“Instance” is programmer lingo. Roughly, it’s when you have the same piece of code running multiple times with different values (as part of the same system). More narrowly, “instance” is used in the context of classes. All lemmy instances run the lemmy code but with different users, admins, and so on. The expression makes perfect sense, but it is not used in a formal way.
A lemmy instance runs a web server. Wikipedia says that when you host a web page under a dedicated domain name, you have a website.
When you’re using lemmy or mastodon, you don’t have to use the website. You can use an app that goes from your fingers to the server without needing a browser and a website to exchange the information.
So most if not all the instances of the fediverse are also a website if you need to use it. But not every website is an instance of the fediverse.
In this regard, can a singular website function like a unique instance of the fediverse ?
Instances are websites. Federation just means that they can automatically communicate directly between multiple intakes, and share information without requiring user interaction.
All this happens via APIs. Any website that implements ActivityPub APIs properly can federate with other sites as part of the fediverse.
Yes, WordPress and Ghost websites are able to share their posts via ActivityPub, so people can follow them through Mastodon-like Fedi apps.
Hard to answer without some context. Got any examples for “formal website”?
In the fediverse an “instance” is any server which is running the software in question. For example, fosstodon is an instance of Mastodon. mastodon.social is also an instance of Mastodon.
Here’s one for you to consider as an example :
So just a website?
Websites of all types are hosted by servers. These servers can run any kind of software they want in order to serve web pages to users. There are countless different options for server software (see just some of the options on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_web_server_software?wprov=sfla1), and they can run on different operating systems (Windows, Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, macos, …). Two servers can serve very similar or even identical websites but run completely different software, and similarly, two servers can use the same software but serve totally different websites.
Basically it’s a free-for-all.
Then l need to focus on the server aspect. But from where to get a relevant software, since you say it’s a free for all ?
Here are a couple of more websites :
If you study these two and the one l’ve shared before, they all have similar goals.
