Nostr (acronym for Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays) is an open protocol for decentralized message transmission, with the intention to be able to resist internet censorship[2] while maintaining session integrity. The protocol achieves decentralization through users publishing content via a cryptographic key pair to various "relays", a WebSocket server which produces an activity stream of received content from users that subscribe to it. This allows the network to verify users and achieve account portability on Nostr, as users have to sign all posts using their key pair to utilize its identity. This requires users maintaining personal copies of their keys to have complete control over its identity, however services using Nostr can "remember" a private key for repeated use.[3]
| Communication protocol | |
 A common logo used to represent Nostr | |
| Abbreviation | Nostr |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Decentralized social networking |
| Developer(s) | fiatjaf |
| Introduction | March 2020[1] |
| Port(s) | 443, 80 |
| Website | github |
The Nostr protocol was first written in 2020 by Brazilian open source developer Giovanni Torres Parra, known by the pseudonym "fiatjaf".[4][5] Nostr was created as a result of perceived moderation issues on Twitter, as well as technical and cultural disagreements with other similar protocols such as ActivityPub and Secure Scuttlebutt.[6]
Protocol
editAs an open standard designed to be implemented with little difficulty, there are a number of third-party apps and utilities that support Nostr, the majority of which is free and open-source.[7]
Data on the Nostr protocol is stored in JSON blobs called Events, which is the only kind of object on the Nostr protocol.[8][3] Users are identified by their public key, tagged as an "npub" key. Different extensions to the Nostr protocol are called Nostr Implementation Possibilities, or "NIPs".[9] One of these extensions provide integration with the Lightning Network, a separate payment protocol that operates over the Bitcoin network, allowing Nostr users to send and request small payments (nicknamed "Zaps") among other users.[10] Other NIPs include ways to add a human-readable alias to an npub key using a well-known URI hosted on a web server, a method that is also used by ActivityPub and the AT Protocol.
Users
editThe Nostr client Damus is a microblogging social networking app akin to Twitter.[11][12] Damus was the first Nostr app to be listed on the App Store.[13]
Nostr is primarily popular with cryptocurrency communities, primarily Bitcoin users.[13] Jack Dorsey, the co-founder of Twitter, has endorsed and financially supported the development of Nostr by donating approximately $250,000 worth of bitcoin to the developers of the project.[13][14] Tidal, a music streaming service owned by Block, Inc. (itself founded by Dorsey and who is its current chairman and CEO), has implemented Nostr support for its music embed widgets, allowing users with a Nostr public key linked to their account and a browser extension that can authenticate Events on Nostr to listen to the full song through the embed.
Some Nostr apps have been banned in China, which their developers have described as 'expected' and a success.[15]
As a result of its ability to quickly and discreetly create accounts and publish posts to relays, Nostr can propagate spam much easier if left unchecked. A notable example includes a case where multiple protocol bridges have been used to conduct spam waves on the Bluesky social network by creating posts on Nostr, bridging the post to ActivityPub and bridging it again to Bluesky.[16]
See also
edit- ActivityPub, a decentralized social networking protocol
- AT Protocol, a similar protocol used by Bluesky
- Secure Scuttlebutt – Decentralized social network
References
edit- ^ "basic server relay code. · nostr-protocol/nostr@6158017 · GitHub". GitHub.
- ^ nostr - Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays, nostr-protocol, January 6, 2024, retrieved January 6, 2024
- ^ a b "nips/01.md at master · nostr-protocol/nips · GitHub". GitHub.
- ^ Long, Katherine (June 6, 2024). "Jack Dorsey gave $10 million to an anonymous founder with a deep devotion to a fascist 'guru'". Business Insider. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
- ^ Castillo, Michael del. "Meet @Fiatjaf, The Mysterious Nostr Creator Who Has Lured 18 Million Users And $5 Million From Jack Dorsey". Forbes. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
- ^ "nostr - Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays". fiatjaf.com. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
- ^ "Clients - Docs". nostr.com. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
- ^ "Events - Docs". nostr.com. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
- ^ "GitHub - nostr-protocol/nips: Nostr Implementation Possibilities". GitHub.
- ^ "What are Zaps?". nostr.how. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
- ^ Perez, Sarah (February 1, 2023). "Damus, another decentralized social networking app, arrives to take on Twitter". TechCrunch. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
- ^ Lovejoy, Ben (February 1, 2023). "Nostr iPhone app Damus makes it to the App Store". 9to5Mac. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
- ^ a b c Torpey, Kyle (February 21, 2023). "Here's why Bitcoiners are flocking to Nostr, a social network supported by Jack Dorsey and Edward Snowden". Fortune. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
- ^ Schreckinger, Ben; Robertson, Derek (April 10, 2023). "Jack Dorsey explains his new obsession". Politico.
- ^ "Removal of Damus social media platform from China App Store was 'expected' by developers amid Beijing's strict censorship". South China Morning Post. February 6, 2023.
- ^ Perez, Sarah (May 21, 2024). "The 'vote Trump' spam that hit Bluesky in May came from decentralized rival Nostr". TechCrunch. Retrieved July 30, 2024.