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of the ever evolving world of Bitcoin. In today's
episode, we'll cover the topics of creating a
censorship -resistant social network, without
relying on central servers, the issues faced
by Mastodon and SSB's complicated protocol, how
Noster uses clients and relays for censorship
resistance, the unique features that set Noster
apart from other social networks, and the process
of finding people to follow in a Noster social
network. Hey there, let me tell you about Noster.
notes and other stuff transmitted by relays.
It's a super cool open protocol that aims to
create a global social network that is resistant
to censorship once and for all. And the best
part? It doesn't rely on any trusted central
server making it resilient and secure. So how
does it work? Well, it's all based on cryptographic
keys and signatures making it tamper -proof.
You and everyone else who wants to be part of
Nostr runs a client which can be a native client
or a web client. When you want to publish something,
you simply write a post, sign it with your key,
and send it to multiple relays. These relays
are servers hosted by someone else or even yourself.
Now, when you want to get updates from other
people, you ask multiple relays if they know
anything about these other people. The cool thing
is that anyone can run a relay, and they're super
simple and dumb. They accept posts from some
people and forward them to others. And the best
part is that you don't have to trust these relays.
The client side verifies the signatures. ensuring
that your messages aren't tampered with. Now,
if you're eager to start using Noster, there
are a few handy resources you should check out.
First, you'll find a Telegram group where you
can join and get involved in the ongoing work.
It's a great place to connect with others who
are passionate about this project. If you're
wondering about the features of the Noster client,
we have a nifty comparison chart to help you
out. It highlights the different functionalities
of the native and web clients, making it easier
for you to choose the one that suits your needs.
And to give you a taste of the awesomeness built
on Nostr, there's a handy list of projects that
have been developed using this open protocol.
It's amazing to see the innovation and creativity
that has sprung from this community. So why is
Nostr needed anyway? Well, let's talk about the
problems with Twitter. First and foremost, Twitter
bombards us with ads. It can get pretty annoying
when you're trying to scroll through your feed
and all you see are sponsored posts. Noster,
on the other hand, focuses on providing a clean
and uninterrupted user experience. Another issue
with Twitter is its strange techniques to keep
us addicted. The constant notifications, the
algorithmic timeline, and the never -ending scroll,
all designed to keep us hooked. Noster takes
a different approach, putting control back into
the hands of the users. And let's not forget
about Twitter's lackluster historical feed from
people you follow. It doesn't show you a complete
and chronological timeline of their posts, making
it hard to catch up on what you've missed. With
Noster, you can rest assured that you'll get
an actual historical feed, making it easier to
stay up to date with the people you follow. Now,
one of the most frustrating aspects of Twitter
is its penchant for banning people. It's disheartening
to see individuals being silenced for expressing
their thoughts and opinions. Noster stands against
such censorship, providing a platform where freedom
of speech is respected. To make matters worse,
Twitter sometimes resorts to shadow banning,
which means suppressing the reach of certain
users without their knowledge. It's a sneaky
tactic that Noster avoids completely, ensuring
that every user's voice is heard loud and clear.
Lastly, let's not forget about the never -ending
deluge of spam on Twitter. Whether it's bots
promoting questionable content or endless self
-promotion, it can be a cesspool of unwanted
noise. Noster takes spam seriously and aims to
provide a clean and spam -free environment for
users to connect and share ideas. So there you
have it. A quick rundown of Noster, the open
protocol that aims to revolutionize the way we
experience social networking. If you're tired
of the issues plaguing traditional platforms
like Twitter, Nostr might just be the fresh breath
of air you've been looking for. Get involved,
join the conversation, and be part of the movement
towards a censorship -resistant global social
network. So today, let's talk about some of the
problems with Mastodon and similar programs.
Now, when it comes to these platforms, One of
the main issues is that user identities are attached
to domain names controlled by third parties.
This means that you are dependent on another
entity to maintain your online presence. And
as we all know, server owners have the power
to ban users, just like Twitter does. So even
on these alternative platforms, you're not completely
free from the possibility of being blocked or
silenced by someone in control. In addition to
that, server owners also have the ability to
block other servers. This creates a fragmented
environment where communication and interaction
can be severely limited. And if you're someone
who values the freedom to migrate between different
servers, well, that's where the problems arise.
Migration between servers is not a seamless process
and can only be accomplished if the servers cooperate.
This means that if servers are in an adversarial
environment, all of your followers can be lost.
It's like starting from scratch every time you
switch servers. And that's definitely not ideal.
Moreover, there are no clear incentives for people
to run servers. As a result, the task often falls
into the hands of enthusiasts or individuals
who simply want their name attached to a cool
domain. Now the issue with this is that users
then become subject to the despotism of a single
person. In some cases, this can be even worse
than what you experience on platforms like Twitter,
where at least there are some rules and regulations
in place. And to make matters worse, users can't
easily migrate out of these situations because
of the lack of server interoperability. Furthermore,
since servers tend to be run amateurishly, they
are often abandoned after a while. This is effectively
the same as banning everybody because once a
server goes offline, all of the users lose their
access. So it's not a sustainable solution in
the long run. Now let's talk about the data aspect.
