JavaScriptSolidServer

Philosophy: JSON-LD First

This is a JSON-LD native implementation. Unlike traditional Solid servers that treat Turtle as the primary format and convert to/from it, this server:

Stores everything as JSON-LD - No RDF parsing overhead for standard operations
Serves JSON-LD by default - Modern web applications can consume responses directly
Content negotiation is optional - Enable Turtle support with { conneg: true } when needed
Fast by design - Skip the RDF parsing tax when you don’t need it

Why JSON-LD First?

Performance: JSON parsing is native to JavaScript - no external RDF libraries needed for basic operations
Simplicity: JSON-LD is valid JSON - works with any JSON tooling
Web-native: Browsers and web apps understand JSON natively
Semantic web ready: JSON-LD is a W3C standard RDF serialization

When to Enable Content Negotiation

Enable conneg: true when:

Interoperating with Turtle-based Solid apps
Serving data to legacy Solid clients
Running conformance tests that require Turtle support

import { createServer } from './src/server.js';

// Default: JSON-LD only (fast)
const server = createServer();

// With Turtle support (for interoperability)
const serverWithConneg = createServer({ conneg: true });

Configuration

createServer({
  logger: true,        // Enable Fastify logging (default: true)
  conneg: false,       // Enable content negotiation (default: false)
  notifications: false, // Enable WebSocket notifications (default: false)
  subdomains: false,   // Enable subdomain-based pods (default: false)
  baseDomain: null,    // Base domain for subdomains (e.g., "example.com")
  mashlib: false,      // Enable Mashlib data browser - local mode (default: false)
  mashlibCdn: false,   // Enable Mashlib data browser - CDN mode (default: false)
  mashlibVersion: '2.0.0', // Mashlib version for CDN mode
});

Mashlib Data Browser

Enable the SolidOS Mashlib data browser for RDF resources. Two modes are available:

CDN Mode (recommended for getting started):

jss start --mashlib-cdn --conneg

Loads mashlib from unpkg.com CDN. Zero footprint - no local files needed.

Local Mode (for production/offline):

jss start --mashlib --conneg

Serves mashlib from src/mashlib-local/dist/. Requires building mashlib locally:

cd src/mashlib-local
npm install && npm run build

ES Module Mode (for custom or next-gen mashlib builds):

jss start --mashlib-module https://example.com/mashlib.js

Loads an ES module-based data browser from any URL. Uses <script type="module"> and <div id="mashlib"> (self-initializing). CSS is auto-derived by replacing .js with .css. Content negotiation is auto-enabled.

How it works:

Browser requests /alice/public/data.ttl with Accept: text/html
Server returns Mashlib HTML wrapper
Mashlib fetches the actual data via content negotiation
Mashlib renders an interactive, editable view

Note: Mashlib works best with --conneg enabled for Turtle support.

Modern UI (SolidOS UI):

jss start --mashlib --solidos-ui --conneg

Serves a modern Nextcloud-style UI shell while reusing mashlib’s data layer. The --solidos-ui flag swaps the classic databrowser interface for a cleaner, mobile-friendly design with:

Modern file browser with breadcrumb navigation
Profile, Contacts, Sharing, and Settings views
Path-based URLs (browser URL reflects current resource)
Responsive design for mobile devices

Requires solidos-ui dist files in src/mashlib-local/dist/solidos-ui/. See solidos-ui for details.

Profile Pages

Pod profiles (/alice/) use HTML with embedded JSON-LD data islands and are rendered using:

mashlib-jss - A fork of mashlib with getPod() fix for path-based pods
solidos-lite - Parses JSON-LD data islands into the RDF store

This allows profiles to work without server-side content negotiation while still providing full SolidOS editing capabilities.

WebSocket Notifications

Enable real-time notifications for resource changes:

const server = createServer({ notifications: true });

Clients discover the WebSocket URL via the Updates-Via header:

curl -I http://localhost:3000/alice/public/
# Updates-Via: ws://localhost:3000/.notifications

Protocol (solid-0.1, compatible with SolidOS):

Server: protocol solid-0.1
Client: sub http://localhost:3000/alice/public/data.json
Server: ack http://localhost:3000/alice/public/data.json
Server: pub http://localhost:3000/alice/public/data.json  (on change)

