Detect Mastodon
Mastodon is a free and open-source self-hosted social networking service.
Detection looks at response headers, cookies across 2 fingerprint rules among the site's public responses.
01
Websites using Mastodon
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02
Signal classes
PluginView evaluates public page signals in these classes when identifying Mastodon. Individual fingerprint rule bodies are proprietary and are not published.
- Response headers
- Cookies
03
Example public indicators for Mastodon
Illustrative indicators derived from public catalog metadata for Mastodon. A live scan may match additional proprietary rules beyond these examples.
- server: Mastodon
- _mastodon_session
04
What a detection means
- Establishes
- One or more public signals on the scanned page matched a known Mastodon signature (2 rules) at the time of the scan.
- Does not establish
- A sitewide install of Mastodon, an active vendor contract, exclusive use, or that Mastodon is still in place today.
05
How to check a site for Mastodon
- 1. Enter the website URL in the scan form — homepage, pricing, checkout, or login pages usually expose the strongest Mastodon signals.
- 2. PluginView reads only public responses (response headers, cookies) and scores them against the Mastodon signature set (2 rules).
- 3. Review the confidence score and text explanation for Mastodon on the results page.
06
FAQ: detecting Mastodon
- Can PluginView detect Mastodon without logging in?
- Yes. PluginView only reads publicly accessible responses when checking for Mastodon — typically response headers, cookies. It does not bypass authentication or paywalls.
- What category is Mastodon?
- Mastodon is classified under Message boards in the PluginView directory.
- How many fingerprint rules cover Mastodon?
- This reference currently tracks 2 fingerprint rules across response headers, cookies. Individual rule bodies are proprietary and are not published.
- What public signals suggest a site uses Mastodon?
- Illustrative public indicators for Mastodon include server: Mastodon; _mastodon_session. A live scan may match additional proprietary rules beyond these examples.
