Bulk importing connections?

Sun, 13 Oct 2024 14:44:52 +0200

adminsforum@hubzilla.org

dynamic_backups schrieb den folgenden Beitrag Sun, 13 Oct 2024 14:44:52 +0200

Bulk importing connections?

I created this account a while ago, just to take the Hubzilla interface for a spin, but never really worked on creating a home here.

I'm now interested in trying out Hubzilla for real, and I'm wondering if there's any way to import a connections list as a .csv or something.

It'd be great to have a way create bulk connections with the people I follow via my Mastodon account, rather than needing to add them one by one.

Any way to do this?

show all 18 comments

Sun, 13 Oct 2024 14:47:39 +0200

𝓒𝓱𝓻𝓲𝓼

chris@im.allmendenetz.de

No - this feature is not jet implemented.

Sun, 13 Oct 2024 14:55:34 +0200

dynamic_hubzilla

dynamic@hub.netzgemeinde.eu

@?????

Thanks.

Does the "yet" imply that someone is working on it?

Sun, 13 Oct 2024 15:11:45 +0200

𝓒𝓱𝓻𝓲𝓼

chris@im.allmendenetz.de

@dynamic_hubzilla the questions was raised a couple of times so i guess it is on the do to list some where :-) there is also a working implementation by stream - so the code needs "just" be ported

Sun, 13 Oct 2024 15:16:30 +0200

dynamic_hubzilla

dynamic@hub.netzgemeinde.eu

@?????

Thanks...

Now I'm wondering if I should check out (streams) instead. Not sure how I can get onto an instance without setting one up for myself, though...

Sun, 13 Oct 2024 15:29:17 +0200

Jupiter Rowland

jupiter_rowland@hub.netzgemeinde.eu

@????? (streams) doesn't have it either AFAIK.

On Hubzilla and (streams), it'd be difficult to implement anyway because connections work differently from Mastodon.

On Mastodon, you have followers, and you have followed. Like on Twitter. Two different things, two different lists.

On Hubzilla, you only have contacts. They're always mutual by default like Facebook friends.

So if you imported a list of followed accounts from Mastodon into Hubzilla, what'd happen? Hubzilla would try to automatically re-connect them all, one by one. Ask each one of them to confirm the follow request if need be. And then patiently sit and wait for what the other side will do.

This is also why followers couldn't be imported into Hubzilla at all. Imagine what that'd look like. Hubzilla would have to assume control over someone else's Mastodon account by force. It would remote-control that Mastodon account to follow that Hubzilla channel so that the Mastodon-to-Hubzilla connection is actually established.

In the best case, it would assume that the owner of that Hubzilla channel want that Mastodon account to follow the Hubzilla channel anyway and automatically grant that Mastodon account permission to receive posts from that Hubzilla channel. Otherwise that Mastodon follower wouldn't be imported, right?

In the worst case, Hubzilla would ask you to manually grant that Mastodon account permission to follow you. Now imagine you import 3,500 followers. That's 3,500 connection requests to confirm. Have fun.

Also, if someone wants to follow you on Hubzilla, and you grant that permission either manually or automatically, you automatically follow them back. Import 3,500 followers, and you end up with 3,500 extra mutual contacts that clutter your stream.

Oh, and you may want to add these 3,500 new contacts to privacy groups. And you most likely do have to assign contact roles to these 3,500 new contacts, one by one, because even Hubzilla can't bulk-assign contact roles to multiple contacts. Unless, of course, you remember to make your "don't send me your posts" bare-minimum-of-permissions contact role the default for new contacts prior to importing them.

Sun, 13 Oct 2024 15:57:11 +0200

Jupiter Rowland

jupiter_rowland@hub.netzgemeinde.eu

@dynamic_hubzilla That's quite difficult. Not because (streams) instances are hard to find because they aren't listed anywhere, because Mike doesn't want them to be listed anywhere. I mean, I can tell you where to find one.

It's rather difficult, first of all, because there will only be two public instances in the long run as it appears now. Two more still exist, the only remaining two in Europe, but their shutdown is announced.

Of the remaining three, only @Waitman Gobble's Rumbly can be recommended. It's hosted in the USA on Contabo's most powerful root server available. But even then, Waitman has to approve your registration.

The other one is Diversi Spiritus in Brazil which is struggling with performance problem because it's on a VPS, and (streams) currently has some performance-killing issue (the admins have actually taken into consideration wiping it clean and re-installing it).

Sun, 13 Oct 2024 16:01:22 +0200

Harald Eilertsen

harald@hub.volse.no

@Jupiter Rowland There's no technical reason this could not work. It would just send the connection requests based on the import rather than doing it manually. The processing afterwards as requests are approved or rejected on the receiving end would be the same as it is today.

