Friends View

The Friends view lets you manage your social connections on the decentralized web. Friends are linked to your profile using the foaf:knows predicate, creating a public social graph that other Solid apps can use.

What Are Friends in Solid?

In Solid, "friends" are WebIDs you publicly declare that you know. This information is:

• Public - Visible to anyone viewing your profile
• Decentralized - Stored in your Pod, not on a central server
• Interoperable - Other Solid apps can read your friends list
• Two-way optional - Adding someone as a friend doesn't require their approval

note

Friends are different from Address Book contacts. Contacts are private and more detailed; friends are a public declaration of connection.

Viewing Your Friends

To display your friends:

1. Click your profile image and select Show your profile
2. Click the Friends icon

The view shows all WebIDs you've added as friends, with their profile images and names.

Viewing a Friend's Profile

To open a friend's public profile:

1. Find the friend in your list
2. Click the Goto This icon next to their name
3. Their profile opens in a new tab

From there, you can:

• View their public information
• See their friends (if public)
• Access any resources they've shared with you

Adding a Friend

To add someone as a friend:

1. Open their profile in a new browser tab
2. Locate the WebID in the address bar (or copy it from their profile)
3. Drag the icon from the address bar onto your Friends list:

4. The friend appears in your list if the WebID is valid

Alternative: Add by WebID

You can also add friends by entering their WebID directly:

1. Copy the full WebID (e.g., https://alice.solidcommunity.net/profile/card#me)
2. Paste or drag it onto the Friends list

tip

Always use the complete WebID including the fragment identifier (#me or similar). For example:

• Correct: https://alice.solidcommunity.net/profile/card#me
• Incorrect: https://alice.solidcommunity.net/profile/card

Removing a Friend

To remove someone from your friends list:

1. Hover over the icon next to their name
2. A Remove icon appears
3. Click Remove to delete them from your list

note

Removing a friend only affects your profile. It doesn't notify them or remove you from their friends list.

Friends vs. Contacts

Feature	Friends	Contacts
Visibility	Public	Private
Storage	Profile (card#me)	Address Book
Detail level	WebID only	Full contact info
Purpose	Social graph	Personal directory
Vocabulary	foaf:knows	vcard:

Use Friends for public social connections. Use Address Book for private contact management with detailed information.

Privacy Considerations

Your friends list is publicly visible by default. Consider:

• Anyone can see who you've added as friends
• This creates a social graph that can be analyzed
• Some users prefer to keep their friends list minimal
• For private contact management, use the Address Book

Related Views

• Profile - Your main profile where friends are displayed
• Address Book - Private contact management with groups