Mastodon Deployment Guide

Open-source, Twitter-style microblogging:
Deploy a production-grade Mastodon instance using Linode (cloud server), Cloudflare (DNS and SSL), and Cloudron (app management).

Overview

• Cloudflare: DNS management, SSL, and proxying to hide your server’s IP address
• Linode: Linux-based cloud server hosting
• Cloudron: Easy app platform for installing and managing Mastodon (web, streaming, Sidekiq, database, Redis)

Prerequisites

• Cloudflare account (with an API token for DNS management)
• Linode account (to provision a cloud server)
• A domain you control (to point to your server)

High-Level Steps

1️⃣ Provision a Linux cloud server on Linode.

2️⃣ Register your domain with Cloudflare and set up DNS records to point to your server’s public IP.

3️⃣ Install Cloudron on your server (see Cloudron docs for the latest install command).

4️⃣ Use Cloudron’s app catalog to install Mastodon.

5️⃣ Enable HTTPS with Cloudron’s built-in certificate management.

• Temporarily set Cloudflare’s proxy to “DNS Only” during certificate setup, then switch back to “Proxied” for privacy.

6️⃣ Privacy & Security Enhancements:

• Disable search engine indexing (edit robots.txt to disallow all bots).
• Avoid exposing personal or server details in public profiles or pages.
• Keep Cloudron and Mastodon updated.

7️⃣ Configure Mastodon profiles for verification and social integration.

License

MIT – feel free to reuse or improve.

Contact

Questions? Reach me at [email protected].