The Lysand Protocol is designed as a communication medium for federated applications, leveraging the HTTP stack. Its simplicity ensures ease of implementation and comprehension. {{ className: 'lead' }}
The words **MUST**, **MUST NOT**, **SHOULD**, **SHOULD NOT**, and **MAY** are used in this document as defined in [RFC 2119](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc2119).
- **Entity**: A generic term for any JSON object in the protocol, such as an [Actor](./objects/actors), a [Note](./objects/notes), or a [Like](./objects/likes). Entities are uniquely identified by their `id` property.
- **Implementation**: A software application that implements the Lysand Protocol.
- **Instance**: An application deploying an **Implementation**.
- Using the same nomenclature, an ActivityPub Implementation would be `Mastodon`, and an Instance would be `mastodon.social`.
- **Federation**: The process of exchanging data between two or more **Instances**.