What happens to the content when a Lemmy server is decommissioned?

YⓄ乙 @aussie.zone to Asklemmy@lemmy.ml – 46 points –

Checked Fediverse Observer and whole bunch of server has been decommissioned because of which users can't login and because they can't login , Lemmy is losing active users. Any plans to fix this ? I am more concerned about the content thats lost.

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Each Lemmy instance keeps a copy of posts and contents made in communities followed by its users, so even though an instance is decommissioned, the content lives on on other instance.

For example my instance was off for a month (I was moving out, setting up my NAS was my last priority) and during this time my posts and comments were still available on other instances.

As for users unable to login on decommissioned instances, unfortunately all they can do is create an account on another instance.

Followup question, is it possible to get that content on a new instance after?

Say the following happens

  • Instance A created
  • Instance B created
  • post p is made on instance A
  • A shut down (B still has p)
  • Instance C created

Can the users on C ever see post p?

Or a more specific example. If a new instance was created today, could it get the posts from Lemmy.film

Unfortunately no: only new posts are federated.

The only exception is when an instance federates with a community for the first time, the instance will fetch the last few posts from this community. But in your example, since lemmy.film no longer exist, no instance will ever be able to fetch last posts from !moviesandtv@lemmy.film.

Shouldnt it fetch if a users goes back in time on the instance?
Or will it just go "No data here, Sir" on me and make me go visit a browser.

There is no instance to fetch it from any more. Content is only ever fetched from its home instance.

Each Lemmy instance keeps a copy of posts and contents made in communities followed by its users

This is exactly why I stopped hosting an instance. Too much liability for something out of my control.