# Moving to a Bonfire instance

A step-by-step guide for migrating your account from another fediverse instance to Bonfire.

*Moving to Bonfire opens up new possibilities for community-driven, boundary-respecting social networking.*

## Table of Contents

- [Before you move](#before-you-move)
- [Step 1: Export your data from your old instance](#step-1-export-your-data-from-your-old-instance)
- [Step 2: Create your Bonfire account](#step-2-create-your-bonfire-account)
- [Step 3: Set up account aliases](#step-3-set-up-account-aliases)
- [Importing data](#importing-data)
- [Step 4: Import your data into Bonfire](#step-4-import-your-data-into-bonfire)
- [Step 5: Move your followers](#step-5-move-your-followers)
- [Step 6: Clean up your old account](#step-6-clean-up-your-old-account)
- [Troubleshooting](#troubleshooting)

## Before you move

### Things to consider

- **30-day cooldown** - You can only migrate once every 30 days on some instances 
- **Process is irreversible** - Profiles moves cannot be undone
- **New features** - Bonfire has unique features like circles that may not exist on your previous instance

### What can be migrated

✅ **Automatically transferred:**
- Your followers (if your old instance supports ActivityPub moves)

✅ **Can be manually imported:**
- See [supported imports](#supported-imports) below for the complete list

❌ **Cannot be migrated:**
- Private conversation history 
- Media files (though references may be preserved)
- Instance-specific features 

## Step 1: Export your data from your old instance

The export process varies by software. Here are common locations:

### From Mastodon
1. Go to **Settings > Import and export > Data export**
2. Download CSV files for follows, blocks, mutes, bookmarks, and lists
3. Request full archive of posts and media

### From Bonfire (if migration between two Bonfire instances)
1. Go to **Settings > Export**
2. Download CSV files for follows, silences, ghosts, bookmarks, circles/lists, etc
3. Request full archive of activities and uploads

### From Akkoma
1. Go to **Settings > Data export**
2. Export follows, blocks, mutes, bookmarks, lists as available

### From Misskey & co
1. Go to **Settings > Import/Export**
2. Export following list, blocked users, muted users, bookmarks, lists
3. Lists and other data may need to be manually recreated

### From other instances
- Check your instance's documentation
- Look for "Export", "Backup" or "Data" in settings
- Contact your instance admin if unsure

## Step 2: Create your new Bonfire account

1. **Choose your Bonfire instance**
   - Research the instance's community and rules
   - Check that it federates with your old instance

2. **Sign up for your account**
   - Use the same username if available
   - Set up your profile with display name and bio
   - Upload your profile picture and header

3. **Explore Bonfire's unique features**
   - Create custom circles for controlling how you share, and to organise your feeds
   - Set up your boundaries and privacy preferences
   - Familiarize yourself with Bonfire's interface

## Step 3: Set up account aliases

### On your old instance

The process varies by software:

**Mastodon/Akkoma/Pixelfed:**
1. Go to **Settings > Account**
2. Look for "Moving from another account" or "Account aliases"
3. Add your new Bonfire account: `@yournewusername@bonfire-instance.com`

**Bonfire** (if migration between two Bonfire instances):
1. Go to **Settings > Export**
2. Look for "Moving to a different profile" 
3. Add your new Bonfire account: `@yournewusername@bonfire-instance.com`

**Misskey/etc:**
1. Account aliasing may not be supported
2. You may need to manually notify followers

### On your Bonfire instance

1. Go to **Settings > Import** 
2. Scroll to the bottom for migration options
3. In the "Account aliases" section:
   - Add your old account: `@youroldusername@old-instance.com`
4. Save the alias

### **Verify your new account is working**
1. Follow it from your old profile
2. Follow your old account from your new Bonfire profile
3. Make a test post on each profile
4. Ensure federation is working properly in both directions
5. ✅ Both accounts should now show the other as a verified alias


## Importing data

The import system is designed to be flexible and safe. Here's how it works:

**What you can import:**
- **CSV files** - Relationship and activity data from Bonfire or other platforms like Mastodon
- **JSON files** - Complete post history and activities (your "outbox")

**How importing works:**
1. **Upload your file** - Drop a CSV or JSON file in Settings > Import
2. **Jobs are queued** - Large imports are processed in the background so you can keep using Bonfire
3. **Smart handling** - The system automatically skips duplicates and handles errors gracefully
4. **Track progress** - Monitor your import progress in Settings > Import History

### Supported imports

- **Following lists** - People you want to re-follow
- **Block lists** - Accounts you want to block, silence, or ghost
- **Bookmarks** - Saved posts (if your old platform exports them)
- **Likes and Boosts** - Preserve your past interactions (without re-notifying people)
- **Circles/Lists** - Custom lists become Bonfire circles
- **Complete post history** - Your entire posting history (including posts and other content you created) with preserved dates and URLs (if your old platform exports a JSON archive of your outbox)

