A Beginner’s Guide to Nostr
The new Decentralized protocol for Social Network and apps
Are you intrigued by the idea of a social media network that’s decentralized, censorship-resistant, and open to all?
Nostr is the future of social media and I’m going to show you why.
What is Nostr?
Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays
Nostr is a relatively new open-source protocol where decentralized, censorship resistant applications can be built.
Apps can range from decentralized identity and authentication system to microblogging sites like X and decentralized marketplaces that all operate under Nostr’s decentralized, censorship-resistant framework.
Why do we need Nostr?
Social media is a key way information flows around the world but unfortunately, our current social media systems are broken.
Social Media companies use your attention to sell ads and use devious techniques to keep you addicted
They decide what content to show you based on a secret algorithm that you can’t inspect or change
They have complete control over who can participate and who is censored.
Current social platforms are overrun with spam and bots.
It’s not working and we need a new model.
This is probably the best video to describe why we need a decentralized protocol like Nostr.
What is Nostr?
Nostr isn’t just another app; it’s a groundbreaking technology that revolutionizes how digital text is transmitted and received.
Nostr is a simple, open protocol that enables a truly censorship-resistant and global social network built on the principles of openness and decentralization.
Nostr allows anyone to join and build apps freely using its protocol. Unlike traditional social media platforms, Nostr isn’t controlled by a central authority, making it a favorite among Bitcoiners and freedom advocates.
The Nostr protocol at a high level
There are two main components: clients & relays. Each user runs a client. Anyone can run a relay.
Every user is identified by a public key. Every post is signed. Every client validates these signatures.
Clients fetch data from relays of their choice and publish data to relays of their choice. Relays don’t talk to one another, only directly to users.
For example, to “follow” someone a user just instructs their client to query the relays it knows for posts from that public key.
The Innovation of Nostr Relays
At the heart of Nostr’s technology are relays, which are software responsible for sending, receiving, and storing text messages.
These relays are simple to set up, requiring only a laptop and an internet connection, and can be run by anyone. This decentralization ensures that no single entity has control over the network, making it resistant to censorship.
Where to find a list of relays?
You can find a list of active Nostr relays here: nostr.watch site
Here are some example relays
How can I run my own relay?
You can either run one of the open-source implementations on your own Lunanode VM server or you can rent one from relay hosting services like relay.tools and relaying.io.
Here is a guide from Andre Neves on how to setup a Nostr Relay server in under 5 minutes
Nostr Clients
Nostr clients come in a varielty or forms from web to mobile options. The client is just the app that you use to access and interact with the Nostr protocol.
Most clients are still very new and borrow a Twitter/X-like app design that you use to interact with a feed of posts.
Here is whet tha Primal Nostr Client looks like. It’s both a Lightning network wallet and social media app.
Here is whet tha Primal Nostr Client looks like. It’s both a Lightning network wallet and social media app.
Nostr Public and Private Keys
Each Nostr account has a public/private key pair. Think of your public key as your username and your private key is your password, with one big difference. Unlike a password, your private key cannot be reset if lost. It’s gone forever so don’t lose it.
The public key starts with a prefix npub1 and the private key with the prefix nsec1. Make sure you store you private key somewhere safe, like a password manager.
Switching Nostr Clients
One of the great things about Nostr is that you can swicth clients or use multiple ones.
Because a client is just a way to access the underlying data held by relays, you can sign into as many clients as you’d like. As long as each client is looking at the same set of relays for their data, you’ll see the same messages in each client. Just use the same private and public keys to login and you are good.
What are Zaps?
Zaps are the killer app feature. Nostr has a built-in reward feature called zapping.
Not only can you like or share posts on Nostr but also send anyone real Satoshis if you like the content they publish.
This to me is the real innovation of Nostr.
The ability to have a direct content economy without 3rd parties in the middle taking a cut of the creators profits is reveolutionary.
Zaps are an expression of honest appreciation and as you can see above in just a few days I earned 1748 sats. It’s a small amount but it add up over time as the value of these Sats increases in the long run.
Choosing a Nostr Client?
Here is a list of the most popular Nostr clients. Check them out and play around once you set up your public and private keys.
Web
iOS
Damus, the first Nostr client to be banned in China.
Nos, a nice and safe client for non-bitcoiners.
Nostur, a feature-complete client.
iOS and Android
Plebstr, a closed-source client that is fast.
Primal, a very fast client that relies on server-side caching.
Current, a client that comes with a built-in Bitcoin wallet.
ZBD, a custodial, hosted client for ZBD users.
Android
Yana, a fully-featured multi-platform client.
Spring, a client for safely using web clients on your Android.
Amethyst, a client that has all the features needed
FreeFrom, a X-like client.
Nozzle, a very lean client, but still a work-in-progress.
Desktop
Gossip, a native client that tries to efficiently follow people in wherever relay they happen to be, made in Rust with egui.
more-speech, a client that gives you a powerful global view and way of interacting with custom filtering based on web-of-trust and relay selection, made in Clojure. Check out a guide here.
Lume, an client made with Tauri.
Exploring the Future of Nostr
While Nostr is still in its early stages, its potential impact on social media is undeniable. Despite challenges with spam, privacy, and scaling, Nostr’s commitment to censorship resistance sets it apart from traditional platforms.
What are NIPs?
Nostr Implementation Possibilities (NIPs) – A NIP exists to promote interoperability. It is not a good idea for each developer to come up with their own solutions to common problems and implement it in their own app only.
It is better for everybody to implement solutions that are compatible with each other. NIPs exist to coordinate this process.
https://nostr.com/the-protocol/nips
In conclusion, Nostr represents a small idea with the potential for a significant impact on the future of social media.
By embracing openness and decentralization, Nostr empowers users to take control of their online interactions like never before.
Follow me and let me know you join Nostr.
Follow me on Nostr via Primal:
My public key is: npub1tjjvjppc7efxtdgxyss6lrpfryglpe3nezszqj276txdfmm6gt9qms44cz
primal.net/p/npub1tjjvjppc7efxtdgxyss6lrpfryglpe3nezszqj276txdfmm6gt9qms44cz
A decentralized social network with no big tech control? That’s legit. The whole idea of just running your own relay and doing your thing is pretty cool. Plus, the Zaps feature is next-level — being able to reward people directly without some middleman taking a cut is awesome.
Zaps should be a part of everyday online life. Substack should have zaps, Instagram should have zaps, X should have zaps. I could go on...