Using a hub
A hub is optional companion software to your node. It helps people find nodes and can deliver plugins. Your posts stay on your node—not on the hub.
What a hub does for you
| You get | What it means |
|---|---|
| Directory | Browse or search nodes that chose to register (name, category, feed link). |
| Discovery | Find new connections without already knowing someone’s feed URL. |
| Plugins | Enable extras (profile cards, side panels, tools) packaged and served from the hub you trust. |
| Registration | List your node on that hub’s directory when you opt in. |
The hub stores directory metadata and plugin packages, not your post history. If the hub went away, your node and data/ would still hold your posts and connections (you might lose directory listing and hub-only plugins until you use another hub).
What you do on your node
- Add the hub’s URL (for example the public Talesmith hub). - Register so your node can appear in that directory (subject to hub approval rules). - Enable plugins from that hub in Settings when offered.
- Run a node — Getting Started.
- Connect to people — paste feed URLs under Connections (no hub required).
- Use a hub when you want — open Connections → Hub on your node:
Registration sends your node’s public profile fields (name, title, avatar, feed URL) to the hub you chose—not your private password or connection secrets.
Plugins and consent
Hub plugins show a manifest and may ask you to agree to share certain field values with the hub so cards or hub-side features work. You can decline, disable a plugin, or withdraw sharing from settings. Read each plugin’s description before enabling.
Public vs private
- No hub — you can still post and connect using feed URLs you trust.
- Registered on a hub — your node may appear in that hub’s public directory (depending on hub policy and your settings).
- Privacy on your node still controls what anonymous visitors see on your site; the hub does not replace node privacy settings.
Talesmith’s hub vs running your own
Today, most people use the Talesmith public hub for directory and plugins while hosting their own node.
Self-hosted hub software is not a public download yet. When it is, see Hub installation.
Related docs (Nodes)
- Getting started — install your node
- FAQ — nodes, walls, connections
- Host requirements — PHP and
data/(node; hubs need SQLite when available)