Your Sharkey instance is up and running, and you are its administrator. This guide covers the first steps: signing in, setting up the instance, deciding who can join, and connecting to the Fediverse.
Step 1: Sign in and set your password
I don’t send you a password. You set it yourself:
- Open your instance and click Sign in.
- Enter your Username and click Continue.
- Now click Forgot password and enter your username again together with the email address from your order.
- You’ll receive an email with a link. Use it to set your password.
Then turn on two-factor authentication: Settings → Security → Two-factor authentication → Register authenticator app. Keep the backup codes in a safe place.
Important: Your account is the administrator account for the whole instance. Without two-factor authentication, a guessed password is enough to take over everything.
Step 2: Set up your instance
You’ll find the settings under Control Panel → General:
- Instance name and Instance description: Visitors see these on the start page, other servers in their lists.
- Icon URL and Banner image URL: Upload the images to your Drive first, then copy the file address.
- Maintainer and Maintainer email: This is how other admins can reach you, for example about a problem with an account.
I have already set up email delivery. Please don’t change anything under Email server, or password and confirmation emails will stop arriving.
Step 3: Decide who can join
New sign-ups are switched off when I hand over the instance. You’ll find the settings under Control Panel → Moderation. You have three options:
- Invite only (recommended for small groups): Under Control Panel → Invites, click Generate invite and pass the code on.
- With approval: Turn on Make the account creation open and also Require approval for new users. You then review every sign-up yourself.
- Open: Only Make the account creation open. I advise against this: spam accounts find open instances quickly.
If others can sign up, also turn on Require email address for sign-up. Only then can they reset a forgotten password themselves.
The Server rules are on the same page. Short, clear rules help with moderation and with other instances.
Step 4: Connect to the Fediverse
A new instance doesn’t know anyone yet, so the timelines start out empty. That changes as soon as you follow accounts:
- Enter the full address in the search, for example
@markus@dresden.network, and follow the account. - Under Control Panel → Relays, use Add Relay to add a relay. It brings in posts from many other instances. Pick one that fits your instance by topic or region.
- Your own address is
@username@your-domain. Share it so others can follow you.
Keep an eye on storage
Leave Cache remote files switched off. You’ll find it under Control Panel → General in the Files section; it is off when I hand over the instance. When it is on, Sharkey stores the images and videos of every post that reaches you. Your booked storage then fills up quickly, even if you hardly upload anything yourself.
When it is off, Sharkey loads this media directly from the other instance. That saves storage, and your visitors won’t notice a difference.
How much each account may upload is set under Roles → Role template → Drive capacity. The default is 100 MB per account. Make sure all accounts together can’t use more than you have booked.
Moderation
- Reports: Reports from your users and from other instances end up here.
- Blocked/Silenced Instances: Block whole servers here or hide them from public timelines.
- Roles: Give people you trust the Moderator role so you don’t have to moderate alone.
Apps
Sharkey works best in the browser. On your phone, add the page to your home screen from the browser menu and it behaves like an app. Many Mastodon apps work too, but not with every Sharkey feature.
What I take care of
- Updates for Sharkey and the server
- Daily backups
- Email delivery and HTTPS certificate
If something doesn’t work, write to me at support@weingaertner-it.de.