docs/objects.md

Objects

Lysand uses JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) objects as its data format. It is meant to be a simple format that is easy to implement and understand.

All JSON objects such as Publications, Actors, and Actions MUST have the following fields:

ID

The id field on an Object is a string that represents the unique identifier of the object. It is used to identify the object, and MUST be unique across all objects on the same server.

The id field is not required to be unique across the entire network, but it is recommended that it is. Servers MUST use UUIDs or a UUID-compatible system for the id field.

Created At

The created_at field on an object is a string that represents the date and time that the object was created. It is used to determine the order of objects. The data MUST be in ISO 8601 format.

Example: 2021-01-01T00:00:00.000Z

Note: The created_at field should be the date and time that the post was actually made, but it is not required to be. Any ISO 8601 date is allowed in the created_at field. It is up to the servers to decide if they want to process dates that they would consider invalid, such as dates in the future.

URI

The uri field on an object is a string that represents the URI of the object. It is used to identify the object, and MUST be unique across all objects. This URI MUST be unique across the entire network, and contain the id of the object in the URI.

URIs must follow the rules defined here.

Type

The type field on an object is a string that represents the type of the object. It is used to determine how the object should be displayed to the user.

The type field MUST be one of the following values:

• Note
• Patch
• Actor
• Like
• Dislike
• Follow
• FollowAccept
• FollowReject
• Announce
• Undo
• ServerMetadata
• Extension

Other values are not allowed in this current iteration of the protocol.