Functionality and Connectivity:

• Bridging Networks: The primary function of Bridgy Fed is to connect the fediverse, the web, and Bluesky (AT Protocol).

• Bidirectional Communication: Bridging is fully bidirectional. Users on any of the supported networks can use Bridgy Fed to follow people on other networks, see their posts, and reply and like and repost them.

• Account Federation: Unlike classic cross-posting services, Bridgy Fed federates accounts, mirroring existing accounts into other networks. For example, a personal web site can become its own fediverse account that people can follow directly.

Content Handling and Translation:

• Public Content Only: Bridgy Fed only bridges fully public profiles, posts, and interactions. It does not bridge private posts, DMs, unlisted, followers-only, or otherwise non-public content.

• Translated Interactions: Once enabled, fully public actions—including posts, replies, likes, and reposts—are bridged, provided the original post was also bridged.

• Formatting Translation: It works to preserve profile and post formatting, converting rich formatting (from the web) to text-based formatting for text-based networks. If conversion is impossible (e.g., for events or polls), a link to the original post is included.

• Truncation and Limits: Posts are truncated if they exceed network limits (e.g., Fediverse posts are truncated to 300 characters for Bluesky).

• Post Deletion: Users can delete a post normally, and Bridgy Fed will detect the deletion and delete it in every network it was bridged to.

• Content Not Bridged to Bluesky: Polls, edits/updates (currently), and most GIFs cannot be bridged into Bluesky.

Moderation and Security:

• Moderation Translation: Native moderation tools such as blocking and muting work with bridged users just like with native users and are translated across networks. Bluesky labels are translated to/from the fediverse's sensitive flag and content warnings.

• Reporting: If a user reports a bridged account or post, Bridgy Fed sends the report to the target network’s official moderation service (e.g., the Bluesky team).

• Opt-In Mechanism: Bridging is strictly opt-in. Users can opt out by blocking the Bridgy Fed bot account for the network they wish to leave.

• Data Policy: Bridgy Fed does not sell or expose user data to third parties and only handles fully public data.

Customization and Identity:

• Custom Handles: Users can use their own domain as their handle on other networks (including the fediverse and Bluesky) instead of the default *.brid.gy subdomain (requires technical setup).

• Profile Updates: Profiles are generally updated automatically when changed on one network, but users can manually trigger a profile refresh.

Developer and Admin Features:

• Protocol Integration: Bridgy Fed participates directly in the protocols it supports. For developers, it provides specific mechanisms (like alsoKnownAs fields in ActivityPub and bridgyOriginalUrl in Bluesky records) to detect if an account or post is bridged and provide original metadata.

• Admin Automation: Server admins can set up their instance to automatically enable the bridge for new users and give them custom Bluesky domain handles automatically.