Everything I tried was annoying to use and didn’t do what I wanted for some reason, so I just made my own. This took some time, but not as much as I expected.

• I copy and pasted a GitHub Action from the official docs which generates a Docker image and publishes it to GitHub Packages.
• On the server, I use Portainer’s “Stacks” (which are just Docker Compose files) for all programs and games, so I just added a new stack which uses my image from GitHub.
• The server also has Watchtower installed on it (inside a container of course), which updates all containers, including the dashboard.
• Portainer and Watchtower both share the same Docker configuration, so I only need to configure my GitHub access token in one place (e.g., Portainer’s UI).

I feel like I’ve been seeing more posts and comments though, and looking at those, they seem to still be rising (although probably influenced by bots).

I wonder if the spike of active user may be caused by people first trying it out (then giving up), followed up by people making several accounts on different instances before settling for one or two.

Agreed. I haven’t been on an instance that federates with them yet and I’d like to keep it that way.

What’s cool about the fediverse is that we get to choose.

Do I want to be in an instance that federates with everyone, good and bad?

Pros:

• More content.
• Potentially insightful debate.

Cons:

• More negativity.
• Potentially giving a platform to extremists.

Or do I want to be in an instance that defederates on a whim?

Pros:

• More positive content.
• Taking a strong stance against extremism.

Cons:

• Less content.
• Potentially missing insightful debate.

Personally, debate I’ve had that was insightful was generally in good faith to begin with, and would be allowed on platforms like Beehaw, so I don’t see much use for “anything goes” kinds of platforms. Additionally, I’m not always in the mood for debate. I can just switch between different instances depending on my mood. Given that everyone can choose their instance, I don’t see much of a reason for trying to federate with everyone.

I’m using the Sync app in my case, and tapping the image opens it full screen.