
We often see people come and ask how Next is progressing, and often people are quite dismayed to not see any sort of major progress updates.

We're happy to announce that will now be changing as we start publishing a new monthly blog series detailing what we've been up to so that you don't miss out!

## Android App

Announced October last year, the Android app has come a long way since and aims to provide the best possible Next experience on Android.

We're happy to announce the next phase of beta testing ~~will commence soon~~ has commenced, which means you are now able to see the app's source code while the testers try out the exciting new features to the best of their ability.

> **Jennifer** says "Making an app for a feature-rich platform like Next can take quite a while, especially if your goal is to write code that is both sturdy and can be expanded upon years into the future. It's actually quite an iterative process to get everything to feel 'just right', considering both the obvious parts, such as how the user may behave, as well as smaller details, like users on larger screens or optimal thumb placement on phones. For example, I can show you some screenshots made during the development of the upcoming attachment preview. I hoped to get it to feel just right in the end, and I think I may have done it!"

## Voice/video calling

We've started preliminary work on replacing our old voice server with a completely new, battle-tested real-time media server. It's based on the same technology that powers the [Zed](https://zed.dev/) code editor among other things.

This means that video calls, screen sharing, and proper calls are all monumentally closer, albeit we still need some time to cook. We'll share more as soon as we have more to say, but for now enjoy this exclusive peek at a tech demo we were experimenting with for the new real-time media server:

###### Proof of concept implementation in new Next for Web

![Proof of concept implementation in new Next for Web](/content/blog/month-in-next-may-2024/rtc-1.png)

## New developers website

Our developers website has gotten a refresh and has been designed to be as easy as possible for anyone to contribute to its improvement. You can check it out now at [developers.avanpost20.ru](https://developers.avanpost20.ru).

## Tidbits

Here are some things that don't deserve their own section but are worth mentioning:

-   Development of the new web frontend is now back on track, so look out for the coming monthly updates as things will be changing fast!

## Addendum

Section added **7th June 2024**.

Written by Avanpost.

While I was initially intending to leave this until all commitments were met, the overwhelming response says this should've been acknowledged. I personally did not see this as a huge deal to cover here, and that's my own fault, I think I just became out of touch with the situation after being completely burnt out from the whole thing.

So what am I talking about? The licensing controversy addressed in this post (includes definitions), please go read that for the full context on the situation.

And, what has been done since?

-   We've dropped the Contributor License Agreement (CLA) in favour of the Developer Certificate of Origin (DCO).
-   The Android app has been released libre.
-   Admin panel has been released libre.

What still needs doing?

-   Auxiliary projects still need to be open sourced, namely Shield and Discover.
-   We should introduce a Fiduciary License Agreement (FLA) down the line to still allow contributors to protect their contributions.

# From The Community

If you have something you've made or otherwise like to share, please get in contact and we'd love to give you an opportunity to have it featured in this series.

You can drop into [#Month in Next](https://app.avanpost20.ru/invite/Testers) in the Next community server or [reach us another way](https://support.avanpost20.ru/contact).


Find out what we've been up to in our monthly blog series.

Month in Next - May 2024


We're changing the way usernames work on Next. After our initial implememtation with unique username handles, we are now replacing it with brand-new display names and usernames with a four-digit number tag. We worked alongside our community in the making of this transition. Read on to learn what's coming now for Next, and a very special feature announcement.

## So, how does the new system work?

Your number tag is an extra part of your username, which differentiate you from people with the same name. Internally, your number tag is referred to as a **discriminator**. The term "discriminator" comes from the concept of distinguishing between users with similar usernames. Since the discriminator is unique to each user, it serves as an identifier to differentiate users who share the same username.

We settled on using a 4-digit number tag: It will be more than enough for Next and we are leaving the door open to expand this in the future. The transition over to discriminator-style usernames is automatic and requires _no additional work on your part!_. Once you update your client, you should see a new pop up with your new display name, along with your username and new four-digit number tag. If you don't end up liking your display name or username, you can update them in your Profile and My Account settings pages respectively at any time.

## Why is this a valuable solution?

During our recent RFC, we engaged the Next community in a discussion regarding a significant change to our username system. We carefully considered the advantages and disadvantages of implementing this new system, which include, but are not limited to:

### User empowerment through personalized usernames.

Selecting an available username that truly reflects one's identity has become increasingly challenging. Our number tag system allows users to choose their desired username, as long as it meets the minimum requirement of being two letters long. This feature benefits individuals such as content creators, who value their privacy and prefer to maintain a lower profile, ensuring that their usernames remain less discoverable.

### Combating unauthorised account activities.

With this change, we aim to address issues related to account selling, trading, and instances of attempted theft, which have unfortunately led to threats and bullying in some cases. Our new system aims to prevent such incidents, promoting a safer and more secure environment for all users.

### Ensuring fairness and equal opportunities.

Our revamped number tag system employs a fully randomized approach, ensuring fairness for everyone involved. To prevent the exploitation of "rare" or "desirable" number combinations, we have implemented a blacklist. This approach aims to discourage account selling or theft, particularly with regard to usernames possessing sought-after four-digit combinations.

## What else is cooking at Next?

We're almost ready to bring you WebHooks, which allow you to set up real-time notifications and triggers between Next and other platforms. Imagine receiving instant updates from your favourite social media, project management tool or timed events, directly within your Next community. With WebHooks, you'll always be in the loop.

The Next team is also working on bringing a brand new experience for the web, along with the development of new native apps for both Android and iOS. **The current web client** (called `nevite` for you super-🤓s) **enters maintenance mode** and only receives necessary (like security-related) updates, in favour of a new all-around web and desktop client with improvements both to speed and performance, and a brand new coat of paint added on top.

