$ show w3c/websub
This repository is the official W3C WebSub specification (formerly PubSubHubbub), a decentralized publish/subscribe protocol over HTTP. It is not a software application or data pipeline; it contains the normative ReSpec specification documents, implementation reports, and W3C governance metadata. The core deliverable is source.html, with staged snapshots for FPWD, Working Draft, and the 2018 Recommendation. The spec defines three roles — publisher, subscriber, and hub — and specifies discovery via link rel=hub/self, hub subscription/unsubscription with lease management, content distribution via POST, and optional authenticated distribution using HMAC signatures. It also includes conformance classes and implementation report templates that multiple independent projects (Google, Mastodon, Twitch, Superfeedr, etc.) have used to self-certify interoperability.
The LLM identified 3 files worth highlighting for reuse:
The canonical WebSub specification in ReSpec format. It defines the complete protocol: discovery of hub and self URLs, hub verification of subscription/unsubscription requests, lease management, content distribution with authenticated POSTs, and content negotiation for rel=self URLs. This is the authoritative reference for implementing WebSub-compatible hubs, publishers, and subscribers, and can be reused as a template for other HTTP-based pubsub protocol specifications.
A structured self-certification template for hub implementations. It breaks the normative spec into verifiable requirements (subscription with secret, authenticated distribution, discovery methods, redirect handling, lease seconds, etc.) and lets implementers mark support. This pattern is reusable for any protocol conformance suite: turn normative requirements into a checklist that external projects can complete to demonstrate interoperability.
A self-certification template for subscriber implementations, covering discovery, subscription, content distribution, and signature verification. Like the hub template, it is a reusable conformance matrix that can be adapted to other protocol specifications to collect implementation evidence from multiple independent projects.