Pixelfed website screenshot

Pixelfed

Pixelfed is a decentralized, federated photo-sharing platform and open-source alternative to Instagram. Built on the ActivityPub protocol, it connects with the broader Fediverse — including Mastodon, PeerTube, and other federated networks — while giving users full ownership of their content. Pixelfed exposes a REST API that is broadly compatible with the Mastodon v1/v2 API, covering media uploads, status management, timelines, notifications, follower graphs, direct messages, stories, collections, and administrative functions. Developers can register OAuth2 applications against any public Pixelfed instance and build clients using the same patterns used for Mastodon- compatible apps.

Pixelfed publishes 17 APIs on the APIs.io network, including Accounts API, Blocks and Mutes API, Bookmarks API, and 14 more. Tagged areas include Fediverse, ActivityPub, Photo Sharing, Social Media, and Open Source.

The Pixelfed catalog on APIs.io includes 1 JSON-LD context.

Pixelfed’s developer surface includes authentication and 3 more developer resources.

🌐 Visit website 📡 Source on GitHub
37.6/100 thin ▬ flat Agent 31/100 agent aware Full breakdown ↓
scored 2026-08-05 · rubric v0.9.1
AccessFreeSelf serve⚡ Free to try
17 APIs
FediverseActivityPubPhoto SharingSocial MediaOpen SourceDecentralizedMastodon CompatibleFederation

Kin Score

Kin Score Kin Score How this is scored →
scored 2026-08-05 · rubric v0.9.1
Composite quality — 37.6/100 · thin
Contract Quality 16.0 / 25
Developer Ergonomics 2.2 / 20
Commercial Clarity 7.9 / 20
Operational Transparency 4.1 / 13
Governance 0.0 / 12
Discoverability 7.4 / 10
Agent readiness — 31/100 · agent aware
Machine-Readable Contract 18 / 18
Agentic Access Contract 10 / 10
MCP Server 0 / 12
Machine-Readable Auth 10 / 10
Idempotency 0 / 9
Stable Error Semantics 0 / 8
Request/Response Examples 0 / 7
Rate-Limit Signaling 7 / 7
Typed Event Surface 0 / 6
Agent Skills 0 / 5
Well-Known Catalog 0 / 4
Consent & Bot Identity 0 / 3
A2A Agent Card 0 / 8
Dry-Run / Simulate Mode 0 / 4
Improve this rating by publishing the missing artifacts — every area above can be raised, and the full rubric is at apis.io/rating/. This rating is computed from github.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed: open an issue to ask a question, or submit a pull request to add artifacts. Want it done for you? Prioritized profiling — $2,500 →

APIs 17

Individual APIs this provider publishes, each with its own machine-readable definition.

Pixelfed Accounts API

Account management, follow/block/mute operations

Pixelfed Blocks and Mutes API

Blocked accounts and muted accounts

Pixelfed Bookmarks API

Bookmarked statuses

Pixelfed Collections API

Pixelfed-specific photo collections (v1.1)

Pixelfed Direct Messages API

Pixelfed-specific direct messaging (v1.1)

Pixelfed Discovery API

Trending content, suggestions, and directory

Pixelfed Favourites API

Favourited statuses

Pixelfed Follow Requests API

Pending follow requests

Pixelfed Instance API

Instance and federation metadata

Pixelfed Lists API

List management and membership

Pixelfed Media API

Media upload and management

Pixelfed Notifications API

Notification retrieval and management

Pixelfed Push Notifications API

Web push subscription management (v1.1)

Pixelfed Search API

Full-text and entity search

Pixelfed Statuses API

Creating, reading, and interacting with statuses (posts)

Pixelfed Stories API

Pixelfed-specific ephemeral stories (v1.1)

Pixelfed Timelines API

Home, public, tag, and list timelines

Scroll for all 17

Pricing Plans 1

Published pricing tiers and plan structures.

Plans

3 plans

PLANS

Rate Limits 1

Documented rate limits and quota policies.

Rate Limits

5 limits

RATE LIMITS

FinOps 1

Cost, billing, and metering signals for API financial operations.

Finops

FINOPS

Semantic Vocabularies 1

JSON-LD contexts and semantic vocabularies used across these APIs.

Pixelfed Context

0 classes · 0 properties

JSON-LD

Security Posture 2

Authentication, domain security, vulnerability disclosure, and trust-center signals.

Pixelfed Authentication

http/oauth2 · 2 schemes

SECURITY

Pixelfed Domain Security

TLSv1.3

SECURITY

Scopes 1

OAuth scopes governing access to this provider's APIs.

Pixelfed Scopes

4 scopes · authorizationCode

4 scopes

SCOPES

Agentic Access 1

Recommended x-agentic-access execution contracts for AI agents.