We'd like to thank everyone for your continuous support for Next and hope to see you at our next blog post.


Usernames are Evolving


The Next team is committed to providing a safe and secure platform for our users. As such, we are rolling out new features to help ensure users stay safe while on the platform, primarily tackling spam and abuse on the platform. We've also been working hard to improve Next behind the scenes, and we're excited to share some of the news in the next few months.  
In the meantime, here's what we've been working on:

# In-App Reporting

To streamline reports to the moderation team, and to allow us to respond quickly and reliably to reports, we're introducing a new way to report content on the platform. You can now report any message, user or server directly from the app. Once a report has been actioned on, you'll receive an in-app notification.

<img style="margin: auto; display: block;" src="https://autumn.avanpost20.ru/attachments/yz7u3IKtDd_gie6v1YWrjCVRrpDaC3nXWd8-oksiSa/the.png" alt="Screenshot of In-App Reporting Modal" />

In the future, we'll be adding more features to the reporting system, such as the ability to view pending and resolved reports right from the app.

# Updating Guidelines for Next Discover

We have updated our guidelines on servers which may be listed on Next Discover:

-   Your server must have adequate moderation, in the sense that content that breaks platform rules must be reported and deleted within a reasonable timeframe (this depends on the size of your server but ideally within 24 hours)
-   You may not list servers for the sole purpose of promoting an external service or website, this degrades the user experience
-   You may not intentionally manipulate your listing position

In addition to this we would also like to clarify that you must send at least one message every week to keep your server listed. This is to ensure that servers are active and not abandoned.

# rAuth is now Authifier

The authentication component used in Next (formerly rAuth) is now called Authifier and will be used to contain other related projects going forwards.

# Introducing Authifier Shield

To help us more effectively combat spam, we have introduced additional checks during account registration to block malicious actors.

While we can't share all the details of these checks, we can share some of the things we're looking for:

-   Disposable emails are no longer permissible on Next. Almost all accounts originating from such services are used to spam the platform. These also provide no ability for the user to recover their account. Aliasing services are not affected by this change.
-   Emails hosted on Freenom domains are also automatically blocked due to the high volume of abuse originating from these domains. However, this isn't a blanket ban and you can contact support for an exception.

These checks, along with other measures, are performed by a service called Authifier Shield, a new part of the Authifier project. So far since deployment, Shield has helped block three separate waves of spam registrations, in all cases causing the parties involved to cease their attacks. Shield can adapt to a variety of situations due to its modular nature, and will likely be used to help protect other services and websites in the future.

Below is a snippet of data regarding the number of accounts that were banned at any given time, compared to the number of registrations that were blocked against time.


Introducing in-app reporting, updated guidelines for Next Discover and built-in anti-spam measures.

Three new ways Next will be improving user safety


# It's finally here!

After 4 months of development, and several weeks of teasers and hype, the old server is out and the new back-end is in.

The new architecture brings a host of major improvements:

-   Re-designed permissions system
-   Private channels
-   Fully distributed
-   Abstracted from the ground up
-   Automation for API specifications
-   ... and honestly way too much stuff to mention

We now have a really solid base to build more features on top of, the workflow has never been faster and iterating on Next is getting better by the day. I can only hope that this will help us develop and ship more features faster than ever before.

Stay Tuned 🎉

---

## Permissions System

The old permission system was in dire need of a rework, it was pretty much just a early solution.

It had some really serious issues:

-   No effective ranking between roles: lower ranking roles were treated the same as higher ranking roles
-   No fine-grained overrides on roles and channels
-   No private channels

This was definitely a blocking factor for communities to adopt the platform, because really nobody should be expected to operate a community with such conditions. This update is in part meant to address this problem.

### So how do they work?

Our system departs slightly from more conventional permissions systems used on other platforms but hopefully it'll be worth it for the finer control you have over your roles and channels.

> Roles are currently given an absolute ranking, with smaller numbers taking precedence or otherwise have more priority over greater numbers. For example, **-5** will win out on **5**. We hope to build a more intuitive UI in the future.

To calculate a user's permissions in a server:

-   Apply allows given by the `Default` role.
-   For each role the user has: (from lowest to highest)
    -   Apply denies given by the role.
    -   Apply allows given by the role.

In essence, this means you can do stuff like create a "muted" or "restricted" role which removes permissions granted earlier down the role hierarchy. For example, the user below has a role which restricts their ability to view channels:

Then to calculate a user's permissions in a channel:

-   Take the known server permissions.
-   Apply denies given by `Default` role on channel.
-   Apply allows given by `Default` role on channel.
-   For each role the user has: (from lowest to highest)
    -   Apply denies given by the role.
    -   Apply allows given by the role.

For a flow chart and more information, please see [the developer documentation](https://developers.avanpost20.ru/stack/delta/permissions).

---

## Abstraction

Let's discuss a bit about how the entire architecture has changed...

-   As mentioned before, everything is fully distributed by now fully relying on Redis for both PubSub and presence information across the network, components are now almost entirely plug-and-play.
-   An API specification is now generated [directly from the API](https://api.avanpost20.ru/openapi.json) and can be viewed using [Swagger](https://api.avanpost20.ru/swagger).


How Next's back-end was rebuilt from the ground up along with a brand new permissions system.

Blog

Month in Next - May 2024

Usernames are Evolving

Three new ways Next will be improving user safety

0.5.3 Release: Architecture Overhaul