diff --git a/src/activitypub/activity.rs b/src/activitypub/activity.rs
index 9de4bc11..267dbe20 100644
--- a/src/activitypub/activity.rs
+++ b/src/activitypub/activity.rs
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ use crate::{activitystream::Base, model::activity, server::Context};
 
 
 pub async fn view(State(ctx) : State<Context>, Path(id): Path<String>) -> Result<Json<serde_json::Value>, StatusCode> {
-	match activity::Entity::find_by_id(ctx.activity_uri(id)).one(ctx.db()).await {
+	match activity::Entity::find_by_id(ctx.aid(id)).one(ctx.db()).await {
 		Ok(Some(activity)) => Ok(Json(activity.underlying_json_object())),
 		Ok(None) => Err(StatusCode::NOT_FOUND),
 		Err(e) => {
diff --git a/src/activitypub/object.rs b/src/activitypub/object.rs
index 83adc293..11f8f21c 100644
--- a/src/activitypub/object.rs
+++ b/src/activitypub/object.rs
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ use crate::{activitystream::Base, model::object, server::Context};
 
 
 pub async fn view(State(ctx) : State<Context>, Path(id): Path<String>) -> Result<Json<serde_json::Value>, StatusCode> {
-	match object::Entity::find_by_id(ctx.object_uri(id)).one(ctx.db()).await {
+	match object::Entity::find_by_id(ctx.oid(id)).one(ctx.db()).await {
 		Ok(Some(object)) => Ok(Json(object.underlying_json_object())),
 		Ok(None) => Err(StatusCode::NOT_FOUND),
 		Err(e) => {
diff --git a/src/activitypub/user.rs b/src/activitypub/user.rs
index ad9dff39..e582cb54 100644
--- a/src/activitypub/user.rs
+++ b/src/activitypub/user.rs
@@ -3,14 +3,14 @@ use std::sync::Arc;
 use axum::{extract::{Path, Query, State}, http::StatusCode, Json};
 use sea_orm::{ColumnTrait, Condition, DatabaseConnection, EntityTrait, IntoActiveModel, Order, QueryFilter, QueryOrder, QuerySelect};
 
-use crate::{activitystream::{self, object::{activity::{Activity, ActivityType}, collection::{page::CollectionPageMut, CollectionMut, CollectionType}, ObjectType}, Base, BaseMut, BaseType, Node}, model::{self, activity, object, user}, server::Context};
+use crate::{activitystream::{self, object::{activity::{Activity, ActivityType}, collection::{page::CollectionPageMut, CollectionMut, CollectionType}, ObjectType}, Base, BaseMut, BaseType, Node}, model::{self, activity, object, user}, server::Context, url};
 
 pub async fn list(State(_db) : State<Arc<DatabaseConnection>>) -> Result<Json<serde_json::Value>, StatusCode> {
 	todo!()
 }
 
 pub async fn view(State(ctx) : State<Context>, Path(id): Path<String>) -> Result<Json<serde_json::Value>, StatusCode> {
-	match user::Entity::find_by_id(ctx.user_uri(id)).one(ctx.db()).await {
+	match user::Entity::find_by_id(ctx.uid(id)).one(ctx.db()).await {
 		Ok(Some(user)) => Ok(Json(user.underlying_json_object())),
 		Ok(None) => Err(StatusCode::NOT_FOUND),
 		Err(e) => {
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ pub async fn outbox(
 
 		// find requested recent post, to filter based on its date (use now() as fallback)
 		let before = if let Some(before) = page.max_id {
-			match model::activity::Entity::find_by_id(ctx.activity_uri(before))
+			match model::activity::Entity::find_by_id(ctx.aid(before))
 				.one(ctx.db()).await
 			{
 				Ok(None) => return Err(StatusCode::NOT_FOUND),
@@ -58,8 +58,8 @@ pub async fn outbox(
 				obj
 					// TODO set id, calculate uri from given args
 					.set_collection_type(Some(CollectionType::OrderedCollectionPage))
-					.set_part_of(Node::link(&format!("http://localhost:3000/users/{id}/outbox")))
-					.set_next(Node::link(&format!("http://localhost:3000/users/{id}/outbox?page=true&max_id={next}")))
+					.set_part_of(Node::link(&url!(ctx, "/users/{id}/outbox")))
+					.set_next(Node::link(&url!(ctx, "/users/{id}/outbox?page=true&max_id={next}")))
 					.set_ordered_items(Node::array(items));
 				Ok(Json(obj))
 			},
@@ -68,9 +68,9 @@ pub async fn outbox(
 	} else {
 		let mut obj = crate::activitystream::object();
 		obj
-			.set_id(Some(&format!("http://localhost:3000/users/{id}/outbox")))
+			.set_id(Some(&url!(ctx, "/users/{id}/outbox")))
 			.set_collection_type(Some(CollectionType::OrderedCollection))
-			.set_first(Node::link(&format!("http://localhost:3000/users/{id}/outbox?page=true")));
+			.set_first(Node::link(&url!(ctx, "/users/{id}/outbox?page=true")));
 		Ok(Json(obj.underlying_json_object()))
 	}
 }
diff --git a/src/server.rs b/src/server.rs
index e860c9e5..be7c2473 100644
--- a/src/server.rs
+++ b/src/server.rs
@@ -11,6 +11,13 @@ struct ContextInner {
 	domain: String,
 }
 
+#[macro_export]
+macro_rules! url {
+	($ctx:expr, $($args: tt)*) => {
+		format!("{}{}", $ctx.base(), format!($($args)*))
+	};
+}
+
 impl Context {
 	pub fn new(db: DatabaseConnection, mut domain: String) -> Self {
 		if !domain.starts_with("http") {
@@ -26,24 +33,34 @@ impl Context {
 		&self.0.db
 	}
 
+	pub fn base(&self) -> &str {
+		&self.0.domain
+	}
+
 	pub fn uri(&self, entity: &str, id: String) -> String {
 		if id.starts_with("http") { id } else {
 			format!("{}/{}/{}", self.0.domain, entity, id)
 		}
 	}
 
-	pub fn user_uri(&self, id: String) -> String {
+	// TODO maybe redo these with enums? idk
+
+	/// get full user id uri
+	pub fn uid(&self, id: String) -> String {
 		self.uri("users", id)
 	}
 
-	pub fn object_uri(&self, id: String) -> String {
+	/// get full object id uri
+	pub fn oid(&self, id: String) -> String {
 		self.uri("objects", id)
 	}
 
-	pub fn activity_uri(&self, id: String) -> String {
+	/// get full activity id uri
+	pub fn aid(&self, id: String) -> String {
 		self.uri("activities", id)
 	}
 
+	/// get bare uri, usually an uuid but unspecified
 	pub fn id(&self, id: String) -> String {
 		if id.starts_with(&self.0.domain) {
 			let mut out = id.replace(&self.0.domain, "");