Key Features¶

Nebulae provides a comprehensive set of social networking features with privacy and user control at the core.

📝 Posts & Content¶

Text Posts¶

Rich text with automatic link detection
@mention system for tagging friends
@everyone mentions for group/event posts
Link previews for shared URLs

Photo and video uploads
Multiple media attachments per post
Automatic thumbnail generation
Image tagging (tag people in photos)
Media-specific comments

Privacy Levels¶

Every post can be set to: - Local - Only visible to users on your node - Friends - Visible to your friends (including on other nodes) - Public - Visible to everyone - Group - Only group members can see - Event - Only event attendees can see

Special Post Types¶

Reposts - Share someone else's Public content to your timeline
Wall Posts - Post to a friend's profile timeline
Location Check-ins - Tag locations in posts
Polls - Create interactive polls with multiple options

Friends System¶

Send and accept friend requests
View mutual friends
Friends list visible to friends
Cross-node friendship (federated friends)

Discovery¶

Discover Users - Find users on your node and connected nodes as well as public pages on your node, connected nodes and discovered by 'word of mouth'
Discover Groups - Browse available groups on your node, connected nodes and discovered by 'word of mouth'
Hide items you're not interested in

User Profiles¶

Customizable profile pictures
Display name separate from username
Profile information fields (optional)
Media gallery for photos/videos
Timeline of posts

👪 Groups¶

All Groups are visible - Anyone can request to join, but you can set rules and questions as a pre-joining requisite

Group Features¶

Group posts and timelines
Member management (admins/moderators/members)
Group profile with customizable info
Group events
Join request system with custom questions
Group rules and approval workflow
Friends in group visibility

Group Administration¶

Multiple admins and moderators
Different permission levels
Promote/demote members
Remove members
Edit group information
Manage join requests

📅 Events¶

Event Creation¶

Create events from user profiles, groups, or public pages
Set event title, date/time, location, and details
Public or private events
Event cover photos

RSVP System¶

Going / Maybe / Not Going responses
View attendee lists
Invite specific users
Event announcements for public pages

Event Features¶

Event timeline for posts
@everyone mentions for announcements
Update notifications when event details change
Event discovery for public events

📄 Public Pages¶

Page Types¶

Separate from personal profiles, public pages allow: - Business/organization presence - Community pages - Public figures - Content creators

Page Features¶

Followers instead of friends
Post updates to followers
Page-specific profile
Event creation (public announcements)
Cross-node visibility

🔔 Notifications¶

Notification Types¶

Comments on your posts
Replies to your comments
@mentions
Friend requests (sent and accepted)
Group invitations
Group post notifications
Event invitations
Post reposts
Photo tags
Birthdays
@everyone mentions

Notification Channels¶

In-app notifications - Bell icon with counter
Email notifications - Customizable per type
Push notifications - Browser notifications (opt-in)

🔒 Privacy & Security¶

Privacy Controls¶

Per-post privacy settings
Profile information visibility control
Media path isolation (your files stay yours)
Email addresses never exposed to remote nodes
Block problematic users
Hide specific posts/comments

Content Control¶

Snooze friends temporarily (30d)
Disable comments on posts
Untag or unmention yourself from a post, comment or photo

📸 Media Management¶

Media Albums¶

Create albums from profile media
Add descriptions
Media-specific mixed privacy settings - an album can have media with different privacy settings and therefore tailored to your audience.

Media Gallery¶

Browse all your uploaded photos
Search and filter media
Comment on individual photos
Tag people in photos
Lazy loading for performance

👨‍👩‍👧 Parental Controls¶

For users under 16 - this needs to be configured on the Admin Dashboard > Manage Users

Approval System¶

Parents must approve:
Friend requests (sent or received)
Group memberships
Event attendance
Media and Post Tags
Post creation (Possible future enhancement)

Parent Dashboard¶

View pending approvals
Approve or deny
Monitor child's activity
Multiple parents can be assigned

🔗 Federation Features¶

Multi-Node Communication¶

HTTPS-based federation
HMAC-SHA256 request signing
Shared secrets for node pairing

Federation Types¶

Full Node Connection - See all users, groups, pages from a node
Targeted Subscription - Subscribe to specific groups/events/pages without full connection

Privacy in Federation¶

Control what content crosses node boundaries
Per-post federation settings
PUID system protects private information
You choose which nodes to trust

⚙️ User Settings¶

Account Settings¶

Change display name
Update password
Enable two-factor authentication (TOTP)
Session management (view and revoke sessions)
Account export (coming soon)

Notification Preferences¶

Granular email notification controls
Push notification settings
Notification frequency settings

Interface Settings¶

Dark mode / Light mode
Language preferences (coming soon)

📊 Polls¶

Poll Features¶

2-10 poll options
Allow multiple answers
Allow users to add new options
See who voted for what
Poll results visualization

🎨 User Experience¶

Modern Interface¶

Responsive design (mobile, tablet, desktop)
Dark mode support
Smooth animations
Lazy loading
Progressive Web App (PWA) support

Performance¶

Thumbnail generation for fast loading
Pagination for long feeds
Efficient database queries with indexing
Compressed media delivery

🛠️ Developer Features¶

Open Source¶

Full source code available
AGPL-3.0 license
Self-hostable
Extensible architecture

Tech Stack¶

Python/Flask backend
SQLite database with WAL mode
Vanilla JavaScript frontend
Docker deployment
Tailwind CSS styling

Coming Soon 🚀¶

Features in development/consideration: - Stories/temporary posts - Advanced search - Multi-language support - Parental approval of posts

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