Nostr (Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays) is an open protocol for decentralized social networking. Instead of a company running servers, your posts travel through independent relays, and your identity is a cryptographic key pair that you control.

What are npub and nsec?

Your npub is your public key, which works like a username that people use to find and follow you. Your nsec is your secret key, which works like a password. Keep your nsec safe: there is no password reset on Nostr because no company controls your account.

Nostr 101: A Beginner Guide to the Decentralized Social Network

Q: Do I need Bitcoin to use Nostr?

No. Nostr works fine without any Bitcoin. Many apps support zaps, which let you send small Bitcoin tips to creators, but they are entirely optional.

Q: Can I be banned from Nostr?

No one can ban you from the Nostr network itself. An individual relay can decline to host your posts, but you can always publish to other relays, and your identity and followers stay with you.

What is Nostr?

Nostr (Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays) is a decentralized, censorship-resistant social protocol designed to give users control over their online identities and interactions. Unlike traditional social media platforms that rely on centralized servers and moderation, Nostr allows users to communicate directly through a network of independent relays. This makes it permissionless, meaning anyone can use it without needing approval from a corporation or government.

Key Features of Nostr:

Decentralized: No single company controls Nostr; it operates on a distributed network of relays.
Censorship-Resistant: Users cannot be banned from the network; they can always find a relay that will host their content.
Permissionless: No accounts, phone numbers, or email verification required, just a cryptographic key pair.

Nostr Fixes the Problems of Big Tech

The internet today is controlled by a handful of companies. They decide who gets a platform, what content is allowed, and how your data is used. Nostr is built to fix that.

You don't own your account. On platforms like Twitter, Instagram, or TikTok, your account belongs to the company. They can suspend you, change the rules, or shut down entirely, and everything you've built disappears with them. On Nostr, your identity is yours. No company can take it away, because no company controls it.

You can be silenced at any time. Governments pressure platforms to remove content. Companies deplatform users based on shifting policies. Entire communities get wiped overnight. On Nostr, there's no central authority that can censor you. Your posts are distributed across independent servers, so no single entity can silence your voice.

Your data is the product. Big tech makes money by tracking everything you do and selling your attention to advertisers. Nostr doesn't have a company behind it. There's no one collecting your data, no ads, and no surveillance business model.

You're locked into one platform. Your Instagram followers can't see your tweets. Your Spotify playlists don't carry over to YouTube. Every app is a walled garden. On Nostr, one login works across every app. Your followers, your posts, and your identity travel with you.

Nostr doesn't fix these problems by promising to do better; plenty of companies have made that promise. It fixes them by being a protocol where it's technically impossible for anyone to take power away from users.

How Nostr Differs from the Fediverse and Bluesky

Nostr is the only fully decentralized social network, but it shares similarities with the Fediverse and Bluesky. For a deeper dive, read our full Comparing Protocols guide.

Comparison of Nostr, Fediverse, and Bluesky

Mostr Bridge: Connecting Nostr to the Fediverse

The Mostr Bridge is a powerful tool that connects the Nostr network with the Fediverse (e.g., Mastodon, Pleroma). This allows users to follow and interact with accounts across both ecosystems without needing to switch platforms. Explore the bridge here.

Nostr Apps: One Account, Every App

Nostr isn't just a Twitter alternative. It's an entire ecosystem of apps spanning every type of content you can imagine. And because your identity lives in your keys (not in any app's database), one account works everywhere. No more creating separate logins for your social feed, your music player, your blog, and your calendar. On Nostr, a single key pair is your universal login.

The same keys that post to your social feed also publish articles, photos, music, podcasts, livestreams, events, books, and polls. Here are some of the flagship apps, from social feeds to group chat to code hosting, all sharing one login:

Social Feed & Posts

Ditto

A full social network: posts, photos, articles, polls, and communities, with customizable themes. The easiest place to start on Nostr.

Divine short video app on Nostr, the Vine successor

Short Videos

Divine

Short looping videos in the spirit of Vine. Watch, film, and share clips that no algorithm buries and no company can delete.

The protocol behind Divine →

Plektos event discovery and RSVPs on a decentralized Nostr calendar

Events

Plektos

Discover events and connect with your community. Find your next adventure on a decentralized calendar.

Shakespeare AI app builder creating a Nostr app from a chat prompt

Build Your Own

Shakespeare

Build Nostr apps by chatting with AI. Describe what you want, preview it live, and deploy in minutes.

Armada community chat on Nostr with channels, emoji reactions, and a member list

Communities & Chat

Armada

A Discord-style chat app with end-to-end encrypted communities, voice rooms, and private DMs. It even connects to Buzz, the team workspace app from Block.

How Armada works with Buzz →

Code & Git

Ngit

Git repositories, issues, and pull requests published straight to Nostr with ngit. Code collaboration like GitHub, but nobody can take your repo down.

What is Ngit? →

And this is just the beginning. Browse the rest of our production apps in the Soapbox Toolbox, see what we're experimenting with in the Toybox, or discover community-built apps at Nostrapps.com.

The wider ecosystem goes far beyond what we build. The most popular general-purpose clients are Primal (web, iOS, Android, with a built-in Bitcoin wallet), Damus (iOS), and Amethyst (Android). For specific media there's Fountain for podcasts, zap.stream for livestreams, and nostr.build for hosting your media.

Nostr Relays

Relays are the servers that store and deliver your posts. Think of them like different mail carriers: your messages get sent through them to reach other people.

You don't need to think about relays to use Nostr; the defaults work great. But if you're curious, you can add or remove relays in Settings > Network.

Using multiple relays means your content is backed up in more places, making it harder for anyone to silence you. To dive deeper, read Understanding Nostr Relays.

How to Create an Account on Nostr

Getting started on Nostr takes less than a minute. Unlike traditional social media, there's no email address or phone number required. Your identity is based on a pair of cryptographic keys, but don't worry, an app like Ditto handles all of that for you. Here's what it looks like:

Ditto create account screen generating a Nostr key pair

Ditto save secret key screen for backing up your nsec

When you sign up, the app generates two keys for you:

Your public key (npub): This is your identity on Nostr, like a username. It's how people find and follow you, and you can share it freely.
Your secret key (nsec): This is your password. It proves you are who you say you are. Keep it safe: there's no "forgot password" on Nostr, because no company controls your account.

That's what makes Nostr different: you own your identity. No company can lock you out, delete your account, or change the rules on you. Your keys are yours forever.

Creating your Nostr account is easy on Ditto. Get started →

Zaps: Tipping Built Into the Network

One thing no other social network has: money built in. Nostr apps support zaps, small Bitcoin tips you can send to any post or profile with a tap. Creators get paid directly by their audience, with no ad middleman taking a cut. Zaps are completely optional, and you can read exactly how they work in our Zapping 101 guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Nostr free to use?

Yes. Creating an account is free, most apps are free and open source, and the default relays cost nothing. Optional extras like paid relays or zaps cost money, but you never need them to participate.

Do I need Bitcoin to use Nostr?

No. Nostr works fine without any Bitcoin. Zaps are entirely optional.

What happens if I lose my secret key?

Your nsec cannot be recovered, so store it in a password manager or another safe place when you sign up. If you lose it, you'll need to create a new identity.

Can I be banned from Nostr?

No one can ban you from the network itself. An individual relay can decline to host your posts, but you can always publish to other relays, and your identity and followers stay with you.