dark mastodon dark mastodon show me the actual readable specs for how federation works. please,
@boots So, you have multiple instances, and they only talk to each other when someone on an instance tells the instance a specific address to an account in another instance. Then that address gets added to your instance's address list and it checks it regularly for updates.
@InspectorCaracal it actually doesn't check it regularly, it just federates that one post afais
@boots ugh Tusky stop locking my posts 😟
@InspectorCaracal sounds about right iirc
so: how do mentions get sent to another instance
like, i know
1. it runs a webfinger on the user mentioned
2. it takes the data and ???
3. ???
4. federation
@boots I don't actually know the technical specs but I assume it splits it into user and instance, connects to the instance domain via internet protocol, and then gives the data to that instance, which then processes it as usual for a mention.
@boots then presumably it stores the instance domain in a list of known instances to track the quantity of instances in its federation