Sun, 13 Oct 2024 16:07:36 +0200

dynamic_hubzilla

dynamic@hub.netzgemeinde.eu

@Jupiter Rowland

(streams) currently has some performance-killing issue

That's extremely worrying. I gather that Hubzilla is faring better in that regard?

I've been interested in self-hosting Fedi instances for a while but have been very frustrated by the lack of documentation on system requirements for different platforms. I'd assumed that Streams would be lighter than Hubzilla, but now I'm wondering if that's wrong and I want more information.

Sun, 13 Oct 2024 16:09:05 +0200

dynamic_hubzilla

dynamic@hub.netzgemeinde.eu

@Harald Eilertsen

There's no technical reason this could not work.

That was my intuition as well, so I'm very glad of the sanity check.

Sun, 13 Oct 2024 16:25:53 +0200 zuletzt bearbeitet: Sun, 13 Oct 2024 16:26:54 +0200

𝓒𝓱𝓻𝓲𝓼

chris@im.allmendenetz.de

@Jupiter Rowland

streams doesn't have it either AFAIK.

streams has a working implementation for this feature - yes

Sun, 13 Oct 2024 16:30:11 +0200

dynamic_hubzilla

dynamic@hub.netzgemeinde.eu

@?????

streams has a working implementation for this feature - yes

That's awesome. Does it work as Harald suggested above?

I'm also now wondering whether channels can be migrated from Hubzilla to (streams) or vice versa.

Sun, 13 Oct 2024 16:32:58 +0200 zuletzt bearbeitet: Sun, 13 Oct 2024 17:09:19 +0200

𝓒𝓱𝓻𝓲𝓼

chris@im.allmendenetz.de

@dynamic_hubzilla

I've been interested in self-hosting Fedi instances for a while but have been very frustrated by the lack of documentation on system requirements for different platforms. I'd assumed that Streams would be lighter than Hubzilla, but now I'm wondering if that's wrong and I want more information.

Hubzilla is great for self hosting. check this:
https://framagit.org/hubzilla/core/-/blob/master/install/INSTALL.txt

Streams is not lighter in this regards than Hubzilla

it all depend on what you do with your hub.. how many channels, how many connections and so on

Sun, 13 Oct 2024 16:36:00 +0200

𝓒𝓱𝓻𝓲𝓼

chris@im.allmendenetz.de

@dynamic_hubzilla

I'm also now wondering whether channels can be migrated from Hubzilla to (streams)

not working right now

Sun, 13 Oct 2024 19:15:43 +0200

Jupiter Rowland

jupiter_rowland@hub.netzgemeinde.eu

@????? At least it used to be able by manually exporting the channel on Hubzilla and importing it to (streams). But it can't be migrated over the Net, it can't be cloned between Hubzilla and (streams), and moving back from (streams) to Hubzilla isn't possible at all.

Mon, 14 Oct 2024 05:27:43 +0200

Bill Statler

billstatler@forum.statler.ws

Re: (streams) implementation of "import a connections list as a .csv or something":

There is a Mastodon-compatible (CSV file) 'export follows' feature in the source code here:
https://codeberg.org/streams/streams/src/branch/dev/src/Module/Export_follows.php
And 'import' is available as an add-on:
https://codeberg.org/streams/streams-addons/src/branch/release/followlist

I have only tried the export, and it's functional. I haven't tried importing the CSV file anywhere.

I suppose these features could be adapted for Hubzilla, but I'm not a developer so I don't know how hard it would be.

I'm also now wondering whether channels can be migrated from Hubzilla to (streams) or vice versa.

As of September 2023, it was possible to "clone" a channel from Hubzilla to (streams). Mike wrote that it is "technically a clone but it won't sync because the database format is quite different now. I think they'll both still try and send sync packets to each other - whenever you do anything, and that's a bit wasteful (they will get rejected on both ends iirc) -- but otherwise it does no harm to have both." I don't know whether this still works in October 2024.

Regarding migrating a channel from (streams) to Hubzilla, Mike wrote: "You have no idea what a horrible mess this will create. I really really really wouldn't advise it."

Mon, 14 Oct 2024 08:37:56 +0200

𝓒𝓱𝓻𝓲𝓼

chris@im.allmendenetz.de

@Bill Statler

I don't know whether this still works in October 2024.

NO - it does not work anymore

Mon, 14 Oct 2024 08:51:06 +0200

Jupiter Rowland

jupiter_rowland@hub.netzgemeinde.eu

@Bill Statler Yeah, someone suggested hacking into (streams) export files so that Hubzilla wouldn't reject them. But I think it was Mike who said that importing such hacked files could wreck an entire hub beyond repair.

Mon, 14 Oct 2024 09:34:56 +0200

Harald Eilertsen

harald@hub.volse.no

@Bill Statler

And 'import' is available as an add-on:
https://codeberg.org/streams/streams-addons/src/branch/release/followlist

Looks like it should be relatively easy to port.