Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays
The truly decentralized social protocol
Nostr has no central organization, CEO, or governing body. It's a protocol that anyone can implement without permission.
Nostr's relay network means no single point can silence you. Your content lives across multiple independent relays worldwide.
Your identity is your cryptographic key pair, not an account on someone's server. Move between apps and relays seamlessly - no platform lock-in, no username squatting, no account bans.
Public Key
Everyone can see
Private Key
Only you control
Want to switch apps?
Start from zero. Lose everything.
Nostr enables true competition: Apps compete on features, not data lock-in
Nostr is just signed JSON messages sent to relays. This simplicity enables rapid innovation and easy implementation across any platform.
Built-in Lightning Network support enables internet native payments using bitcoin - a non-inflationary currency. Built in support means anyone can implement it with general ease, enabling free markets, entrepreneurship, and innovation.
• Deleting your content is not guaranteed - Content spreads across relays, and you must *request* deletion from each relay you used. Relay's may not honor deletion requests.
• No key rotation - Lose your private key, lose your identity forever
• Relay dependency - Your content only exists where relays store it
• No built-in moderation - Each client/relay handles spam and abuse differently.
✓ Trusted community moderation with clear leadership
✓ Data portability guaranteed - take your content when you leave
✓ Delete requests honored - we respect your data control
✓ Key recovery support - disable compromised keys, whitelist new ones
✓ Clear policies - data retention, spam & abuse guidelines
✓ Curated membership - invite-only, mission-focused community
• Self-governance over corporate control - Make decisions in our community's best interest, not shareholders'
• Community self-moderation - Check members when self-interest threatens collective wellbeing
• Think for ourselves - No need for mega corporations to arbitrate our interests
• True responsibility - Taking control means taking accountability for our choices
Let's explore how these principles work in practice with our private relay implementation and see the Chicago Bitme community in action.
🚀 Live demonstration of decentralized social networking
The most decentralized community building platform ever
• Truly peer-to-peer - Every client runs their own relay
• Built-in reputation system - Better community self-moderation
• Arxlet architecture - Communities build tools they need
• No central servers - Complete decentralization
• Developer-friendly - Extensible platform
• Best architecture for digitally representing the human experience
• Every user is on an equal platform with every other user in their community
• Easier for communities to build or commission the tools/products they need
Follow new music project Perceptronik to discover songs that speak to the perils of data theft and corruption of power structures, and the joys of self-sovereign community and digital freedom.