In recent years, a recurring topic has been the growing concern about censorship exercised by major tech companies that dominate the leading social media platforms.
Twitter (X), in particular, has been under scrutiny, as accounts are frequently suspended not only due to legal decisions but also as a result of internal measures taken by the platform.
Additionally, Twitter owner Elon Musk announced that free accounts would have a daily limit on the number of tweets they could view. This measure sparked a wave of dissatisfaction among users, making Twitter a widely discussed topic in Brazil, which in turn contributed to the discovery of Nostr, a protocol focused on the decentralization of social networks.
Nostr has been gaining recognition and expansion. One of the project’s founders is Brazilian, Edward Snowden’s name is associated with it, and Jack Dorsey has shown his support by donating 14 Bitcoins, equivalent to approximately US$ 245,000, to the platform’s ongoing development.
Thus, with its credibility rising, Forbes reported that Nostr already has 18 million active users.
In this article, we’ll explain everything you need to know about the Nostr protocol.
Table of contents
How did the Nostr protocol emerge?
In 1991, Tim Berners-Lee laid the foundation for the Internet with the invention of the World Wide Web (WWW), hoping it would be a global network open to everyone, where people could communicate freely and without censorship.
However, unfortunately, this initial vision of Tim Berners-Lee didn’t last long.
Today, the internet is dominated by giants like Google, Amazon, Meta, and a handful of other companies. The platforms we use, such as Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok, rely on centralized services that control and own our data.
Therefore, it is within this landscape of powerful big techs that Nostr emerges.
The project began in 2019, created by Fiatjaf, a Brazilian developer who chose to remain anonymous. However, it was in early 2022 that Nostr started attracting a large number of new users and capturing the attention of Jack Dorsey, the former Twitter CEO.
As we mentioned earlier, Dorsey has already donated 14 Bitcoins to the project and, more recently, contributed another US$ 5 million to help build Nostr and tools based on the protocol.
What is Nostr?
Nostr is a free and open-source protocol capable of creating a global social network without the need for a centralized server or a company controlling operations.
Thus, this system is entirely resistant to censorship and functions as a social network similar to X, but decentralized.
On this platform, users can create posts, share content, and follow other people, just like in other social networks.
The idea behind this protocol is that Nostr can serve as the foundation for creating other decentralized projects, such as a Telegram-like service and a version of Wikipedia that cannot be censored.
Therefore, in summary, Nostr represents a 3-in-1 revolution.
That is, it is an innovative protocol that combines social networking, instant Bitcoin payments (using the Lightning Network), and direct interaction between content creators and consumers online through the “value4value” concept.
Why is Nostr different from other social networks?
Nostr sets itself apart from existing social networks because it does not require users to enter their name, phone number, or email when creating an account.
Additionally, users have the freedom to choose where to store their data, whether on their own server or a third-party server. If they later decide to switch servers, they also have that flexibility.
Now, the user owns their own data.
Similarities between Nostr and Bitcoin
Just like Bitcoin, Nostr uses cryptographic keys. That means each user has a private key, which is used to sign and transmit their posts through relays, and a public key, which serves as an address that others can use to find them.
Some people even include their Nostr public key in their X bios, for example.
Furthermore, the protocol’s architecture is somewhat similar to Bitcoin, where public keys represent user profiles on the social network, just like addresses in the Bitcoin network. On the other hand, private keys sign posts and profile changes, just like they sign and propagate transactions in the Bitcoin network.
All this information is distributed globally across nodes, or relays, allowing each user to own their own data without relying on big tech companies.
Although many people believe that Nostr was built on Bitcoin technology, this is incorrect. Nostr does not operate on a blockchain, does not rely on a distributed consensus like Proof of Work, and does not have its own token.
Bitcoin Integrations
Being an open-source project, Nostr features several integrations with Bitcoin.
One such integration is the ability to send and receive Bitcoin via Lightning through the platform, combining two powerful forces: a truly decentralized social network and a truly decentralized currency
It is a fact that Nostr is still very recent and must undergo many tests. However, it represents a significant change in our current digital environment.
As we have seen in this article, today’s social media environment is controlled by a monopoly of big techs that own our data, monitor all our online activities, and have the power to ban and censor users at will.
How does Nostr work?
The decentralization of Nostr is based on two essential components:
- clients
- and relays
Clients
To use Nostr, you need to run a client, which is how users interact with the protocol. Clients are applications built on the Nostr platform (protocol), like a social network, for example.
Learn more about it here: what are Nostr Clients?
Relays
On the other hand, a relay is a software and hardware that sends, receives, and stores text messages.
These relays can be operated by anyone with a computer and an internet connection. That means there is no need to store Nostr’s information on a data center owned by Amazon or Google, for example.
And that changes the way we use the internet.
Unlike centralized servers, Nostr relays only store data directly linked to them, not everything from everyone, as a data center would.
Thus, there is no single point of failure or risk of censorship. If one relay is attacked, others remain available to ensure network access.
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Difference Between Today’s Internet and Nostr
As illustrated in the image below, in today’s world, when Alice wants to send a message to Bob, that message goes through the infrastructure of a Big Tech (AWS) before it is actually delivered to Bob.
