Getting Started

Welcome to EPFL’s Mastodon instance, social.epfl.ch! Follow this guide to create your account, discover the main features, and get started smoothly.

Mastodon is a decentralized social network that operates on the principle of the fediverse (federated universe).

Unlike centralized platforms like X (Twitter) or Facebook, Mastodon consists of multiple independent instances managed by different organizations or communities, yet interconnected.

Each instance (including EPFL’s) has its own rules and community, but members can freely interact with users from other instances. You’ll learn how to do this below.

1. Logging into Your Account

All EPFL members automatically have an account on this platform via their Entra ID. Here’s how to log in:

  1. Go to social.epfl.ch.
  2. Click on “Login”.
  3. Then select “Log in with Entra ID”.
    • Enter your EPFL credentials (username and password).
  4. Once logged in, you will be automatically redirected to your Mastodon personal space.

2. Getting Started with Mastodon

To get started on the EPFL Mastodon instance, please refer to our help page, which describes the web interface as you can see it on social.epfl.ch.

3. Follow the Accounts You Like!

By default, we recommend a list of accounts to follow. However, feel free to explore the accounts of faculties, laboratories, and associations. We also encourage you to follow accounts from other Mastodon instances, such as mastodon.social, infosec.exchange, or even mathstodon.xyz. You can also use a “starter pack” which allows you to follow multiple accounts with a single click. Additionally, you can follow certain users from Threads or even Bluesky via a bridge like Skybridge.

4. Privacy and Proper Conduct

  • Reminder: social.epfl.ch is an academic space that upholds the values of the EPFL community.
  • You can control the visibility of your posts for each publication:
    • Public: Visible to everyone (local and federated).
    • Unlisted: Will not appear in other users’ recommendations.
    • Followers only: Only visible to your followers.
    • Private: Reserved for specific users.
      • Keep in mind that Mastodon is not truly a private messaging service, as messages are not encrypted.
  • Respect the terms of use available here (in french)

5. Going Further