kb-loops

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UpdatedMarch 13, 2026 at 14:43

Background knowledge about Loops, the federated short-form video sharing platform (TikTok/Vine alternative for the Fediverse). Covers the key federation design decision of using Note objects with video attachments instead of Video objects for maximum cross-platform compatibility, the instance actor and shared inbox implementation, HTTP Signatures with SHA-256 digests, WebFinger discovery, the graph-walking comment validator (rejects top-level Notes, creates Comment and CommentReply objects), cross-platform interactions (follow, comment, like, Announce across Mastodon/Pixelfed/PeerTube), the tech stack (Laravel/PHP, Vue 3, Tailwind, Expo/React Native mobile), features (vertical swipe feed, For You algorithm, duets, 3-minute videos, playlists, threaded comments), the relationship to Pixelfed and creator Daniel Supernault, federation beta status, and comparison with PeerTube (Note vs Video object types, short-form vs long-form). Load when the user asks about Loops; how short-form video federates in the Fediverse

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name	kb-loops
description	Background knowledge about Loops, the federated short-form video sharing platform (TikTok/Vine alternative for the Fediverse). Covers the key federation design decision of using Note objects with video attachments instead of Video objects for maximum cross-platform compatibility, the instance actor and shared inbox implementation, HTTP Signatures with SHA-256 digests, WebFinger discovery, the graph-walking comment validator (rejects top-level Notes, creates Comment and CommentReply objects), cross-platform interactions (follow, comment, like, Announce across Mastodon/Pixelfed/PeerTube), the tech stack (Laravel/PHP, Vue 3, Tailwind, Expo/React Native mobile), features (vertical swipe feed, For You algorithm, duets, 3-minute videos, playlists, threaded comments), the relationship to Pixelfed and creator Daniel Supernault, federation beta status, and comparison with PeerTube (Note vs Video object types, short-form vs long-form). Load when the user asks about Loops; how short-form video federates in the Fediverse; why Loops uses Note instead of Video objects; how to federate with Loops instances; the Fediverse TikTok alternative; how video content works in ActivityPub with Note attachments; Loops federation protocol details; or comparing Loops with PeerTube.
user-invocable	false

Loops — Complete Reference

Overview

Loops is a federated, open-source short-form video sharing platform — the Fediverse equivalent of TikTok/Vine. Its tagline is "Short videos. Your community. Your rules." Created by Daniel Supernault (aka Dansup), the Canadian developer also behind Pixelfed (the Fediverse Instagram alternative). Branded as "Loops by Pixelfed," it is a separate platform under the Pixelfed project umbrella.

Built on Laravel (PHP), Vue 3, and Tailwind CSS with a custom ActivityPub implementation. Licensed AGPL-3.0. ActivityPub federation entered beta on October 14, 2025. As of March 2026, the latest release is v1.0.0-beta.10.

1. Technology Stack

Component	Technology
Backend	PHP / Laravel
Frontend	Vue 3 + TypeScript
CSS	Tailwind CSS
Build tool	Vite
Mobile app	React Native (Expo)
Deployment	Docker / Docker Compose
CDN	Fastly (Fast Forward program)
License	AGPL-3.0

Repositories

Repository	URL
Server	https://github.com/joinloops/loops-server
Mobile app	https://github.com/joinloops/loops-expo
API docs	https://docs.joinloops.org/

2. The Key Design Decision: Note, Not Video

The most important technical decision in Loops' federation: Loops uses Note objects with video attachments instead of Video objects for maximum cross-platform compatibility.

From Daniel Supernault:

"The fediverse is optimized for notes. Mastodon, Pleroma, Misskey — they all handle notes beautifully. By wrapping video content as notes with video attachments, loops federate seamlessly across the entire fediverse without requiring special handling."

"This pragmatic approach means loops show up properly everywhere, not just on platforms that specifically understand video objects. It's about meeting the fediverse where it is, not where we wish it would be."

What Gets Federated

When a loop is posted, the federation sends:

A Note object with rich video attachments
Multiple video encodings for different devices (where supported)
Generated thumbnails and preview images (where supported)
Captions and content warnings
All standard interaction capabilities (Like, Announce, Reply)

Why Not Video Objects?

PeerTube uses Video objects, which provide richer video-specific metadata. However, many Fediverse platforms (especially microblogging platforms like Mastodon, Misskey, Pleroma) either don't handle Video objects at all or display them with degraded UX. By using Note — the type every Fediverse platform handles natively — Loops videos appear correctly in timelines across the entire Fediverse without special handling.

Comparison

Approach	Used by	Pros	Cons
`Note` + video attachment	Loops	Universal compatibility; shows up in all timelines	Less video-specific metadata
`Video` object	PeerTube	Rich metadata (duration, resolution, chapters)	Many platforms ignore or poorly display `Video` type

3. Federation Implementation

Instance Actor and Shared Inbox

Every Loops instance has a server-level actor that handles:

Server-to-server authentication
Instance metadata exchange
Account deletions and relay subscriptions

A shared inbox is implemented for optimized delivery — remote instances send activities once to the shared inbox rather than per- follower, reducing network overhead as instances grow.