Pixelfed Agentic Access

68 operations · 28 acting

68 operations · 28 acting

AGENTIC

Resources

Agent Surfaces 1

MCP servers, agent skills, and machine-readable catalogs

AgenticAccess
AgenticAccess

Access & Security 3

Authentication, authorization, and security posture

DomainSecurity
DomainSecurity
 Authentication
Authentication
 OAuthScopes
OAuthScopes

Source (apis.yml)

apis.yml Raw ↑ 
name: Pixelfed
description: 'Pixelfed is a decentralized, federated photo-sharing platform and open-source alternative to Instagram. Built
  on the ActivityPub protocol, it connects with the broader Fediverse — including Mastodon, PeerTube, and other federated
  networks — while giving users full ownership of their content. Pixelfed exposes a REST API that is broadly compatible with
  the Mastodon v1/v2 API, covering media uploads, status management, timelines, notifications, follower graphs, direct messages,
  stories, collections, and administrative functions. Developers can register OAuth2 applications against any public Pixelfed
  instance and build clients using the same patterns used for Mastodon- compatible apps.

  '
accessModel:
  pricing: free
  onboarding: self-serve
  trial: false
  try_now: true
  public: false
  label: Free · Self-serve signup
  confidence: high
  source:
  - plans
  - authentication
  generated: '2026-07-22'
  method: derived
image: https://pixelfed.org/img/logo.svg
tags:
- Fediverse
- ActivityPub
- Photo Sharing
- Social Media
- Open Source
- Decentralized
- Mastodon Compatible
- Federation
created: '2024-01-01'
modified: '2026-06-13'
url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/apis.yml
specificationVersion: '0.19'
apis:
- aid: pixelfed:pixelfed-accounts-api
  name: Pixelfed Accounts API
  description: Account management, follow/block/mute operations
  humanURL: https://docs.pixelfed.org/
  baseURL: https://{instance}/api
  tags:
  - Accounts
  properties:
  - type: OpenAPI
    url: openapi/pixelfed-accounts-api-openapi.yml
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://docs.pixelfed.org/
  - type: GitHubRepository
    url: https://github.com/pixelfed/pixelfed
  - type: Authentication
    url: https://docs.pixelfed.org/technical/api/
  - type: Plans
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/plans/plans.yml
  - type: RateLimits
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/rate-limits/rate-limits.yml
  - type: FinOps
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/finops/finops.yml
- aid: pixelfed:pixelfed-blocks-and-mutes-api
  name: Pixelfed Blocks and Mutes API
  description: Blocked accounts and muted accounts
  humanURL: https://docs.pixelfed.org/
  baseURL: https://{instance}/api
  tags:
  - Blocks and Mutes
  properties:
  - type: OpenAPI
    url: openapi/pixelfed-blocks-and-mutes-api-openapi.yml
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://docs.pixelfed.org/
  - type: GitHubRepository
    url: https://github.com/pixelfed/pixelfed
  - type: Authentication
    url: https://docs.pixelfed.org/technical/api/
  - type: Plans
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/plans/plans.yml
  - type: RateLimits
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/rate-limits/rate-limits.yml
  - type: FinOps
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/finops/finops.yml
- aid: pixelfed:pixelfed-bookmarks-api
  name: Pixelfed Bookmarks API
  description: Bookmarked statuses
  humanURL: https://docs.pixelfed.org/
  baseURL: https://{instance}/api
  tags:
  - Bookmarks
  properties:
  - type: OpenAPI
    url: openapi/pixelfed-bookmarks-api-openapi.yml
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://docs.pixelfed.org/
  - type: GitHubRepository
    url: https://github.com/pixelfed/pixelfed
  - type: Authentication
    url: https://docs.pixelfed.org/technical/api/
  - type: Plans
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/plans/plans.yml
  - type: RateLimits
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/rate-limits/rate-limits.yml
  - type: FinOps
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/finops/finops.yml
- aid: pixelfed:pixelfed-collections-api
  name: Pixelfed Collections API
  description: Pixelfed-specific photo collections (v1.1)
  humanURL: https://docs.pixelfed.org/
  baseURL: https://{instance}/api
  tags:
  - Collections
  properties:
  - type: OpenAPI
    url: openapi/pixelfed-collections-api-openapi.yml
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://docs.pixelfed.org/
  - type: GitHubRepository
    url: https://github.com/pixelfed/pixelfed
  - type: Authentication
    url: https://docs.pixelfed.org/technical/api/
  - type: Plans
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/plans/plans.yml
  - type: RateLimits
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/rate-limits/rate-limits.yml
  - type: FinOps
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/finops/finops.yml
- aid: pixelfed:pixelfed-direct-messages-api
  name: Pixelfed Direct Messages API
  description: Pixelfed-specific direct messaging (v1.1)
  humanURL: https://docs.pixelfed.org/
  baseURL: https://{instance}/api
  tags:
  - Direct Messages
  properties:
  - type: OpenAPI
    url: openapi/pixelfed-direct-messages-api-openapi.yml
