What Is Nostr?
Nostr is a simple, decentralized protocol that allows users to send signed text messages without centralized servers. It was created in 2020 by an anonymous developer and does not rely on a blockchain for its architecture. Instead, it uses clients and relays to transmit and store messages.
Background
Nostr was developed as a response to the issues with current social media systems, such as using users’ attention to sell ads, addictive techniques, lack of transparency in content selection, censorship, and issues with spam and bots.
How It Works
Each Nostr account is based on a public/private key pair. The public key is like a username, and the private key is like a password. These keys are used to verify messages. Nostr works on the ‘events’ principle, a simple JSON object passed around. These events must contain a signature, ensuring the authenticity of the message. To access Nostr, users need a client and a web, desktop, or mobile app. The clients fetch data from relays, generate new data, and push it to relays so others can read it.
Key Takeaways
- Nostr is a decentralized protocol that enables users to send signed text messages without centralized servers.
- It was developed in response to problems with current social media systems, including advertising practices, addictive techniques, lack of transparency, censorship, and issues with spam and bots.
- Nostr accounts are based on public/private key pairs, with the public key as a username and the private key as a password.
- Nostr operates on the principle of ‘events,’ which are simple JSON objects passed around and must contain a signature to verify the message’s authenticity.
- To use Nostr, users need a client, which can be a web, desktop, or mobile app. Clients fetch data from relays and generate new data to push to relays for others to read.
