What is Nostr?
Nostr is great because it’s not an app and it’s not a platform that you sign up for. Instead, Nostr is a protocol, like HTTP, which we use for browsing web pages. Nostr is a simple, open protocol that enables decentralized, and censorship-resistant communication. The name stands for «Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays» and this concept leads to an astonishing, almost revolutionary effect:
Nostr empowers people to control their own data – oh my god! 😱
Smart client & dumb server
This is achieved because Nostr flips the current internet paradigm of «dumb client & smart server» to «smart client & dumb server», by using relays and public-key cryptography.
There is no central server, owned by a company or an organization that grants access and controls everything. Instead, there are many small servers, called relays, that anyone can operate – like we do. People can use any servers of their choice. 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.
Your account is yours
With Nostr, you own your account and only you control it. You don’t need anyone to grant you access. Each Nostr account is based on a public/private key pair. Public-key cryptography is a proven security concept. A simple way to think about this is that your public key is your username and your private key is your password, with one major caveat: Unlike a password, your private key cannot be reset if lost – so keep it safe!
Also, all messages are signed using that cryptography. You can verify messages and user authenticity without relying on a centralized component or authority, it’s easy to check if messages were really sent by the user in question.
Where to begin?
To use Nostr, i.e. to access the protocol, you need a client program. Clients can be web, desktop, or mobile apps. If you just want to have a look, you don’t even need an account. But you will want one, because the experience will be much more specific.
Most clients can also create a key pair for you. But be careful: make sure you trust the app. And later, it’s generally better not to enter your private key (nsec) into any client. Especially for web clients, it’s advisable to use a browser extension like nos2x or Alby. This means that your private key is only stored locally but your messages can still be signed.
Once created, your keys will work with any Nostr client and with any relay – you can switch as you like. Usually, you can personalize the client in some way and create a profile. In many cases, it’s even possible to share that configuration between clients via the protocol.
Because the protocol is very simple and flexible, different clients have approached the protocol in different ways: some try to make the experience look exactly like Twitter/X, others try to give it another focus. Use cases range from chatting, blogging and publishing to gaming, video streaming and much more. You can find a wide choice of clients here or here, for example.
In a nutshell: How does it work?
- There are three components: keys, clients and relays. Each user has a key pair and uses a client. Anyone can run a relay.
- Every user is identified by a public key. Every post is signed with a private key. Every client validates these signatures.
- Users/clients fetch data from relays of their choice and publish data to other relays of their choice. A relay doesn’t talk to other relays, only directly to users.
Give it a try – right now!
You can start your Nostr career right away. Depending on your preferences, there are many ways to begin. But this one could fit, for example:
- Install a browser extension and create a public/private key pair (your account). nos2x would be a good choice to start. Store the keys in an safe place.
- Open a Nostr client in your browser, e.g. Nostter, Iris, Coracle, noStrudel or YakiHonne. Use your browser extension to log in: Congratulations, welcome to Nostr!
- Take a look around and get used to the environment. A friend once said very aptly: «There’s a lot of ‹noise› at first, but it becomes manageable over time.» He was absolutely right about both. So: try it out with patience – it’s worth it.
- Life is more fun with some friends. If you know people who are already using Nostr, it will be easy to find them – just search on Nostr. If you have used X, you could also check nostr.directory to find your twitter follows on Nostr. Otherwise, you could discover and start following some prominent Nostr keys, for example, by checking nostr.band and looking at their interactions, replies and so on.
- Finally: The clients assign some relays automatically. To use our relay too, you will have to add «wss://nostr.grooveix.com» to your relays.
You’ve made it! Enjoy freedom, be yourself, have fun – and spread the word!
There are many more aspects to discover about Nostr. We will continue to write posts about that. If you need more introductory information, please check these sites:
One last note: If, after trying Nostr with some patience, you really think it’s all too complicated and makes no sense – no problem, don’t worry. Just keep using the mainstream channels and enjoy dependency, manipulation, surveillance and censorship. 😉