HTTP Signatures

Request signing with:

SHA-256 digests
Date header parsing (handling format variations across servers)
Non-standard port number handling
Every federated request is cryptographically signed

WebFinger Discovery

Standard WebFinger discovery for both individual users and the instance actor, enabling seamless follow operations across the Fediverse.

Federation-Aware Comments

Loops implements a graph-walking validator that traces reply chains:

Top-level Note objects from remote servers are rejected — Loops is for videos only, not microblog posts
Replies to videos create Comment objects
Replies to comments become CommentReply objects with correct parent relationships
This enables nested conversations that work across platforms

This validator is important for interoperability: when a Mastodon user replies to a loop, the reply is accepted as a Comment. But if a Mastodon user tries to create a top-level post that arrives at a Loops instance, it is rejected.

What Works in Federation Beta

Feature	Status
Follow any ActivityPub user	Working
Be followed from Mastodon/Pixelfed/etc	Working
Cross-platform comments	Working
Cross-platform likes	Working
Share/Announce to followers	Working
Federated notifications	Working
Multi-instance video distribution	Working
Account migration with follower transfer	Planned

Federation Configuration

Federation is opt-in during beta for self-hosted instances:

Enable in instance settings
HTTPS required
Configure domain properly
Allocate storage for remote media caching
Documented in FEDERATION.md in the repository

4. Features

Available Now

Vertical swipe short-video feed
Following feed (chronological) and For You feed (algorithmic, powered by engagement/hashtags/social graph)
Videos up to 3 minutes (originally 30 seconds, extended over time)
In-app camera with multi-lens switching and caption editor
Duets (collaborative video creation)
Nested/threaded comments with @mentions across the Fediverse
Like, share, boost/repost
Hashtag browsing and trending topics
Profile and video search
Pinned videos (up to 3)
Playlists & Collections
Favourites (private bookmarks)
Sound library
Full ActivityPub federation (beta)
Native iOS and Android apps
Admin dashboard
Public API with OpenAPI documentation

Roadmap (2026)

Quarter	Features
Q1	Advanced moderation, push notifications, multi-account, stitches
Q2	Creator analytics, AR filters, collaborative moderation, accessibility
Q3	Embeddable player, account migration, live streaming, video editor
Q4	Challenges, monetization options

5. Loops vs PeerTube

Aspect	Loops	PeerTube
Focus	Short-form vertical video (TikTok/Vine)	Long-form video (YouTube)
Video length	Up to 3 minutes	No practical limit
UI	Mobile-first vertical swipe	Web-first video library
Discovery	For You algorithmic feed + hashtags	Federated search, channels
AP object type	`Note` with video attachments	`Video`
Tech stack	Laravel (PHP) + Vue.js	Node.js + Angular
P2P delivery	No	Yes (WebRTC)
Live streaming	Planned Q3 2026	Yes
Maturity	Beta (v1.0.0-beta.10)	Stable (v6+, since 2018)

Loops and PeerTube are complementary, not competing — they target fundamentally different video use cases. PeerTube is for long-form content hosting (channels, playlists, educational videos). Loops is for short-form social video (trends, creativity, casual sharing).

6. Interoperability Notes for Implementers

Loops videos arrive as Note objects — if your software handles Note with video attachments, Loops content will display correctly in timelines. No special Video type handling needed.
Replying to a Loop — send a standard Note reply with inReplyTo pointing to the loop's Note ID. Loops will accept it as a Comment.
Top-level Notes are rejected — Loops only accepts video content for top-level posts. If a Mastodon user mentions a Loops user in a standalone post (not a reply), Loops will not ingest it as a post.
Like and Announce work normally — standard Like and Announce activities targeting a loop's Note ID work as expected.
Video stays on origin server — when a loop federates, remote instances receive the Note metadata but the video file is served from the original Loops instance. This reduces storage requirements for remote instances but depends on the origin server's availability.
Multiple encodings — Loops may include multiple video file attachments (different resolutions/encodings) in the Note object. Consumers should select the appropriate encoding for their display context.

7. API

Loops provides a full public REST API (OpenAPI spec v1.0.0):

OAuth authentication with 2FA support
Video upload and management
Duets
Playlists and collections
Explore/trending endpoints
For You feed with impression tracking
Full-text search
Privacy controls
25+ language support
AI content detection flags
Alt text and content sensitivity marking

Documentation: https://docs.joinloops.org/

8. Known Considerations

Beta federation: ActivityPub support is in beta (since October 2025). Some edge cases with remote platforms may still need work.
Opt-in federation: Self-hosted instances must explicitly enable federation in settings during the beta period.
Video bandwidth: Short-form video demands significant bandwidth and storage. Instance operators should plan for CDN/object storage costs. Loops benefits from Fastly Fast Forward sponsorship for its premiere instance.
No monetization yet: Creator monetization features are planned for Q4 2026. This may affect creator adoption in the near term.
Recommendation algorithm limitations: The "For You" feed uses engagement, hashtags, and social graph signals, but federated privacy constraints limit the data available compared to centralized platforms like TikTok.