Mastodon is a free, open-source social network server based on open web protocols like ActivityPub and OStatus. The social focus of the project is a viable decentralized alternative to commercial social media silos that returns the control of the content distribution channels to the people.
>**Please note**: It is highly recommended to run a [tagged release](https://github.com/tootsuite/mastodon/releases) of Mastodon and **not** run off the current `master` branch.
- Before you start: [Examples of resource usage from other live instances](Running-Mastodon/Resources-needed.md)
- If you want to use Docker: [Installation using Docker](Running-Mastodon/Docker-Guide.md)
- If you want to run it standalone: [Standalone installation](Running-Mastodon/Production-guide.md)
- There are other options:
- [Mastodon on Heroku](Running-Mastodon/Heroku-guide.md)
- [Mastodon on Scalingo](Running-Mastodon/Scalingo-guide.md)
- [Mastodon on Nanobox](Running-Mastodon/Nanobox-Guide.md)
- After installation:
- [Administrating a Mastodon instance](Running-Mastodon/Administration-guide.md)
The aforementioned guides presume using certain software, like Nginx. But using alternatives is possible: [Alternative system configurations](Running-Mastodon/Alternatives.md)
#### In development
- [Setting up a development environment](Running-Mastodon/Development-guide.md)