Lemmy is a federated alternative to Reddit that was launched in 2019. It has gained popularity as an open-source platform with funding support from NLNet, Open Collective, Patreon, and Librapay, allowing for continuous development and improvement.
How to Find Lemmy Communities
Unlike Reddit, Lemmy’s code is open-source under the AGPL license, which ensures transparency and community-driven development.
Background
In April 2023, Reddit announced its decision to charge for the use of their API, starting just three months later. This decision caused an uproar in the developer community, as it would incur significant costs for popular Reddit apps such as Apollo, RIF, ReddPlanet, and Sync. Consequently, these apps are scheduled to shut down in July.
In response to the Reddit API changes and the dissatisfaction of many users, thousands of Reddit refugees have turned to Lemmy as an alternative platform. Due to Lemmy’s federated nature, new instances have emerged to accommodate the influx of users.
Migrating from Reddit to Lemmy
If you are tired of Reddit and looking for an alternative, the first step is to register an account on Lemmy.
Pick a Lemmy Instance
Unlike Reddit, Lemmy is federated through ActivityPub, which means there is no single controlling entity. Anyone can run their own Lemmy server, similar to Mastodon. When registering for an account, you can choose any Lemmy instance as it does not limit your interaction with communities on other instances.
To explore a list of Lemmy instances, you can visit the GitHub repository “awesome-lemmy-instances” and choose an instance that suits your preferences.
Create a Lemmy Account
After selecting your preferred Lemmy instance, visit its website and click on the “Sign Up” button located at the top-right corner. Note that some Lemmy instances require manual approval for new user accounts to prevent spam. During the approval process, you can utilize this time to familiarize yourself with Lemmy’s official documentation or browse through available Lemmy communities.
Finding Lemmy Communities (Communities)
In Lemmy, subreddits are referred to as “communities.” Each Lemmy instance hosts multiple communities, and you can subscribe, comment, vote, and post links to communities across different Lemmy instances.
To discover communities, the recommended tool is the Lemmy Community Browser provided by Feddit. This browser displays all Lemmy communities from various instances, sorted by popularity.
To find communities, you can scroll down the list on the Lemmy Community Browser or use the search bar to look for your favorite subreddit. Once you find a community of interest, click on the corresponding link to visit the Lemmy community.
Alternatively, if you prefer a direct mapping of your favorite Reddit subreddits to Lemmy communities, you can use websites such as redditmigration.com, sub.rehab, or yoasif’s Unofficial Subreddit Migration List.
Subscribing to Communities
If the community you wish to subscribe to is on the same Lemmy instance as your account, simply click the “Subscribe” button. However, if the community is on a different Lemmy instance, you need to search for the remote community on your instance before subscribing.
There are three ways to find a remote community:
Search by URL: Copy and paste the URL of the remote community into the search bar on your Lemmy instance. This allows you to locate and view the community within your Lemmy instance.
Search by shorthand identifier: Lemmy provides a shorthand identifier consisting of a bang (!), followed by the subreddit community name, the at-sign (@), and the domain of the instance where the community is hosted. You can use this shorthand identifier to search for the remote Lemmy community on your local instance.
Manually construct the URL: You can also manually type out the URL of the remote subreddit in your web browser’s address bar to view it on your local instance. This involves using the URL structure of your Lemmy instance followed by the subreddit community’s URL on the remote instance.
For example, if you registered on “lemmy.ca” and want to subscribe to the remote community “cryptography” on “lemmy.ml,” you can use one of the following methods:
Method One: Search by URL
• Log in to your Lemmy account and click the search button on the top-right corner of the page.
• Paste the URL of the remote community (e.g., ” https://lemmy.ml/c/cryptography “) into the search box.
• Click on the search result for the community (” [email protected] “) to view it within your Lemmy instance.
• Finally, click the “Subscribe” button to subscribe to this remote subreddit community.
Method Two: Search by shorthand (! [email protected] )
• Use the shorthand identifier for the remote community, which starts with a bang/exclamation point (!) followed by the subreddit community name, the at-sign (@), and the domain of the instance where the community is hosted.
• In this example, the shorthand identifier is “! [email protected] “.
• Type the shorthand identifier into the search box on your Lemmy instance.
• Click on the search result for the community (” [email protected] “) to view it within your Lemmy instance.
• Finally, click the “Subscribe” button to subscribe to this remote subreddit community.
Method Three: Manually construct the URL ( https://lemmy.ca/c/[email protected] )
• Type the URL of the remote subreddit in your web browser’s address bar, following the structure of your Lemmy instance URL and appending the subreddit’s URL on the remote instance.
• In this example, the URL would be ” https://lemmy.ca/c/[email protected] “.
• Press Enter to load the page and view the remote community on your local Lemmy instance.
• Finally, click the “Subscribe” button to subscribe to this remote subreddit community.
Your Lemmy Frontpage
To view posts from all the communities you’ve subscribed to, click on the logo of your Lemmy instance located on the top-left corner of the website. This action will take you back to the homepage.
On the homepage, click the “Subscribed” tab to access a feed of posts from all the communities you’ve subscribed to. This allows you to stay updated with the latest discussions and content from your chosen Lemmy communities.
Sort Method
If you prefer a Reddit-like experience, you can change the sort method from “Active” to “Hot” on the Lemmy homepage. This will display posts based on their popularity and engagement.
Welcome to the Fediverse
After all that, pat yourself on the back! You have successfully found and subscribed to Lemmy communities. By utilizing the Lemmy Community Browser and continuously exploring new communities, you can make the most out of your Lemmy experience. Welcome to the Fediverse, and enjoy your journey on Lemmy!