FAQ

What is HappyView?

HappyView is an open-source AppView for atproto. See the Introduction.

Can I host HappyView myself?

Yes. Self-hosting covers running an instance, and Deploying covers sending a project to it.

Does adding a record lexicon index that collection across the network?

Yes, by default. A record lexicon is indexed unless you set indexed = false for it in happyview.toml; an unindexed collection is left out of the Jetstream subscription and of backfill. See Lexicons and the configuration reference.

Which languages can I write scripts in?

Lua, JavaScript and TypeScript. Each runs in an interpreter plugin that you add to your project or instance; see Languages.

Can I write scripts in Rust?

Not yet. Rust, Go and Zig are planned; see the Roadmap.

What can a script do?

See Scripts.

Which database does HappyView use?

SQLite or PostgreSQL. HappyView picks the backend from the scheme of DATABASE_URL; see Database setup.

Does HappyView send data about my instance anywhere?

Only if you turn telemetry on; it is off by default. Telemetry describes what a report contains and how to turn it on or off.

Are atproto spaces on by default?

No. atproto spaces are off by default. Turn them on with the feature.spaces_enabled instance setting, from the dashboard’s Experiments page, the admin API, or the FEATURE_SPACES_ENABLED environment variable; see Spaces.

How does my app sign users in to my instance?

Create an API client for the app and authenticate users through it; see API clients. For automation against the admin API, use an API key instead.

My v2 scripts are refused after upgrading. What do I do?

v3 removed some Lua globals, and a script that still uses one is refused with script references removed globals: ... -- run the codemod first. Migrating from v2 lists the replacements and how to run the codemod.

Can I write my own plugin?

Yes. A plugin is a WebAssembly module with a manifest, and a Rust SDK handles the calling convention and host imports. See Developing plugins and the Plugin SDK reference.

What can a plugin do on my instance?

Only what its declared capabilities cover, and you accept those when you install it. See Plugins and Capabilities.

Where do I report a problem?

Open an issue in the HappyView repository. To look up an error message first, see Troubleshooting.