This vision is in the Exploration & Feasibility stage of Materialization & needs a lot of development, feedback, reflection, refinement!

The Social Network

of Erefugia

Draft v0.2 | 2025-Oct-08

Erefugia is a community-owned social network built for collaboration, creativity, and resilience. Forked from the AT Protocol, Erefugia gives you all the benefits of a federated, decentralized platform without reliance on centralized infrastructure. Every user is part of a cooperative, and verified members gain additional governance rights, creating a space where decisions are transparent, democratic, and peer-driven. Designed for people and organizations who want to do cool things together, from co-ops to human service organizations, and from creative projects to mutual aid initiatives, Erefugia prioritizes privacy, security, and meaningful connection over amplification of noise, trolls, manipulation, or spectacle. Join a network where your voice counts, your data belongs to you, and community shapes the experience.

How will it work?

The Erefugia Social Network has two primary components, the decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) and the technology stack:

The DAO

The Erefugia Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) will form the digital governance backbone of the Social Network and the bridge to the Cooperative.

The Technology Stack

The Erefugia Social Network, accessible via the web, mobile apps, and API, will be built on a fork of the AT Protocol, originally developed by Bluesky.

How much will it cost?

During this phase of Exploration & Feasibility, we are still developing a comprehensive business model. For now, we're looking at four different editions: pseudonymous, verified, amplifier, and materializer.

Pseudonymous Edition

Free

No DAO Vote

No Cooperative Membership

Start simple. The Pseudonymous Edition gives you full access to the Erefugia network — your own profile, the ability to post, comment, share media, and take part in community discussions. You can be fully yourself, or explore ideas under a pseudonym while still participating in a respectful, community-governed space. This is where belonging begins — an open, safe, and creative environment for dialogue, collaboration, and connection.

Verified Edition

$1/month

1 DAO Vote

No Cooperative Membership

The Verified Edition offers all the capabilities of the Pseudonymous Edition, plus verified identity status within the network. The blue checkmark helps members, organizations, and creators establish trust and authenticity across the federation. Whether you’re an artist, researcher, journalist, or cooperative, verification signals that you’re here in good faith — real person, real work, real accountability.

Amplifier Edition

$10/month

1 DAO Vote

Includes Cooperative Membership

The Amplifier Edition is designed for creators and organizations who already have a presence elsewhere but want to bring their voice into the Erefugia ecosystem. Connect your existing “root profile” from other platforms and amplify it across the federation — connecting with cooperative audiences, participating in collective curation, and ensuring your work circulates in networks that value integrity over algorithms.

Materializer Edition

$20/month

1 DAO Vote

Includes Cooperative Membership

The Materializer Edition gives you everything you need to make your creative and professional practice sustainable within the commons. Set up storefronts, offer commissions or services, host workshops, and manage cooperative projects — all within a transparent, ethical infrastructure that supports mutual aid and creative independence. The Materializer Edition transforms your participation into practice: from connection to creation, from solidarity to livelihood.

When will it be available?

Preparation

Through the end of 2025

In the preparation phase, we will use hosted virtual private servers (VPS) to build a minimal environment capable of supporting approximately 500 users. This phase focuses on assembling the core software stack, testing Personal Data Server functionality, exploring moderation and governance workflows, integrating PoP verification, and experimenting with federation across multiple VPS instances. The goal is to create a fully functional proof of concept where architectural decisions, database schemas, and front-end integrations can be validated in a controlled environment without the complexity or expense of physical hardware.

Seeding

Beginning in 2026

During the seed phase, we will acquire colocation space and deploy the first physical cluster designed to support roughly 10,000 users. The architecture will be informed by insights gained during the preparation phase, ensuring that the cluster includes redundant PDS instances, secure networking, backup and recovery systems, and monitoring for resilience and operational reliability. This phase transitions Erefugia from experimental software deployment to production-ready infrastructure, establishing the foundation for ongoing governance, moderation, and federation with other AT Protocol nodes.

Nurturing

Continuing into 2027 & beyond

The cyclical nurturing phase focuses on scaling horizontally as usage increases and new communities join the network. Additional nodes and clusters will be added strategically to maintain performance, resilience, and redundancy while supporting federated interactions. This phase also allows for modular expansion, including integration of new service areas, DAO governance enhancements, and optional service modules, ensuring that the social network can grow organically in capacity and functionality while maintaining stability, security, and alignment with cooperative values.

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