Flare is an open-source social client designed to aggregate feeds from Mastodon, Misskey, Bluesky, X, and RSS into a single, unified timeline. It targets users who manage multiple social media accounts and seek a consolidated information hub, offering simultaneous cross-posting capabilities and a privacy-centric approach.

How It Works

Flare functions as a cross-platform client application that integrates with various social network APIs and RSS feeds. Its core architecture allows users to view a mixed timeline of posts from their connected accounts. A key feature is its ability to cross-post content simultaneously to multiple selected platforms, streamlining content distribution. The backend server component is built using Ktor with Kotlin Native.

Quick Start & Requirements

• Android: Requires JDK 21. Build and install via ./gradlew installDebug.
• iOS: Requires a Mac with Xcode 16. Open iosApp/iosApp.xcodeproj to build and run.
• Server: Requires JDK 21. Compatible with Linux X64 and MacOS X64/ARM64. Run via ./gradlew :server:runDebugExecutableMacosArm64 -PrunArgs="--config-path=...". Default address is http://localhost:8080.
• Desktop: Requires JDK 21 (JBR-21 recommended). macOS builds need Xcode 16; Windows builds need .Net 9. Build via ./gradlew runDistributable.
• Docker: Prebuilt server images are available via Docker Compose. Requires .env configuration and potential docker-compose.yml adjustments for production environments.
• Prerequisites: JDK 21 is a common requirement across platforms. Xcode 16 and .Net 9 are needed for respective platform builds.

Highlighted Details

• Supports Mastodon, Misskey, Bluesky, X, and RSS feeds.
• Features simultaneous cross-posting to multiple platforms.
• Includes AI-powered features like translation and summarization, with planned additions for trends and quick replies.
• Offers an anonymous mode, eliminating the need for direct login and allowing data source changes.
• Provides customizable tabs and local filtering capabilities.
• Supports platform-specific features such as polls, lists, bookmarks, and feeds.

Maintenance & Community

No specific details regarding maintainers, community channels (e.g., Discord, Slack), or roadmap beyond planned features were provided in the README.

Licensing & Compatibility

This project is licensed under the AGPL-3.0 license. This strong copyleft license requires derivative works to be made available under the same license, potentially impacting integration with closed-source or proprietary systems.

Limitations & Caveats

The server component is restricted to Linux X64 and MacOS X64/ARM64 platforms. Support for Meta Threads and Discourse forums is listed as a future roadmap item, not currently implemented. A web client is also tentatively planned.