WebFinger allows you to be discovered on the web using an identifier like you@yourdomain.com — similar to how email works, but for your online identity.
Why is this useful?
- Fediverse & Mastodon: WebFinger is essential for federation. It allows Mastodon and other ActivityPub-powered platforms to find and follow your WordPress site.
- Decentralized Identity: People can look you up using your WordPress domain, making your site the canonical source for your online identity.
- Works with other plugins: This plugin provides the foundation that other plugins (like the ActivityPub plugin) build upon.
How it works:
When someone searches for @you@yourdomain.com on Mastodon or another federated service, their server asks your WordPress site: “Who is this person?” WebFinger answers that question by providing information about you and links to your profiles.
Technical details:
WebFinger is an open standard (RFC 7033) that enables discovery of information about people and resources on the internet. It works by responding to requests at /.well-known/webfinger on your domain.