The developer wrote a good post on Reddit, which I will mainly quote here:

10 second pitch: Libreddit is a portmanteau of “libre” (meaning freedom) and “Reddit”. It is a private front-end like Invidious but for Reddit. Browse the coldest takes of r/unpopularopinion without being tracked.

🚀 Fast: written in Rust for blazing fast speeds and memory safety
☁️ Light: no JavaScript, no ads, no tracking, no bloat
🕵 Private: all requests are proxied through the server, including media
🔒 Secure: strong Content Security Policy prevents browser requests to Reddit

How does Libreddit enhance my privacy?

Reddit tracks a lot of data but Libreddit logs nothing and uses no JavaScript by default so client-side monitoring isn’t possible. There are 35 community-hosted instances that can be used to access Libreddit; one can spread their traffic across multiple for even more privacy. 7 of our instances are .onion hidden services so you can browse Libreddit using Tor.

Can I use it to login to Reddit?

Libreddit doesn’t currently support logins but using cookies, users can subscribe to subreddits, follow users, and import their subscriptions from Reddit.

Does Libreddit have any features not offered by Reddit?

On top of the minimalist design, Libreddit is very customizable with:

  • 10 themes to choose from
  • A toggle to enable Wide UI (for those of you who like to maximize your screen space)
  • Filters so you can hide certain subreddits or users from your feeds

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Instances: up-to-date table of instances -> https://github.com/libreddit/libreddit-instances/blob/master/instances.md

Not every instance is equally fast for you, similar to Lemmy. Try out a few.

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GitHub: https://github.com/spikecodes/libreddit

For PC, I recommend the add-on LibRedirect, which automatically converts a Reddit link to a Libreddit link. This way, Reddit doesn’t get any traffic from you, even if you want to access the page via a Google search.

  • @stoneparchment
    1•1 year ago

    Honestly, I really disagree, and think this is a bad take. Maybe much of the information is a luxury much of the time, but lots of the information is crucial to many marginalized people all of the time.

    Before reddit, I simply did not have access to these kinds of information, and my quality of life was worse because of it.

    I already mentioned that the information on reddit is often important for myself and my partner because we are queer. Before reddit, we lived smaller and more fearful lives. We did not travel anywhere we could not be sure we’d be safe, and even when we knew a town or city was generally supportive, we carried a greater mental load spending time scoping out places like restaurants, bars, and activity organizations before we committed to going to them. Generally, my life related to freedom and safety was just worse.

    Here are some more (admittedly, USA-specific) examples of equity concerns that reddit alieveates:

    • Hair care and personal hygiene products and techniques for people of color and other people whose hair does not match the needs of a white majority
    • Recipies and recommendations for how to make strict medical diets or care routines more palatable for people with debilitating health concerns
    • Tips and tricks for managing navigating our world with a disability, since anyone with a disability will tell you that usually ADA adherence by businesses is mediocre
    • Resources for specialized healthcare, such as lists of therapists trained to help with people with particular backgrounds (queer, ex-military, specific niche trauma, race-conscious, etc.) or doctors who are verified friendly to your demographic group
    • Just, like, communities? Of people who are like you? For many members of small minority groups, huge social media networks are the only place to find community

    Honestly, I could keep going, but I think you get the idea. On reddit, there are thriving communities of non-technical users who share the wealth of their knowledge to other marginalized non-technical users.

    Sometimes this info isn’t even addressing inequality-- am I supposed to rely on advertisements or SEO blogs to tell me which type of varnish is best for polymer clay sculpture projects, or can I use Libreddit to find out that info from artists themselves? What non-reddit, modern resource do you recommend for how best to design a safe and enriching enclosure for pet rats? I know reddit is going to shit and the quality of the information deteriorates as automation makes it easier to fake genuine product reviews and experiences, but it honestly still is the best resource we have for many things like this.

    Lastly, saying the information is “convenient but not necessary” is a bad excuse for two reasons:

    1. You could say that about, like, literally anything (plumbing is convenient but not necessary! Education is convenient but not necessary!), and

    2. It ignores how the people who suffer most from lack of access to niche info are usually the ones who are not being served by the majority status quo.

    Tl;dr, the info on reddit helps marginalized people! Encouraging them to use resources like Libreddit is a way for them to access info without giving reddit money! Compromises!!! Haha