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Image Description

The Image type is defined in ActivityStreams Vocabulary.

In this support table, we only consider how the image description, commonly called AltText is handled. Image descriptions are important from an accessibility standpoint, see WCAG 2.2. Text Alternatives.

It seems that certain implementations, e.g. misskey, store the image description on a per image URL basis and not for every instance of an image reference.

Support Table Preview

attachment Object Activity
no description
{
  “type”: “Document”,
  “url”: “http://pasture-one-actor/images/100.png”
}
 Object Activity
name and summary
{
  “type”: “Document”,
  “url”: “http://pasture-one-actor/images/100.png”,
  “name”: “name”,
  “summary”: “summary”,
  “content”: “content”
}
 Object Activity
only name
[
  {
    “type”: “Document”,
    “url”: “http://pasture-one-actor/assets/FediverseLogo.png”,
    “name”: “name”,
    “imageType”: “image/jpeg”
  }
]
 Object Activity
no comment in attachment
[
  {
    “type”: “Document”,
    “url”: “http://pasture-one-actor/assets/FediverseLogo.png”
  }
]
 Object Activity

Objects

Object 1

{
  "@context": [
    "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams",
    {
      "Hashtag": "as:Hashtag",
      "sensitive": "as:sensitive"
    }
  ],
  "attachment": {
    "type": "Document",
    "url": "http://pasture-one-actor/images/100.png"
  },
  "attributedTo": "http://actor.example",
  "content": "no description",
  "id": "http://actor.example/object/EEzguj142fs",
  "published": "2025-09-09T09:32:38Z",
  "to": [
    "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#Public"
  ],
  "type": "Note"
}

Object 2

{
  "@context": [
    "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams",
    {
      "Hashtag": "as:Hashtag",
      "sensitive": "as:sensitive"
    }
  ],
  "attachment": {
    "content": "content",
    "name": "name",
    "summary": "summary",
    "type": "Document",
    "url": "http://pasture-one-actor/images/100.png"
  },
  "attributedTo": "http://actor.example",
  "content": "name and summary",
  "id": "http://actor.example/object/uQtKAyLfKkk",
  "published": "2025-09-09T09:32:38Z",
  "to": [
    "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#Public"
  ],
  "type": "Note"
}

Object 3

{
  "@context": [
    "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams",
    {
      "Hashtag": "as:Hashtag",
      "sensitive": "as:sensitive"
    }
  ],
  "attachment": [
    {
      "imageType": "image/jpeg",
      "name": "name",
      "type": "Document",
      "url": "http://pasture-one-actor/assets/FediverseLogo.png"
    }
  ],
  "attributedTo": "http://actor.example",
  "content": "only name",
  "id": "http://actor.example/object/9k-TkfS0x6Q",
  "published": "2025-09-09T09:32:38Z",
  "to": [
    "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#Public"
  ],
  "type": "Note"
}

Object 4

{
  "@context": [
    "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams",
    {
      "Hashtag": "as:Hashtag",
      "sensitive": "as:sensitive"
    }
  ],
  "attachment": [
    {
      "type": "Document",
      "url": "http://pasture-one-actor/assets/FediverseLogo.png"
    }
  ],
  "attributedTo": "http://actor.example",
  "content": "no comment in attachment",
  "id": "http://actor.example/object/UlWPnwXKEMw",
  "published": "2025-09-09T09:32:38Z",
  "to": [
    "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#Public"
  ],
  "type": "Note"
}

Activities

Activity 1

{
  "@context": [
    "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams",
    {
      "Hashtag": "as:Hashtag",
      "sensitive": "as:sensitive"
    }
  ],
  "actor": "http://actor.example",
  "id": "http://actor.example/activity/-u3_8rsHK6E",
  "object": {
    "attachment": {
      "type": "Document",
      "url": "http://pasture-one-actor/images/100.png"
    },
    "attributedTo": "http://actor.example",
    "content": "no description",
    "id": "http://actor.example/object/o85eLiy1vQQ",
    "published": "2025-09-09T09:32:38Z",
    "to": [
      "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#Public",
      "http://remote.example/"
    ],
    "type": "Note"
  },
  "published": "2025-09-09T09:32:38Z",
  "to": [
    "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#Public",
    "http://remote.example/"
  ],
  "type": "Create"
}

Activity 2

{
  "@context": [
    "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams",
    {
      "Hashtag": "as:Hashtag",
      "sensitive": "as:sensitive"
    }
  ],
  "actor": "http://actor.example",
  "id": "http://actor.example/activity/acfuc-G4zV8",
  "object": {
    "attachment": {
      "content": "content",
      "name": "name",
      "summary": "summary",
      "type": "Document",
      "url": "http://pasture-one-actor/images/100.png"
    },
    "attributedTo": "http://actor.example",
    "content": "name and summary",
    "id": "http://actor.example/object/DokVQb0R9sg",
    "published": "2025-09-09T09:32:38Z",
    "to": [
      "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#Public",
      "http://remote.example/"
    ],
    "type": "Note"
  },
  "published": "2025-09-09T09:32:38Z",
  "to": [
    "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#Public",
    "http://remote.example/"
  ],
  "type": "Create"
}

Activity 3

{
  "@context": [
    "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams",
    {
      "Hashtag": "as:Hashtag",
      "sensitive": "as:sensitive"
    }
  ],
  "actor": "http://actor.example",
  "id": "http://actor.example/activity/Ac74D2SPdms",
  "object": {
    "attachment": [
      {
        "imageType": "image/jpeg",
        "name": "name",
        "type": "Document",
        "url": "http://pasture-one-actor/assets/FediverseLogo.png"
      }
    ],
    "attributedTo": "http://actor.example",
    "content": "only name",
    "id": "http://actor.example/object/Rt30pbV5kRY",
    "published": "2025-09-09T09:32:38Z",
    "to": [
      "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#Public",
      "http://remote.example/"
    ],
    "type": "Note"
  },
  "published": "2025-09-09T09:32:38Z",
  "to": [
    "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#Public",
    "http://remote.example/"
  ],
  "type": "Create"
}

Activity 4

{
  "@context": [
    "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams",
    {
      "Hashtag": "as:Hashtag",
      "sensitive": "as:sensitive"
    }
  ],
  "actor": "http://actor.example",
  "id": "http://actor.example/activity/3g0IW7pa2LE",
  "object": {
    "attachment": [
      {
        "type": "Document",
        "url": "http://pasture-one-actor/assets/FediverseLogo.png"
      }
    ],
    "attributedTo": "http://actor.example",
    "content": "no comment in attachment",
    "id": "http://actor.example/object/I_7tIC5BPXE",
    "published": "2025-09-09T09:32:38Z",
    "to": [
      "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#Public",
      "http://remote.example/"
    ],
    "type": "Note"
  },
  "published": "2025-09-09T09:32:38Z",
  "to": [
    "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#Public",
    "http://remote.example/"
  ],
  "type": "Create"
}