CLI Start Options

Start Options

Option	Description	Default
`-p, --port <n>`	Port to listen on	3000
`-h, --host <addr>`	Host to bind to	0.0.0.0
`-r, --root <path>`	Data directory	./data
`-c, --config <file>`	Config file path	-
`--ssl-key <path>`	SSL private key (PEM)	-
`--ssl-cert <path>`	SSL certificate (PEM)	-
`--conneg`	Enable Turtle support	false
`--notifications`	Enable WebSocket	false
`--idp`	Enable built-in IdP	false
`--idp-issuer <url>`	IdP issuer URL	(auto)
`--subdomains`	Enable subdomain-based pods	false
`--base-domain <domain>`	Base domain for subdomains	-
`--mashlib`	Enable Mashlib (local mode)	false
`--mashlib-cdn`	Enable Mashlib (CDN mode)	false
`--mashlib-module <url>`	Enable ES module data browser from a URL	-
`--mashlib-version <ver>`	Mashlib CDN version	2.0.0
`--solidos-ui`	Enable modern SolidOS UI (requires –mashlib)	false
`--git`	Enable Git HTTP backend	false
`--nostr`	Enable Nostr relay	false
`--nostr-path <path>`	Nostr relay WebSocket path	/relay
`--nostr-max-events <n>`	Max events in relay memory	1000
`--invite-only`	Require invite code for registration	false
`--webid-tls`	Enable WebID-TLS client certificate auth	false
`--default-quota <size>`	Default storage quota per pod (e.g., 50MB)	50MB
`--activitypub`	Enable ActivityPub federation	false
`--ap-username <name>`	ActivityPub username	me
`--ap-display-name <name>`	ActivityPub display name	(username)
`--ap-summary <text>`	ActivityPub bio/summary	-
`--ap-nostr-pubkey <hex>`	Nostr pubkey for identity linking	-
`--public`	Allow unauthenticated access (skip WAC)	false
`--read-only`	Disable PUT/DELETE/PATCH methods	false
`--live-reload`	Auto-refresh browser on file changes	false
`--pay`	Enable HTTP 402 paid access for /pay/*	false
`--pay-cost <n>`	Cost per request in satoshis	1
`--pay-mempool-url <url>`	Mempool API URL for deposit verification	(testnet4)
`--pay-address <addr>`	Address for receiving deposits	-
`--pay-token <ticker>`	Token to sell (enables primary market + withdrawal)	-
`--pay-rate <n>`	Sats per token for buy/withdraw	1
`--pay-chains <ids>`	Multi-chain deposits + AMM (e.g. “tbtc3,tbtc4”)	-
`--mongo`	Enable MongoDB-backed /db/ route	false
`--mongo-url <url>`	MongoDB connection URL	mongodb://localhost:27017
`--mongo-database <name>`	MongoDB database name	solid
`--webrtc`	Enable WebRTC signaling server	false
`--webrtc-path <path>`	WebRTC signaling WebSocket path	/.webrtc
`--tunnel`	Enable tunnel proxy (decentralized ngrok)	false
`--tunnel-path <path>`	Tunnel WebSocket path	/.tunnel
`--terminal`	Enable WebSocket shell at `/.terminal`	false
`-q, --quiet`	Suppress logs	false

Environment Variables

All options can be set via environment variables with JSS_ prefix:

export JSS_PORT=8443
export JSS_SSL_KEY=/path/to/key.pem
export JSS_SSL_CERT=/path/to/cert.pem
export JSS_CONNEG=true
export JSS_SUBDOMAINS=true
export JSS_BASE_DOMAIN=example.com
export JSS_MASHLIB=true
export JSS_MASHLIB_MODULE=https://example.com/mashlib.js
export JSS_NOSTR=true
export JSS_INVITE_ONLY=true
export JSS_WEBID_TLS=true
export JSS_DEFAULT_QUOTA=100MB
export JSS_ACTIVITYPUB=true
export JSS_AP_USERNAME=alice
export JSS_PUBLIC=true
export JSS_READ_ONLY=true
export JSS_LIVE_RELOAD=true
export JSS_SOLIDOS_UI=true
export JSS_PAY=true
export JSS_PAY_COST=10
export JSS_PAY_ADDRESS=your-address
export JSS_PAY_TOKEN=PODS
export JSS_PAY_RATE=10
export JSS_MONGO=true
export JSS_MONGO_URL=mongodb://localhost:27017
export JSS_MONGO_DATABASE=solid
export JSS_WEBRTC=true
jss start

Config File

Create config.json:

{
  "port": 8443,
  "root": "./data",
  "sslKey": "./ssl/key.pem",
  "sslCert": "./ssl/cert.pem",
  "conneg": true,
  "notifications": true
}

Then: jss start --config config.json

Creating a Pod

curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/.pods \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"name": "alice"}'

Response:

{
  "name": "alice",
  "webId": "http://localhost:3000/alice/#me",
  "podUri": "http://localhost:3000/alice/",
  "token": "eyJ..."
}

Single-User Mode

For personal pod servers where only one user needs access:

# Basic single-user mode (creates pod at /me/)
jss start --single-user --idp

# Custom username
jss start --single-user --single-user-name alice --idp

# Root-level pod (pod at /, WebID at /profile/card#me)
jss start --single-user --single-user-name '' --idp

# Via environment
JSS_SINGLE_USER=true jss start --idp

Features:

Pod auto-created on first startup with full structure (inbox, public, private, profile)
Registration endpoint disabled (returns 403)
Login still works for the single user
Proper ACLs generated automatically

Invite-Only Registration

Control who can create accounts by requiring invite codes:

jss start --idp --invite-only

Managing Invite Codes

# Create a single-use invite
jss invite create
# Created invite code: ABCD1234

# Create multi-use invite with note
jss invite create -u 5 -n "For team members"

# List all active invites
jss invite list
#   CODE        USES     CREATED      NOTE
#   -------------------------------------------------------
#   ABCD1234    0/1      2026-01-03
#   EFGH5678    2/5      2026-01-03   For team members

# Revoke an invite
jss invite revoke ABCD1234

How It Works

Mode	Registration	Pod Creation
Open (default)	Anyone can register	Anyone can create pods
Invite-only	Requires valid invite code	Via registration only

When --invite-only is enabled:

The registration page shows an “Invite Code” field
Invalid or expired codes are rejected with an error
Each use decrements the invite’s remaining uses
Depleted invites are automatically removed

Invite codes are stored in .server/invites.json in your data directory.

Storage Quotas

Limit storage per pod to prevent abuse and manage resources:

jss start --default-quota 50MB

Managing Quotas

# Set quota for a user (overrides default)
jss quota set alice 100MB

# Show quota info
jss quota show alice
#   alice:
#     Used:  12.5 MB
#     Limit: 100 MB
#     Free:  87.5 MB
#     Usage: 12%

# Recalculate from actual disk usage
jss quota reconcile alice