Re: "ActivityPub at one glance" diagram

Okay, but I do not think that we can explain ActivityPub *in its entirety *in
one glance. I think that far more useful than something technically
complete and accurate but overwhelming is a diagram that is simplified but
gets the point across and perhaps has a note that says "simplified, please
see diagram X for the full map".

The problem with

https://activitypub.rocks/static/images/ActivityPub-tutorial-image.png

is that it is correct but not very useful. The problem with a diagram that
shows you can post straight to outboxes bypassing federation is that it
doesn't describe ActivityPub in use today by 99% of message volume.

Perhaps what Johannes is looking for is a diagram of "How ActivityPub can
work in a federation context". Federation is the hardest part to get across
to people, and one of the issues is that federation itself is not specified
by ActivityPub, or indeed ANYWHERE. ActivityPub is a spec that supports
federation, and federation is left as an exercise to the reader.

-Darius

On Tue, Dec 23, 2025 at 2:11 PM a <a@trwnh.com> wrote:

> On Tue, Dec 23, 2025 at 3:51 PM a <a@trwnh.com> wrote:
> >
> > to show what happens in the "rest of the world". The complete "AP at
> > one glance" would therefore be:
> >
> > Actor --> POST --> outbox --> POST --> inbox --> GET --> actor
> >
> > A lazy rendition of this using the existing activitypub.rocks graphic
> > as a base can be found indefinitely at
> >
> https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/771/056/837/692/305/original/e5fb9d66d668fec0.png
> > for visual aid.
>
> I would like to amend this slightly. The fuller picture would actually
> be 2 different flows:
>
> actor --> POST --> outbox --> POST --> inbox <-- GET <-- actor
> actor --> POST --> outbox <-- GET <-- actor
>
> The first one is the push model, and the second one is the pull model.
> Note that the push model revolves around the inbox, and the pull model
> revolves around the outbox.
>
> Another lazy rendition of a visual aid can be found indefinitely at
>
> https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/771/149/975/931/569/original/3eb69315559461b2.png
> with the colors/directions fixed and demonstrating both flows.
>
>