However, in the context of Nostr, the dynamic is different.
When Alice sends a message, it is transmitted to Bob through multiple relays. Each relay also keeps a copy of the message. Thus, both Bob and Alice have the option to run their own personal relays, eliminating dependence on third-party relays. See below.
To post on Nostr, all you need to do is share a text or a photo. The app you are using will then sign that post with your key and transmit it to the relays. And to read messages from other users, the app you are using will request updates from different relays.
This structure allows users to migrate their profiles and followers from one social network to another, using the same protocol, making social networks interoperable.
Additionally, it is possible to have accounts on multiple clients, which are the applications created on Nostr. To do this, simply use your access key to log into all these accounts.
Pretty simple, right?! Now that you understand how Nostr works, let’s see how to create an account!
How to create an account and use Nostr?
Remember that Nostr is a protocol, and you can use the applications built on top of it. The most well-known one is a kind of Twitter clone.
There are several ways to access Nostr, with the most common being:
- Damus for iPhone
- Amethyst for Android
- Iris or Snort for PC
Since we have an iPhone, we will show the step-by-step guide using the Damus app.
Step 1
The first step is to download Damus from the Apple Store.
Step 2
Open the app and click on “Let’s get started!”
Step 3
Accept the terms of service. Click on “Accept”.
Step 4
If you already have a NOSTR account, simply paste your key to access your account. However, since we are creating a new account, click on “Create Account”.
Step 5
Once you click “Create Account”, your public key and an avatar will be displayed on the screen. You can replace this avatar with a photo of yourself and enter your name and description.
Then, just click on “Create Account Now”.
Step 6
Now, your public and private keys will be displayed.
It is extremely important to copy and store the private key in a safe place, as anyone with this key will have access to your profile.
Remember: just like in Bitcoin, your public key allows people to find you on NOSTR.
After copying both keys, the checkboxes will turn green, and you can proceed by clicking “Let’s go”.
Step 7
Now that you have entered NOSTR, notice how the entire interface is very similar to Twitter.
Step 8
If you click on your avatar, a sidebar with several options will appear.
Step 9
If you click on “My Profile”, you will see your public key, information that your profile is using 4 relays, and that you are following 3 people.
Additionally, when you create an account, it automatically follows the Damus app, the creator of Damus, and yourself.
Step 10
By clicking on “Wallet” (still in the sidebar menu), you can connect a Lightning wallet to send and receive sats (satoshis, the smallest unit of Bitcoin) through the Lightning Network.
Step 11
Clicking on “Relays” allows you to see where your data is stored, and you can add or remove relays as you wish.
Step 12
Finally, in the “Settings” section, you can modify personal data, adjust app functionalities, and configure zap settings.
How do zaps and Bitcoin micropayments work on Nostr?
Now that I have explained how to create a Nostr account from scratch, I will show my own configured account.
Additionally, I will explain how “zaps” work, which are Bitcoin micropayments via Lightning Network. These are what enable content creators and consumers to exchange value and content in a decentralized way.
This is my profile, including my data, public key, and descriptions, along with a photo I posted.
Notice that just below the lightning bolt icon, the number 284 appears. This is the total number of satoshis I received for this post.
There were 3 “zaps”, as indicated, which together amounted to 284 satoshis sent to me.
If I click on these 3 zaps, I can see who sent them and the amount.
Now, returning to my profile and clicking the lightning bolt icon next to the envelope, you can send satoshis directly to me, along with reactions, without needing to do so on a specific post.
You can either enter the amount of satoshis you want to send or use the pre-set amounts. You can also send a message.
When everything is ready, just click on “Zap User”.
Oh, and I almost forgot! Clicking on “Public” (in the upper right corner) will show these options:
- Public: Visible to everyone
- Private: Only you can see it
- Anonymous: No one will know who sent the sats
- None: Only a Lightning payment is sent, without linking it to Nostr
To receive these payments, you need to link your account to a Lightning wallet. I personally connected mine to the Wallet of Satoshi.
When opening the wallet (in this case, Wallet of Satoshi), you can see all the zaps received, along with the messages from those who sent them.
Super cool, right?
Related articles:
- What is Umbrel and how does it work?
- Primal: Decentralized Social Media & Lightning Wallet built on Nostr
Conclusion
Nostr is a powerful tool that combines a decentralized social network with Bitcoin and Lightning on a single platform. It brings sovereignty to the social sphere and data autonomy, something that Facebook, Twitter, and other companies have never offered.
Nostr ushers in a new era, demonstrating the power of open-source protocols that are expanding, something that only Internet companies have previously achieved.
This is just the beginning of many applications that will emerge with Nostr. I hope this guide has helped you get started on this new rabbit hole.
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Founder of Area Bitcoin, one of the largest Bitcoin education projects in the world, she is a marketer, passionate about technology, and a full-time hands-on professional. She has participated in major Bitcoin conferences such as Adopting Bitcoin, Satsconf, Surfin Bitcoin, and Bitcoin Conference.
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