Open Source Social Network (OSSN)

Open Source Social Network (OSSN) is a PHP‑centric, community‑driven platform that delivers a full social networking stack—profiles, newsfeeds, groups, messaging, media sharing, and more—all wrapped in a multi‑language architecture. From a developer standpoint it functions as a modular web application that can be extended via plugins, themes, and RESTful APIs. The codebase follows the K&R indentation standard and adheres to a defined coding style, making it approachable for contributors familiar with PHP best practices.

Technical Stack

• Language & Frameworks: Pure PHP 7/8, no heavy framework dependencies. The core is organized around an MVC‑like pattern with a lightweight routing system.
• Database: MySQL/MariaDB using PDO for database abstraction. The schema is split into core tables (users, posts, groups) and plugin‑specific tables that can be added dynamically.
• Front‑end: Vanilla HTML5/CSS3 with optional Bootstrap integration. JavaScript is minimal; most interactivity is handled server‑side via PHP templates.
• Caching & Performance: Built‑in file‑based caching and optional Memcached/Redis support for session storage and query caching.
• Internationalization: PO/LANG files with a built‑in language selector; developers can drop new translation files into the lang/ directory.

Core Capabilities

• RESTful API: Endpoints for user authentication, profile CRUD, post creation, group management, and media uploads. OAuth2 support is available through a plugin.
• Webhooks: Expose events such as user.registered, post.created, and message.received that external services can subscribe to.
• Plugin System: A plug‑and‑play architecture where each plugin resides in plugins/. Plugins register hooks, routes, and database migrations via a simple bootstrap file.
• Theme Engine: Themes are essentially directory structures with templates and assets; the engine resolves view paths at runtime, enabling custom UI without touching core code.

Deployment & Infrastructure

OSSN is designed for classic LAMP stacks but also runs flawlessly in Docker containers. A ready‑to‑use docker-compose.yml is included, exposing web, database, and optional Redis services. For larger deployments, horizontal scaling can be achieved by load‑balancing multiple web instances behind a reverse proxy (NGINX/Traefik) and sharing session storage via Redis. The lightweight nature of the codebase keeps memory footprints low, making it suitable for VPS and cloud instances.

Integration & Extensibility

• SDKs & Libraries: PHP SDK for interacting with the API; optional JavaScript client for SPA front‑ends.
• OAuth & SSO: Plugins support Google, Facebook, and custom OAuth providers; single sign‑on can be configured via the admin panel.
• Custom Fields & Metadata: Developers can add custom profile fields and metadata tables through the plugin API, allowing tailored user data capture.
• Event System: A publish/subscribe event bus lets developers hook into lifecycle events without modifying core files.

Developer Experience

OSSN provides comprehensive documentation on its wiki, covering installation, configuration, API usage, and plugin development. The community is active on GitHub, with frequent PRs and issue discussions. Code quality metrics (DeepScan, Codacy) show a healthy codebase with moderate complexity and good test coverage. The project’s open‑source license (OSSN License 4.0 / Cryptographic Autonomy License v1.0) permits commercial use and modification without stringent copyleft constraints.

Use Cases

• Educational Platforms: Build a campus social network with groups for courses, events, and study circles.
• Enterprise Intranets: Deploy a private social space for employee collaboration, complete with internal messaging and file sharing.
• Niche Communities: Create hobbyist or professional forums (e.g., photography, coding) with custom plugins for media galleries and discussion boards.
• Event Management: Leverage the group and messaging features to coordinate attendees, schedules, and networking.

Advantages

• Performance: Lightweight PHP core with minimal dependencies ensures fast response times and low server overhead.
• Flexibility: The plugin architecture allows rapid feature addition without touching core code, reducing merge conflicts.
• Scalability: Stateless PHP requests combined with optional Redis caching make horizontal scaling straightforward.
• Cost‑Effective Licensing: The OSSN license allows free use in commercial projects, avoiding GPL’s distribution obligations.
• Community & Ecosystem: A growing repository of plugins and themes accelerates development, while active issue tracking guarantees timely support.

Overall, OSSN offers a robust yet approachable platform for developers looking to deliver a full‑featured social networking experience without the overhead of heavyweight frameworks or restrictive licenses.