Nostr is a decentralized network protocol for a distributed social networking system. The name is an acronym for "Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays". It was designed with goals of censorship-resistance in mind.[1]

Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays
Communication protocol
AbbreviationNostr
PurposeSocial Networking
Developer(s)fiatjaf
IntroductionMarch 2020 (2020-03)[2]
Port(s)443, 80
A screenshot of a nostr client, coracle.social

The first known implementation of the Nostr protocol dates back to Nov 7 2020, created by a developer known as fiatjaf. [2] fiatjaf is widely credited as the creator of Nostr.

Users

As of April 2023, Nostr was primarily popular with Bitcoin users.[3] Jack Dorsey, the co-founder of Twitter, endorses and has financially supported the development of Nostr by donating approximately $250,000 worth of bitcoin to the developers of the project.[3][4]

In January 2023 Nostr reached 100,000 users.

Open protocol

As an open protocol and FOSS project, Nostr allows for multiple different front-ends for the same data. Multiple Nostr clients exist.[5] Different extensions to the Nostr protocol are called "NIPs", for Nostr Implementation Possibilities.[6] The protocol's primary form of data transport is the use of a standardized kind of WebSocket server called a Relay.[7] Each user has a cryptographic keypair.[7]

Data on the Nostr protocol is stored in JSON blobs called Events, which are the only kind of object on the Nostr protocol.[8][7]

Censorship resistant

Nostr was created in response to increased internet censorship and social media restrictions in 2020. It claims to be censorship resistant[9]. Some Nostr apps have been banned in China[10][11].

See also

References

  1. nostr - Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays, nostr-protocol, January 6, 2024, retrieved January 6, 2024
  2. 1 2 "basic server relay code. · nostr-protocol/nostr@6158017 · GitHub".
  3. 1 2 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.
  4. Schreckinger, Ben; Robertson, Derek (April 10, 2023). "Jack Dorsey explains his new obsession". Politico.
  5. "Clients - Docs". nostr.com. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  6. "GitHub - nostr-protocol/nips: Nostr Implementation Possibilities".
  7. 1 2 3 "nips/01.md at master · nostr-protocol/nips · GitHub".
  8. "Events - Docs". nostr.com. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  9. Castiglione, Chris (April 11, 2023). "Nostr Decentralized Social Network". Forbes. Forbes.
  10. Reynolds, Sam (February 3, 2023). "Nostr's Damus App Banned From China App Store". Yahoo Finance.
  11. "Removal of Damus social media platform from China App Store was 'expected' by developers amid Beijing's strict censorship". SCMP. SCMP. February 6, 2023.
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