If you’ve been on the internet long enough, you probably remember when RSS was the backbone of the open web. Long before algorithms dictated what we should read, watch, or think, RSS gave us a simple promise:
you choose your sources, you control your feed, and nothing gets between you and the content you care about.

And while most people switched to being spoon-fed by the black boxes behind TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, or X, some of us—yes, the real ones—never stopped using RSS. I’m still one of those die-hard fans, and my own tech blog still offers a full, unfiltered RSS feed. No truncated entries, no click-bait forcing you onto the site—just clean, honest syndication like in the good old days.

But reality check:
Most websites ditched RSS years ago, and the major social platforms never supported it in the first place. No RSS for YouTube, no RSS for Instagram, no RSS for TikTok, no RSS for X/Twitter. Nothing.

Fortunately, the open-source community once again saves the day.

Meet RSSHub: The Open-Source Engine That Generates RSS for Almost Anything

For RSS power users, RSSHub is nothing short of a miracle. It’s an open-source toolkit that generates RSS feeds for nearly any website—even if that website never offered RSS in the first place.

RSSHub works by scraping content, transforming it, and outputting a real RSS feed you can plug into any reader. And it supports a lot of platforms:

• YouTube
• Instagram
• TikTok
• X/Twitter
• Telegram
• Spotify
• Bilibili
• Countless Chinese and Western sites
• And basically any website with a URL structure

If a site exists, there’s a good chance RSSHub has a route for it.

You can use it in two ways:

Option 1 — Use a Public RSSHub Instance

A list of public instances is available online. They’re easy, free, and require zero setup.

Option 2 — Self-Host Your Own With Docker (The Best Option)

If you want full privacy, no rate-limits, and maximum reliability, you can deploy RSSHub on your own server using Docker. It only takes a few minutes and gives you complete control over your subscriptions.

RSSHub Radar: Instantly Detect RSS Feeds on Any Website

To make RSSHub even more powerful, its creator DIYgod also built RSSHub Radar, a browser extension available for:

• Chrome
• Firefox
• Edge
• Safari

Whenever you visit a site, the extension scans it and reveals every RSS feed available—native feeds and feeds generated via RSSHub.

No more guessing. No more digging through HTML.
If there’s a feed to subscribe to, you’ll see it instantly.

A Quick Tribute: Aaron Swartz and the Spirit of the Open Web

It’s impossible to talk about RSS without acknowledging Aaron Swartz, who helped develop RSS 1.0 at just 14 years old. His contributions to the internet are legendary:

• Co-creator of Markdown
• Co-founder of Reddit
• Major contributor to Creative Commons
• Developer of SecureDrop
• Pioneer of open-knowledge activism

Aaron dedicated his life to keeping the web open, accessible, and free from corporate gatekeeping. His death in 2013, at only 26 years old, remains one of the greatest tragedies in the history of the open internet. His vision is more relevant today than ever.

Why RSS Still Matters in 2025

While platforms push algorithmic feeds designed to maximize engagement—not usefulness—RSS remains the purest way to consume the web. No tracking, no manipulation, no addictive endless scroll.

Just your sources, your timeline, your rules.

If you’re tired of being trapped in algorithm bubbles and want to take back control of your information flow, RSSHub is the tool to start with. It revives the best part of the early web: the ability to follow what you want, not what platforms want you to see.

RSS may no longer be trending, but it has never been more important.