Nostr 101: an
introduction to
decentralized social
communication
a portable digital social identity
that YOU control
What is Nostr?
● N
otes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays
● Nostr is not a platform
○ Platforms - Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Medium, etc.
○ These are centralized and owned by large tech/social companies
● Nostr is a protocol
○ What is a protocol?
■ A standard set of rules for processing data
○ i.e. Email and email clients
■ Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, Outlook, Thunderbird, etc.
○ i.e. World Wide Web and web browsers
■ Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Safari, etc
● Nostr is open and permissionless
● Nostr is decentralized and censorship resistant
● Nostr gives you a portable digital social identity that you control
● Nostr is the social glue that binds all of your applications together
How did we get here?
● Nostr development started in November 2020 by Fiatjaf
○ Bitcoin and Lightning developer
○ Lover of dad jokes and StarCraft
○ Brazilian
● Jack Dorsey recommends Nostr in December 2022
○ Recommends to Bitcoin Twitter to check out Nostr
○ Funds Nostr development
● Unconferences
○ Nostrica March 2023
○ Nostrasia August 2023
○ Nostriga August 2024
Why do we need Nostr?
● Social media is broken
○ Ads, attention stealing, rage algos
○ Centralized - one person or one company in control
○ Corporations and governments have control over speech
○ Censorship, banning, and shadowbanning are becoming normal
● Nostr is the freedom to communicate
● Nostr returns free speech to the people
○ You cannot be censored or banned
● Nostr puts the users in control
○ Your data
○ Your attention
○ Your social graph
How does Nostr work?
● Behind the technology
○ Clients
○ Relays
○ Public Key Cryptography
● Simple, yet powerful - JSON and web sockets
● Anything and everything can be built or rebuilt upon Nostr
○ Every application on your phone
○ Every application that you use today
● Interoperability
What are Nostr clients?
● Clients are the powerhouses of Nostr
○ Send and receive to display to users
● Twitter alternatives are the most popular use case
○ Damus, Primal, Amethyst, Nostur, Nos
○ Primal, Coracle, Snort, Iris, Ditto, Nostrudel
● Most of the “Other Stuff” clients are web applications
○ Highlighter, Habla.news
○ Zap.stream, Nostr Nests
○ Comingle, Troop
○ Fountain, Wavlake
○ Satlantis, Zap.store
● Find more apps on nostrapps.com
What are Nostr relays?
● Servers, nodes, the infrastructure of Nostr
● Decentralized datastores for sending and receiving Nostr data
● Relay software - run your own
○ Strfry
○ Nostream
○ Citrine
○ Umbrel, Start9, myNode, etc.
● Types of relays
○ Paid
○ Free
○ Specific - DM, Search, Contacts, etc.
○ Community
What are public and private keys?
● Legacy social media used email addresses and passwords
● Legay social media allowed users to reset their passwords
● Nostr uses public key cryptography instead
○ NPUB1234abc… - (Nostr Username)
○ NSEC1987zyx… - (Nostr Password)
● Keep your private keys / nsecs safe!
○ Don’t paste your private key into every new app you find!
○ Web browser extensions
■ Nostr Connect, Alby, Nos2x, Nostore, Damooose
○ nsecBunker applications
■ Amber, NAK
What are Zaps?
● Nostr aware bitcoin payments over the Lightning network
● The best form of feedback that we have
○ Better than likes and reactions
○ Fun, frictionless, stress free
● A value for value exchange
○ Pay creators for their content
● Every Lightning wallet can send Zaps
● Nostr integration is required to receive Zaps
○ Wallet of Satoshi
○ Blink
○ Strike
○ Primal
○ Minibits, npub.cash
Putting it all together
● Nostr is a bit technical
● We’re still early! It’s not a meme!
● Choose your own algorithm
● Find your flock
● Be social without your attention be stolen
● Run a relay for censorship resistance
● Give developers feedback
● Embrace Zaps and the value for value economy
How do I use Nostr?
● Amber to hold my private key
● Kiwi + Nostr Connect to experience the Other Stuff
● Running a relay with Nostream and Citrine
● Amethyst - the swiss army knife of Android’s Nostr experience
○ Market Place
○ DVMs
● Primal - a smooth and stable
○ Basic Nostr experience
○ Built in wallet for easy Zaps
How do I use Nostr?
● Highlighter - blogging, reading, highlighting content for sharing
● Nests - audio chatting with friends and live podcasts
● Zap.stream - live shows, development and game streams
● Tunestr - live musical performances
● Fountain - podcasts and value for value
● Wavlake - music and value for value
● Keep Nostr Weird
● Embrace GM and PV culture
Follow me across Nostr
