When you manage a Mastodon server, you see options to subscribe to a relay and to follow an account. These two actions look similar but work in completely different ways. A relay is a server-level tool that pulls in public posts from many instances at once. Following is a user-level action that shows posts from a single account. This article explains the functional difference between subscribing to a Mastodon relay and following an account. You will learn when to use each feature and how they affect your instance’s federated timeline.
Key Takeaways: Mastodon Relay Subscribe vs Follow
- Relay subscribe (server admin action): Connects your whole instance to a relay server. The relay pushes public posts from all its member instances into your federated timeline automatically.
- Follow (user action): A user clicks the Follow button on another user’s profile. Only that specific account’s public and unlisted posts appear in the user’s Home feed.
- Scope and control: Relay subscriptions affect every user on your instance. Following only affects the individual user who clicked the button.
What a Mastodon Relay Does vs What Following an Account Does
A Mastodon relay is a server that acts as a middleman between multiple Mastodon instances. When you subscribe to a relay as a server admin, your instance sends a subscription request. Once approved, the relay forwards all public posts from every instance connected to that relay to your instance. Your instance’s federated timeline then fills with posts from many servers you never manually connected to.
Following an account is a simple user action. A user visits another user’s profile and clicks the Follow button. That user’s Home feed then shows that account’s public and unlisted toots. The action affects only that one user, not the entire instance.
How Relay Subscriptions Work at the Server Level
Relay subscriptions use the ActivityPub protocol. When your admin subscribes to a relay, your instance sends a Follow activity to the relay server. The relay then sends a Accept activity back. After that handshake, the relay pushes every new public post from all its member instances to your instance using Create activities. Your instance stores these posts in its local database and shows them in the federated timeline for all users.
Key points about relays:
- Relays are managed by server admins in the administration panel under Administration > Relays.
- You must know the relay server’s URL to subscribe. Example:
https://relay.example.com/inbox. - Relays only forward public posts. Unlisted, followers-only, and direct posts are never shared.
- Relays can be public (anyone can subscribe) or private (invite-only).
- Posts from relay members appear in the federated timeline, not in individual Home feeds unless a user follows someone on that instance.
How Following an Account Works at the User Level
When a user follows another account, their instance sends a Follow activity to the target user’s instance. The target instance approves it automatically or manually (if the target account is locked). After that, the target user’s public and unlisted posts appear in the following user’s Home feed. The follower can also see followers-only posts if the target user approves the follow request.
Key points about following:
- Following is available to every user from any profile page.
- Only the user who follows sees the posts in their Home feed.
- Following does not pull posts from the target account’s instance into the federated timeline.
- You can follow accounts on any Mastodon instance or any other ActivityPub-compatible service like Pleroma or PeerTube.
- Following creates a one-to-one relationship between two accounts.
When to Subscribe to a Relay vs When to Follow Accounts
The choice depends on your role and your goal. Server admins use relays to seed the federated timeline with content. Individual users follow accounts to curate their Home feed.
Scenarios for Subscribing to a Relay
- New instance with no content
If you just launched a Mastodon server, the federated timeline is empty. Subscribing to one or more public relays immediately brings in posts from hundreds or thousands of instances. Users see a lively timeline from day one. - Niche instance wanting specific content
If your instance focuses on a topic like photography or open-source software, find a relay dedicated to that topic. Subscribing to it fills your federated timeline with relevant posts. - Reducing manual federation work
Without relays, your instance only discovers posts when a user follows someone on a foreign instance. Relays automate discovery by pushing posts from many instances at once.
Scenarios for Following Accounts
- Curating a personal feed
Follow accounts that post about topics you care about. Your Home feed becomes a tailored stream of updates from people you chose. - Engaging with specific creators or friends
Following allows you to reply, boost, and favorite posts from that account. Relays do not allow direct interaction with posts in the federated timeline. - Seeing non-public posts
Following an account lets you see their unlisted and followers-only posts. Relays only forward public posts.
Common Misunderstandings About Relays and Following
Does subscribing to a relay mean I follow every account on that relay?
No. Subscribing to a relay does not create follow relationships between your account and any user on the relay. Your instance receives the public posts, but your Home feed does not show them unless you individually follow a user. The posts appear only in the federated timeline and in the public timeline of your instance.
Can I use a relay instead of following accounts to see everything?
No. Relays only provide public posts. If you want to see unlisted or followers-only posts from a specific user, you must follow that user directly. Also, relays do not let you interact with posts. You cannot reply to or boost a post from the federated timeline unless you open the post on the original instance or follow the author.
Does following an account cause my instance to federate with their instance?
Yes, but only for that one account. Your instance sends a Follow activity to the target instance. The target instance now knows about your instance. Other users on your instance still cannot see posts from that instance unless they also follow someone there. Relays cause full instance-to-instance federation with every member instance.
Relay Subscribe vs Follow: Comparison Table
| Item | Relay Subscribe | Follow |
|---|---|---|
| Who performs the action | Server admin only | Any user |
| Scope | Entire instance | Single user account |
| What content is received | All public posts from all relay member instances | Public, unlisted, and followers-only posts from one account |
| Where content appears | Federated timeline and public timeline | User’s Home feed |
| Interaction allowed | No direct reply or boost from federated timeline | Yes, you can reply, boost, and favorite |
| Requires approval from target | Relay admin must approve subscription | Target user if account is locked |
| Effect on database size | Large increase from many posts | Small increase from one account’s posts |
Relay subscriptions and following are complementary tools. Use relays to populate your instance’s federated timeline with broad content. Use following to build a personal feed of accounts you care about. As an admin, start by subscribing to one or two public relays. As a user, follow accounts that match your interests. For advanced control, consider setting up a private relay for your community to share posts without relying on public relays.