| 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.
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| 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
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.