There Are No Instances in ATProto
This article clarifies the technical architecture of the ATProto protocol, explaining that it does not use 'instances' like Mastodon or ActivityPub. It argues that ATProto functions more like a decentralized blogging network where content is hosted independently but aggregated by various applications.
Why it matters
It provides a technical distinction between different decentralized social media architectures, which is crucial for understanding the future of the federated web.
Every single time a post about atproto hits Hacker News, somebody asks in the comments: “But where are all the Bluesky instances?”. The problem is, there are no instances in atproto! The question is a category error. Instances are a Mastodon-brained concept, and I wanted something I can link to that explains this clearly.
The author expresses a clear preference for the ATProto model but provides a technical explanation for the distinction.
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