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://docs.pixelfed.org/
  - type: GitHubRepository
    url: https://github.com/pixelfed/pixelfed
  - type: Authentication
    url: https://docs.pixelfed.org/technical/api/
  - type: Plans
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/plans/plans.yml
  - type: RateLimits
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/rate-limits/rate-limits.yml
  - type: FinOps
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/finops/finops.yml
- aid: pixelfed:pixelfed-discovery-api
  name: Pixelfed Discovery API
  description: Trending content, suggestions, and directory
  humanURL: https://docs.pixelfed.org/
  baseURL: https://{instance}/api
  tags:
  - Discovery
  properties:
  - type: OpenAPI
    url: openapi/pixelfed-discovery-api-openapi.yml
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://docs.pixelfed.org/
  - type: GitHubRepository
    url: https://github.com/pixelfed/pixelfed
  - type: Authentication
    url: https://docs.pixelfed.org/technical/api/
  - type: Plans
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/plans/plans.yml
  - type: RateLimits
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/rate-limits/rate-limits.yml
  - type: FinOps
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/finops/finops.yml
- aid: pixelfed:pixelfed-favourites-api
  name: Pixelfed Favourites API
  description: Favourited statuses
  humanURL: https://docs.pixelfed.org/
  baseURL: https://{instance}/api
  tags:
  - Favourites
  properties:
  - type: OpenAPI
    url: openapi/pixelfed-favourites-api-openapi.yml
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://docs.pixelfed.org/
  - type: GitHubRepository
    url: https://github.com/pixelfed/pixelfed
  - type: Authentication
    url: https://docs.pixelfed.org/technical/api/
  - type: Plans
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/plans/plans.yml
  - type: RateLimits
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/rate-limits/rate-limits.yml
  - type: FinOps
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/finops/finops.yml
- aid: pixelfed:pixelfed-follow-requests-api
  name: Pixelfed Follow Requests API
  description: Pending follow requests
  humanURL: https://docs.pixelfed.org/
  baseURL: https://{instance}/api
  tags:
  - Follow Requests
  properties:
  - type: OpenAPI
    url: openapi/pixelfed-follow-requests-api-openapi.yml
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://docs.pixelfed.org/
  - type: GitHubRepository
    url: https://github.com/pixelfed/pixelfed
  - type: Authentication
    url: https://docs.pixelfed.org/technical/api/
  - type: Plans
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/plans/plans.yml
  - type: RateLimits
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/rate-limits/rate-limits.yml
  - type: FinOps
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/finops/finops.yml
- aid: pixelfed:pixelfed-instance-api
  name: Pixelfed Instance API
  description: Instance and federation metadata
  humanURL: https://docs.pixelfed.org/
  baseURL: https://{instance}/api
  tags:
  - Instance
  properties:
  - type: OpenAPI
    url: openapi/pixelfed-instance-api-openapi.yml
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://docs.pixelfed.org/
  - type: GitHubRepository
    url: https://github.com/pixelfed/pixelfed
  - type: Authentication
    url: https://docs.pixelfed.org/technical/api/
  - type: Plans
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/plans/plans.yml
  - type: RateLimits
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/rate-limits/rate-limits.yml
  - type: FinOps
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/finops/finops.yml
- aid: pixelfed:pixelfed-lists-api
  name: Pixelfed Lists API
  description: List management and membership
  humanURL: https://docs.pixelfed.org/
  baseURL: https://{instance}/api
  tags:
  - Lists
  properties:
  - type: OpenAPI
    url: openapi/pixelfed-lists-api-openapi.yml
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://docs.pixelfed.org/
  - type: GitHubRepository
    url: https://github.com/pixelfed/pixelfed
  - type: Authentication
    url: https://docs.pixelfed.org/technical/api/
  - type: Plans
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/plans/plans.yml
  - type: RateLimits
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/rate-limits/rate-limits.yml
  - type: FinOps
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/finops/finops.yml
- aid: pixelfed:pixelfed-media-api
  name: Pixelfed Media API
  description: Media upload and management
  humanURL: https://docs.pixelfed.org/
  baseURL: https://{instance}/api
  tags:
  - Media
  properties:
  - type: OpenAPI
    url: openapi/pixelfed-media-api-openapi.yml
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://docs.pixelfed.org/
  - type: GitHubRepository
    url: https://github.com/pixelfed/pixelfed
  - type: Authentication
    url: https://docs.pixelfed.org/technical/api/
  - type: Plans
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/plans/plans.yml
  - type: RateLimits
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/rate-limits/rate-limits.yml
  - type: FinOps
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/finops/finops.yml
