Nostr is a simple, open protocol that enables global, decentralized, and censorship-resistant social media.
Each person uses a client to creates a public/private keypair, create signed messages and publish messages to one or more relays. Relays are simple servers that store messages. People use clients to connect to these relays and retrieve the messages. The protocol defines the kind of messages that can be sent between clients: microblogs, comments, direct messages, reactions, micropayments or any other kind of message that is added to the protocol
You could say Nostr is like Twitter, but instead of one company controlling the database, you broadcast your messages to multiple independant servers.
Key points
- simplicity: all content is an event object, signed with the authors private keys. users are identified by their public keys
- resilience: doesnt rely on centralised trusted servers, protocol assumes relays come and go, users connect and publish to arbitrary amount of relays
- verifyable: nostr accounts are based on public key cryptography, so it is easy to verify if messages are authentic
- censorship resistance: users can get banned from relays, but keep their data and are free to move to other relays.
thoughts on nostr from a creator perspective
- Talk version: Experiencing value for value on Nostr as an independant artist
- slides: https://peterpeerdeman.github.io/experiencing-value-for-value-on-Nostr-as-an-independant-artist/1
- Blogpost for Bitcoin Focus: Ervaar value for value als onafhankelijke artiest op Nostr, published at https://bitcoinfocus.nl/2024/06/04/355-value-for-value-als-onafhankelijke-artiest-op-nostr/
nostr alternatives to big tech
secure messaging on nostr using MLS
links
- Nostr Chat Implementations
- Nostr file storage
- Nostr DVMs
- Cashu
- Messaging Layer Security
- Nostr Personal relays
references
- nostr getting started information https://www.benwehrman.com/nostr-guide/
- Nostr Protocol on Github
- Original Founders explanation of Nostr, this also explains why alternatives such as mastodon or bluesky dont work
- Sebastian’s linkroll Community Curated Nostr Stuff
- article explaining information replication, and value enabled web https://njump.me/naddr1qqxnzd3cxqmrzv3exgmr2wfeqgsxu35yyt0mwjjh8pcz4zprhxegz69t4wr9t74vk6zne58wzh0waycrqsqqqa28pjfdhz