Building a Fediverse on the CloudFlare Edge: SiliconBeest

SiliconBeest is a Fediverse software project designed to run on Cloudflare Workers, an edge-based serverless platform. Inspired by Wildebeest, which has since been deprecated, this project explores how Fediverse services can be built and operated without relying on traditional server infrastructure.

In this talk, I will share why I chose Cloudflare Workers as the foundation for building Fediverse software, how SiliconBeest is being implemented, and what this architecture could mean for the future of federated social platforms. Drawing from ideas and experience from Wildebeest, Mastodon, Misskey, and Fedify, I am building a fully functional Fediverse software stack that aims to be practical, scalable, and affordable.

One of the key ideas behind this project is that a serverless edge architecture can reduce operational complexity while making it easier to handle growth. Instead of depending on large dedicated servers, the system is designed to scale with demand. In the talk, I will discuss the technical design, the advantages and trade-offs of running Fediverse software in this environment, and what kinds of scale may be achievable starting from a relatively low cost, such as Cloudflare Workers’ paid plan.

I will also talk about the development process behind the project. AI coding tools such as Claude Code and Codex have been a meaningful part of how I design, implement, and iterate on SiliconBeest. I want to share how these tools have helped in practice, where they were useful, where they were not, and what it feels like to build an ambitious open software project with AI as part of the workflow.

This session is for people interested in building Fediverse software that is scalable, cost-effective, and easy to maintain, and in exploring how serverless can work with the Fediverse.