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Bringing Static Sites to the Fediverse: Enhancements and Implementations

Integrating static sites into this ecosystem via the ActivityPub protocol presents unique challenges and opportunities. In this post, I share recent updates and discoveries from my journey to seamlessly connect static sites to the Fediverse.

Enhancing Content Delivery with Customizable Templates

One of the primary goals in integrating static sites with ActivityPub is to ensure that content is delivered effectively within the Fediverse. To achieve this, I’ve introduced customizable templates for note generation. This enhancement allows the full content of a blog post to be included directly in ActivityPub notes, moving beyond mere link sharing—a practice often associated with bots—and leveraging the full potential of the Fediverse.

This approach ensures that followers can read and engage with complete articles within their preferred platforms, without the need to open a new browser, enhancing the user experience and fostering deeper connections.

Navigating Signed Requests in ActivityPub Implementations

During this integration journey, I encountered instances where certain servers require signed requests to retrieve author information. Starting for my instance hachyderm.io. This necessitated updates to the AuthorHelper component to handle such scenarios.

The implementation involves constructing a string to sign, incorporating elements like the request target, host, and date. This string is then signed using RSA-SHA256, and the resulting signature is included in the HTTP header. This process ensures that requests are authenticated and trusted by servers requiring signed interactions.

Disclaimer: This post also serves as a test for some of these recent changes. LOL so if you see it like weird is because of that

For a comprehensive guide on implementing ActivityPub in static sites, refer to my earlier series:

• A Guide to Implementing ActivityPub in a Static Site (or Any Website) - Part 1

You can read the article "A Guide to Implementing ActivityPub in a Static Site (or Any Website) - Q1 2025 Updates" by @mapache here as well.