse with permanent handle and full data ownership.
How do I store media efficiently?
For low-volume instances, local disk works. For anything bigger, configure S3-compatible storage (Backblaze B2, Wasabi, MinIO). Mastodon then keeps only a thumbnail cache locally and offloads the rest.
How do I get federated quickly?
Follow some popular accounts on day one. Each follow tells their server about yours. Within 24 hours your instance is "known" across most of the fediverse.
Does it work with iOS/Android?
Yes, all official and third-party Mastodon apps (Ivory, Ice Cubes, Tusky, Toot!, etc.) accept any instance domain at login.
How do I back up?
Postgres dump + media volume = full backup. Schedule it nightly with restic or borg to remote storage. Always have backups.
Does Servury log my traffic?
No. No application-level logging on customer servers. Anonymous signup, crypto/card payment, no logs.
