So I’ve been using NOSTR for a little over a year now and I honestly believe that the protocol wars are coming. There are so many reasons to start looking at platforms as potential centralized censor hubs that are driven by algorithms to keep people on the site or platform with the sole intent to push as many ads in front of them as possible or lock them into a subscription model.
I wanted to start a topic to have a place for people to ask questions about NOSTR and the protocol and the interesting things that are being built on NOSTR like Wavelake and several other applications.
NOSTR Apps - https://nostrapps.com/
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Decentralized and Censorship-Resistant: Nostr (Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays) is a decentralized protocol designed for social networking and communication. Unlike traditional social media platforms, Nostr doesn’t rely on centralized servers. Instead, it operates through a network of relays that distribute and broadcast user messages without a central authority controlling the content.
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Public and Private Keys: Nostr users generate a pair of cryptographic keys—a public key, which serves as their unique identifier, and a private key, used for signing messages. This ensures that only the rightful owner of the private key can post messages under a specific public key, providing strong identity verification without needing a centralized user account system.
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Relays for Message Distribution: Messages, or “events,” are sent to one or more relays chosen by the user. Relays act as message broadcasters, making these events available to anyone connected to them. Because anyone can run a relay, the network is highly decentralized, and no single relay controls the flow of information.
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Censorship Resistance: Since users can choose which relays to use and can post their events to multiple relays simultaneously, it’s extremely difficult to censor or block content on Nostr. If one relay decides to block or censor a user, they can simply switch to another or use multiple relays to ensure their content remains accessible.
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Interoperability and Flexibility: Nostr is designed to be simple and flexible, allowing developers to build various types of applications on top of it, from microblogging to more complex social networking features. Its protocol can be extended and adapted to meet different needs, making it a versatile foundation for decentralized communication.
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End-to-End User Control: Nostr gives users full control over their data and how it’s shared. Since there’s no central server, users aren’t at the mercy of platform policies or terms of service changes. They own their data and can choose where and how it’s shared.
Nostr’s design makes it a powerful alternative to traditional social media platforms, prioritizing user autonomy, censorship resistance, and the decentralization of social connections. It’s an ideal solution for those seeking freedom from centralized control and a more open, resilient way to communicate.