What is Nostr?
Nostr is a simple, open protocol that enables global, decentralized, and censorship-resistant social media.
Before you read more about Nostr (below) here are my latest Nostr posts. Scroll down to see more. Click on any post to open.
My Nostr Posts
Nostr Features
Simple
The protocol is based on very simple & flexible event objects (which are passed around as plain JSON) and uses standard elliptic-curve cryptography for keys and signing. The only supported transport is websockets connections from clients to relays. This makes it easy to write clients and relays and promotes software diversity.
Portable
It would be powerful if you could bring your digital identity, content, and followers from one social ecosystem, such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, or Substack, to another.
Imagine if you could publish content and send messages in any of those types of ecosystems, with one continuous digital identity rather than separate accounts. And imagine if you had more control over the algorithms and user interfaces with which you discover content within those ecosystems and interact with others inside of those ecosystems.
Resilient
Because Nostr doesn't rely on a small number of trusted servers for moving or storing data, it's very resilient. The protocol assumes that relays will disappear and allows users to connect and publish to an arbitrary number of relays that they can change over time.
Verifiable
Because Nostr accounts are based on public-key cryptography it's easy to verify messages were really sent by the user in question.
Like HTTP or TCP-IP, Nostr is a protocol; an open standard upon which anyone can build. Nostr is not an app or service that you sign up for.
Why we need Nostr
Social media has developed into a key way information flows around the world. Unfortunately, our current social media systems are broken:
- Uses your attention to sell ads
- Uses bizarre techniques to keep you addicted
- Decides what content to show you based on a secret algorithm that you can't inspect or change
- Has complete control over who can participate and who is censored
- Is overrun with spam and bots