**Import safety:**
- Duplicates are automatically detected and skipped
- Invalid data is ignored without breaking the import
- You can track exactly what succeeded or failed
- Imports don't affect your existing data

### Data preservation

Bonfire takes special care to preserve your content's original identity when importing posts and other content you created. Here's what happens:

**Your content maintains its original identity:**
- Posts keep their original timestamps and canonical URLs
- Replies from different instances remain correctly linked to their parent posts
- Like and boost counts are maintained as they were
- Your timeline stays chronologically accurate

**How it works:**
- Imported posts are boosted to make them visible on your new profile timeline
- These boosts are not pushed to people's feeds or notifications, so your old content appears on your profile without flooding anyone with historical posts

**What this means for you:**
- Your posting history appears complete and in the correct chronological order
- People can still find and interact with your old posts using their original links
- If people interact (such as like or reply) with your old posts, you will not receive notifications on your new profile
- Conversations and reply threads remain intact across instances
- You don't have to worry about annoying your new followers with old content

## Step 4: Import your data into Bonfire

1. Go to **Settings > Import** in your Bonfire instance

2. **Import following list:**
   - Upload your following CSV file
   - They will automatically be re-followed little by little (you can check the progress and results by clicking on "Import History")

3. **Import blocks and/or silences and ghosts:**
   - Upload CSV files you exported previously

4. **Import other data:**
   - Upload bookmarks CSV if available from your previous instance 
   - Upload likes and boosts CSV if available from your previous instance
   - Upload lists/circles CSV if available from your previous instance

5. **Import posts and activities:**
   - Upload your outbox JSON export to restore your posts, replies, and other content
   - Note: Posts are preserved with their original dates and URLs, then boosted to appear in your new profile's timeline without notifying your current followers

⏱️ **Processing time:** Large lists may take several minutes or hours to process


## Step 5: Move your followers

⚠️ **Warning:** This step is irreversible and may have a cooldown period!

### On your old instance

1. Go to your old instance's account settings
2. Look for "Move to a different account" or similar option
3. Enter your new Bonfire account address: `@yourusername@bonfire-instance.com`
4. **Read all warnings carefully**
5. Enter your password to confirm the move

### What happens next:

- Your old account should be marked as moved (a "This account has moved" notice may appear on your old profile, otherwise you can edit your bio with a link to your new profile)
- Your followers will receive a notification about your new account
- Followers running compatible software will automatically re-follow your new Bonfire profile
- Your old account may be restricted (no new posts, followers, etc.)

### If your old instance doesn't support moves:
- Manually announce your move in a final post
- Pin the announcement to your profile
- Ask followers to follow your new Bonfire account
- Consider keeping the old account as a redirect


## Step 6: Clean up your old account

### Option A: Keep as redirect (Recommended)
- Leave your account as-is to to point visitors to your new account (you can update your bio with a notice)
- This means your old posts and activities are still accessible
- No further action needed

### Option B: Delete your old account
⚠️ **Only do this if you're absolutely sure!**

1. Wait at least a week after moving to ensure followers have migrated
2. Follow your old instance's account deletion process
3. **This is usually permanent and irreversible**
4. Your username *may* become available for others to use


## Troubleshooting

### My followers didn't transfer
- **Check if your old instance supports moves** - Some instances may not support ActivityPub moves
- **Wait 48-72 hours** - Federation can be slow between instances
- **Manual solution:** Make an announcement post asking followers to follow your new Bonfire account

### Import failed on Bonfire
- **Check the progress** and results by clicking on Settings -> Import -> Import History
- **Check file format** - Ensure CSV files are properly formatted
- **File size limits** - Very large lists may need to be split into smaller files
- **Unsupported data** - Some instance-specific data may not be importable

### Can't set up aliases
- **Federation issues** - Ensure both instances can communicate with each other
- **Account verification** - Double-check that account addresses are correct
- **Software limitations** - Your old instance may not support aliasing

### Move option not available
- **Aliases not set up** - Both accounts must have each other as aliases (if supported)
- **Cooldown period** - You may need to wait if you've moved recently
- **Instance restrictions** - Check with your old instance's admin

### Features work differently on Bonfire
- **Lists become circles** - Recreate your lists as Bonfire circles with enhanced privacy controls
- **Different privacy model** - Bonfire's boundaries system may work differently than your old instance
- **New interaction options** - Explore Bonfire's unique features like circles and boundaries

---

### Welcome to Bonfire!

- Explore the [Bonfire user guides](user-guides.md) to learn about unique features
- Join community discussions to connect with other users
- Set up circles to organize your social experience
- Configure your boundaries for a personalized, safe social environment