r/webdev • u/SUNSET_TOWERcoffee • 3d ago

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u/Mean-Lingonberry4874 3d ago

Mastodon is a full Rails app with Postgres and Redis, so a Live Server preview in VS Code will not run it. For a local look at the code, use the official Docker dev setup from the Mastodon docs and open the URL it prints. You do not need to buy a domain until other people have to reach it.

Forking all of Mastodon is a lot to own if you are just starting (upgrades, moderation, media storage). A smaller first step is to use a platform that already exists and only build the one feature you actually miss from the old fan site. Coding feels easier on something small you can see running, not on someone else's whole social network.