Getting Started with IndieWeb

A tour of IndieWeb features — what they are, what they do, and how to add them to your site if you want to.

Your Identity on the Web

h-card: Your Digital Business Card

Easy to add

An h-card is a microformat that tells the web who you are. It includes your name, photo, bio, and links to your other profiles.

Adding an h-card helps people find and recognize you across the web. It takes just a few lines of HTML!
Learn how to add an h-card →

rel-me: Verify Your Identity

Easy to add

rel-me links prove you own your social media accounts. When you add rel="me" to links pointing to your profiles, and those profiles link back to your site, it creates a verified connection!

This is how you get verified on Mastodon without paying anyone! Just add rel="me" to your social links, have those profiles link back to your site, and boom - cryptographic proof you own both. It's decentralized verification!
Learn how to add rel-me links →

Content Syndication

Let People Subscribe to Your Content

Platform-dependent

Feeds (RSS, Atom, or h-feed) let readers follow your updates without relying on social media algorithms. They're the original "follow" button that works everywhere!

Adding a feed is one of the best ways to build a loyal audience. Most blogging platforms can generate one automatically! Readers can follow you in their favorite app, and you'll always be able to reach them - no algorithm gatekeeping.
Learn how to add a feed →

WebSub: Instant Feed Updates

Moderate

WebSub makes your feeds real-time! Instead of readers waiting for their feed reader to check your site every hour, they get notified the second you publish something new.

Think of WebSub as push notifications for RSS feeds. When you publish, a hub immediately notifies all your subscribers. It's faster, more efficient, and gives readers your content instantly. Many feed services (like Superfeedr) offer free WebSub hubs!
Learn how to add WebSub →

Your Content

h-entry: Making Your Posts Portable

Easy to add

h-entry is a simple way to mark up your blog posts so other sites can understand them. It's like adding metadata that says "hey, this is a blog post!" with information about the title, content, and when it was published.

When you add h-entry markup, your posts become first-class citizens of the IndieWeb. Other sites can display them beautifully, let people reply to them, and even show them in feed readers!
Learn how to add h-entry markup →

Conversations Across Sites

Webmentions: Comments That Work Everywhere

Moderate

Imagine if someone could write a reply on their own blog, and it would show up as a comment on your post. That's Webmentions! It's a way for sites to talk to each other.

Adding Webmention support means your site can receive likes, replies, and reposts from anywhere on the web. You own your conversations, not a social media company!
Learn how to add Webmentions →

Login With Your Domain

IndieAuth: Your Domain, Your Login

Advanced

Tired of "Sign in with Google"? IndieAuth lets you use your own domain name as your identity to log into websites and apps. You're in control!

When you set up IndieAuth, your domain becomes your universal login. Want to sign into an IndieWeb app? Just type your domain name. No passwords to remember, no tech company tracking you!
Learn how to set up IndieAuth →

Where to start

If you're not sure where to begin

  1. h-card is the easiest starting point — just a few lines of HTML that tell the web who you are.
  2. rel-me links are worth adding if you have social profiles — they prove you own them.
  3. Feeds (RSS or Atom) are great if you publish content — most platforms generate one automatically.
  4. Scan your site to see which of these features you already have.

None of these are requirements. Pick whatever sounds interesting and fits your site — you can always explore more later.

Additional Resources

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