# Mobilizon

> free software for event organization and group management

**Wikidata**: [Q86678330](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q86678330)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobilizon)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/mobilizon

## Summary
Mobilizon is a free software platform for event organization and group management that is part of the Fediverse decentralized social network. It was first released in beta on October 15, 2019, and reached version 1.1.1 by April 2021. The platform uses Elixir for its backend and TypeScript for its frontend, with GraphQL for its API.

## Key Facts
- Mobilizon was officially launched in beta on October 15, 2019
- The platform is licensed under GNU Affero General Public License version 3.0 or later
- It uses Elixir for backend development and TypeScript for frontend development
- Mobilizon is part of the Fediverse and uses the ActivityPub protocol
- The first stable version 1.0.0 was released on October 27, 2020
- It supports multiple languages including English, French, German, Arabic, and Basque
- The official website is https://mobilizon.org/
- Mobilizon has an official demo server at https://demo.mobilizon.org/
- The platform has a Mastodon presence at mobilizon@framapiaf.org
- Source code is available on Framagit at https://framagit.org/framasoft/mobilizon/

### Q: What is Mobilizon used for?
A: Mobilizon is used for organizing events and managing groups in a decentralized manner. It allows users to create events, manage groups, and connect with others without relying on centralized social media platforms.

### Q: How is Mobilizon different from other social platforms?
A: Mobilizon is part of the Fediverse, making it decentralized and federated. Unlike mainstream social platforms, it gives users more control over their data and doesn't rely on advertising or data mining for revenue.

### Q: What technology does Mobilizon use?
A: Mobilizon uses Elixir for its backend, TypeScript for its frontend, and GraphQL for its API. It also uses Vue.js for frontend development and PostgreSQL for its database.

### Q: Is Mobilizon free to use?
A: Yes, Mobilizon is free software licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License version 3.0 or later, meaning it's both free to use and open source.

### Q: Where can I find Mobilizon instances?
A: You can find a list of official Mobilizon instances at https://instances.joinmobilizon.org/instances

## Why It Matters
Mobilizon represents an important step toward decentralized digital community building and event organization. In an era where major social platforms dominate event planning and group management, Mobilizon offers an alternative that prioritizes user privacy, data ownership, and community autonomy. By being part of the Fediverse and using ActivityPub, it enables interoperability between different federated services, preventing vendor lock-in and creating a more resilient digital ecosystem. The platform addresses growing concerns about data privacy, surveillance capitalism, and the monopolistic control of social infrastructure by a few large corporations. For communities seeking to organize events and manage groups without surrendering their data to commercial platforms, Mobilizon provides a viable, ethical alternative that aligns with principles of digital sovereignty and user empowerment.

## Notable For
- Being one of the first major event organization platforms built specifically for the Fediverse
- Using Elixir and TypeScript combination for modern, scalable web application development
- Offering a complete alternative to Facebook Events and Meetup.com without centralized control
- Supporting multiple languages from launch, including less common ones like Basque and Belarusian
- Maintaining a strong commitment to free software principles with AGPL licensing

## Body
### Technical Architecture
Mobilizon is built using a modern technology stack designed for scalability and maintainability. The backend is written in Elixir, a functional programming language built on the Erlang VM known for its fault tolerance and concurrency capabilities. The frontend uses TypeScript, a typed superset of JavaScript that compiles to plain JavaScript, providing better tooling and fewer runtime errors. The application uses Vue.js as its frontend framework, a progressive framework for building user interfaces. For data management, Mobilizon employs GraphQL as its API layer, allowing clients to request exactly the data they need.

### Development History
The project was initiated by Framasoft, a French non-profit organization known for developing free software alternatives to mainstream services. The beta version was unveiled on October 15, 2019, through Framasoft's blog. Following the beta release, the development team focused on stabilizing the platform and adding features based on user feedback. The first stable version 1.0.0 was released on October 27, 2020, followed by regular maintenance releases including versions 1.0.1 through 1.0.7, and then version 1.1.0 on March 31, 2021, with subsequent updates.

### Federation and Interoperability
As part of the Fediverse, Mobilizon uses the ActivityPub protocol to communicate with other federated services. This allows events and group information to be shared across different platforms that support ActivityPub, creating a network effect without centralization. Users can interact with content from other Fediverse platforms, and instances can federate with each other, sharing events and group information while maintaining their own community standards and moderation policies.

### Community and Governance
Mobilizon is developed as a community-driven project with contributions from volunteers and support from Framasoft. The project maintains an issue tracker on Framagit for bug reports and feature requests. The development philosophy emphasizes user privacy, data portability, and community autonomy. Multiple instances of Mobilizon exist, operated by different organizations and communities, each with its own moderation policies and community guidelines.

### Mobile Applications
Mobilizon has mobile applications available for users who prefer to access the platform on their smartphones. The Android version is distributed through both Google Play Store and F-Droid, the latter being a repository for free and open-source Android applications. The mobile app allows users to browse events, manage their participation, and interact with groups while on the go.

### Internationalization
From its inception, Mobilizon has prioritized internationalization, supporting multiple languages including English, French, German, Arabic, Basque, Belarusian, Catalan, Spanish, and Finnish. This multilingual approach reflects the project's commitment to accessibility and its goal of serving diverse communities across different linguistic and cultural contexts. The platform's interface, documentation, and community resources are available in these languages, making it accessible to a global user base.

## References

1. [Source](https://framagit.org/framasoft/mobilizon/-/tree/1.0.0)
2. [Source](https://framagit.org/framasoft/mobilizon/-/releases/1.0.1)
3. [Source](https://framagit.org/framasoft/mobilizon/-/releases/1.0.2)
4. [Source](https://framagit.org/framasoft/mobilizon/-/releases/1.0.3)
5. [Source](https://framagit.org/framasoft/mobilizon/-/releases/1.0.4)
6. [Source](https://framagit.org/framasoft/mobilizon/-/releases/1.0.5)
7. [Source](https://framagit.org/framasoft/mobilizon/-/releases/1.0.6)
8. [Source](https://framagit.org/framasoft/mobilizon/-/releases/1.0.7)
9. [Source](https://framagit.org/framasoft/mobilizon/-/releases/1.1.0)
10. [Source](https://framagit.org/framasoft/mobilizon/-/releases/1.1.1)
11. [Mobilizon v1.3 is out!](https://joinmobilizon.org/en/news#21-08-17)
12. [Release 1.3.0](https://framagit.org/framasoft/mobilizon/-/releases/1.3.0)
13. [Source](https://framagit.org/framasoft/mobilizon/-/releases/3.1.3)
14. [Source](https://framagit.org/framasoft/mobilizon/-/releases/4.0.2)
15. [Source](https://framagit.org/framasoft/mobilizon/-/releases/5.1.0)
16. [Source](https://framablog.org/2019/10/15/mobilizon-lifting-the-veil-on-the-beta-release/)