- aid: pixelfed:pixelfed-notifications-api
  name: Pixelfed Notifications API
  description: Notification retrieval and management
  humanURL: https://docs.pixelfed.org/
  baseURL: https://{instance}/api
  tags:
  - Notifications
  properties:
  - type: OpenAPI
    url: openapi/pixelfed-notifications-api-openapi.yml
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://docs.pixelfed.org/
  - type: GitHubRepository
    url: https://github.com/pixelfed/pixelfed
  - type: Authentication
    url: https://docs.pixelfed.org/technical/api/
  - type: Plans
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/plans/plans.yml
  - type: RateLimits
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/rate-limits/rate-limits.yml
  - type: FinOps
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/finops/finops.yml
- aid: pixelfed:pixelfed-push-notifications-api
  name: Pixelfed Push Notifications API
  description: Web push subscription management (v1.1)
  humanURL: https://docs.pixelfed.org/
  baseURL: https://{instance}/api
  tags:
  - Push Notifications
  properties:
  - type: OpenAPI
    url: openapi/pixelfed-push-notifications-api-openapi.yml
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://docs.pixelfed.org/
  - type: GitHubRepository
    url: https://github.com/pixelfed/pixelfed
  - type: Authentication
    url: https://docs.pixelfed.org/technical/api/
  - type: Plans
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/plans/plans.yml
  - type: RateLimits
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/rate-limits/rate-limits.yml
  - type: FinOps
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/finops/finops.yml
- aid: pixelfed:pixelfed-search-api
  name: Pixelfed Search API
  description: Full-text and entity search
  humanURL: https://docs.pixelfed.org/
  baseURL: https://{instance}/api
  tags:
  - Search
  properties:
  - type: OpenAPI
    url: openapi/pixelfed-search-api-openapi.yml
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://docs.pixelfed.org/
  - type: GitHubRepository
    url: https://github.com/pixelfed/pixelfed
  - type: Authentication
    url: https://docs.pixelfed.org/technical/api/
  - type: Plans
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/plans/plans.yml
  - type: RateLimits
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/rate-limits/rate-limits.yml
  - type: FinOps
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/finops/finops.yml
- aid: pixelfed:pixelfed-statuses-api
  name: Pixelfed Statuses API
  description: Creating, reading, and interacting with statuses (posts)
  humanURL: https://docs.pixelfed.org/
  baseURL: https://{instance}/api
  tags:
  - Statuses
  properties:
  - type: OpenAPI
    url: openapi/pixelfed-statuses-api-openapi.yml
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://docs.pixelfed.org/
  - type: GitHubRepository
    url: https://github.com/pixelfed/pixelfed
  - type: Authentication
    url: https://docs.pixelfed.org/technical/api/
  - type: Plans
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/plans/plans.yml
  - type: RateLimits
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/rate-limits/rate-limits.yml
  - type: FinOps
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/finops/finops.yml
- aid: pixelfed:pixelfed-stories-api
  name: Pixelfed Stories API
  description: Pixelfed-specific ephemeral stories (v1.1)
  humanURL: https://docs.pixelfed.org/
  baseURL: https://{instance}/api
  tags:
  - Stories
  properties:
  - type: OpenAPI
    url: openapi/pixelfed-stories-api-openapi.yml
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://docs.pixelfed.org/
  - type: GitHubRepository
    url: https://github.com/pixelfed/pixelfed
  - type: Authentication
    url: https://docs.pixelfed.org/technical/api/
  - type: Plans
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/plans/plans.yml
  - type: RateLimits
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/rate-limits/rate-limits.yml
  - type: FinOps
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/finops/finops.yml
- aid: pixelfed:pixelfed-timelines-api
  name: Pixelfed Timelines API
  description: Home, public, tag, and list timelines
  humanURL: https://docs.pixelfed.org/
  baseURL: https://{instance}/api
  tags:
  - Timelines
  properties:
  - type: OpenAPI
    url: openapi/pixelfed-timelines-api-openapi.yml
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://docs.pixelfed.org/
  - type: GitHubRepository
    url: https://github.com/pixelfed/pixelfed
  - type: Authentication
    url: https://docs.pixelfed.org/technical/api/
  - type: Plans
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/plans/plans.yml
  - type: RateLimits
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/rate-limits/rate-limits.yml
  - type: FinOps
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pixelfed/refs/heads/main/finops/finops.yml
maintainers:
- FN: Kin Lane
  X-twitter: kinlane
  email: kin@apievangelist.com
common:
- type: AgenticAccess
  url: agentic-access/pixelfed-agentic-access.yml
- type: DomainSecurity
  url: security/pixelfed-domain-security.yml
- type: Authentication
  url: authentication/pixelfed-authentication.yml
- type: OAuthScopes
  url: scopes/pixelfed-scopes.yml