Having a ton of servers can be problematic when
it comes to updates. If every server needs to
push and save updates to multiple other servers,
it becomes a cumbersome process. And when you
factor in the large number of servers that exist,
it means that more data has to be passed to more
places more often. This creates a strain on the
entire system and can lead to inefficiencies.
To illustrate this point further, let's look
at the specific example of video sharing. Activity
Pub enthusiasts realized that transmitting videos
from server to server the same way text notes
are transmitted would be completely impossible.
So they decided to keep the videos hosted only
on the instance where they were originally posted.
This is similar to the Nostra approach, where
content remains centralized. While this may solve
the problem of video transmission, it also limits
the decentralized nature of these platforms.
Now let's move on to discussing the issues with
secure scuttlebutt, SSB. While there aren't as
many problems with SSB compared to other alternatives,
there are still some key concerns. One of the
primary issues is that the protocol is quite
complicated. It wasn't initially designed to
be an open protocol, but rather grew organically
from a quick solution to a specific problem.
As a result, it has some strange and unnecessary
quirks, like signing a JSON string that strictly
follows the rules of ECMA 262 6th edition. This
complexity can create challenges for adoption
and usage. Another aspect of SSB that some users
find unnecessary is the insistence on having
a chain of updates from a single user. This adds
bloat and rigidity to the platform because each
server and user must store the entire chain of
posts to ensure the validity of new ones. While
there may be reasons for this approach, it can
feel burdensome for users who simply want a more
streamlined experience. Despite these concerns,
SSB does have some advantages, particularly in
its peer -to -peer syncing capabilities. However,
it may be worth considering using SSB as a basis
and adapting it to the client relay server model.
By doing so, we can leverage the benefits of
an established standard while still aligning
with the desired characteristics of a decentralized
platform. Lastly, let's briefly touch on the
challenges that arise when everyone is expected
to run their own server. While this approach
can provide a high level of control and autonomy,
it also presents its own set of issues. For one,
it requires everybody to have the technical expertise
and resources to set up and maintain their own
server. Additionally, even if individuals have
their own servers, censorship can still occur
if domain names are censored or blocked. In conclusion,
while alternatives like Mastodon and SSB offer
promising avenues for decentralization and freedom
from corporate control, they also come with their
own set of challenges. From the dependence on
third -party domain names to server owner censorship
and the lack of incentives for server maintenance,
there are various obstacles to overcome. Finding
a sustainable solution that addresses these issues
while still preserving the benefits of a decentralized
platform remains a complex task. Nonetheless,
the ongoing exploration and development in this
field hold promise for a more open and inclusive
digital landscape. So how does Nostr work? Well,
it's made up of two core components, clients
and relays. Every user runs a client and anyone
can run a relay. Each user is identified by a
public key and every post in Nostr is signed.
To ensure the authenticity of the posts, Every
client validates these signatures. Now let's
dive into how clients and relays interact within
the Noster network. Clients fetch data from the
relays they choose, and they also have the ability
to publish data to other relays of their choice.
It's important to note here that a relay doesn't
communicate directly with another relay. It only
interacts directly with users. For example, let's
say you want to follow someone's posts on Noster.
All you have to do is instruct your client to
query the relays you know for posts from that
specific public key. This allows you to stay
updated with the posts from the users you follow.
When a client starts up, it queries data from
all the relays it knows for all the users it
follows. This could include all updates from
the last day, for instance. Once the data is
fetched, the client then displays it to the user
in a chronological order. A post on Noster can
contain any kind of structured data. However,
the most commonly used post formats will eventually
be standardized so that all clients and relays
can seamlessly handle them. Now let's explore
how Noster solves some of the problems that other
networks struggle with, such as users getting
banned and servers being closed. In Noster, a
relay can block a user from publishing anything
on that specific relay. However, this doesn't
mean that the user loses their identity or their
follower base. Since each user is identified
by a public key, even if they get banned from
one relay, they can still publish their posts
on other relays. To make the process of switching
relays easier, Nostr allows users to automatically
add relay addresses recommended by the users
they follow to their list of relays. This means
that whenever someone you follow suggests a new
relay, your client will automatically include
it in the relays it queries. If someone wants
to migrate from one relay to another, They can
simply publish a server recommendation to the
previous relay and make the switch. Even if a
user gets banned from multiple relays and can't
broadcast their server recommendations, they
can still inform a few close friends through
other means about the new relay they are using.
These friends can then publish the server recommendations
to the new relay, helping the banned user rebuild
their follower base. The same process applies
if a relay ceases its operations. Users can continue
to publish their updates on other relays and
gradually inform their followers about the new
relay through server recommendations. NOSTER
also prioritizes censorship resistance. Every
user has the freedom to publish their updates
to any number of relays. Relays can charge a
fee for users to publish their, ensuring censorship
resistance. In other words, even if certain relays
might be inclined to censor content, there will
always be options available. including servers
in countries like Russia that may be more willing
to accept your money in exchange for serving
your posts. Overall, Noster's design allows for
users to have control over their content and
identity, even when facing bans and server closures.
It fosters a decentralized and censorship -resistant
environment where users can freely exchange information
and connect with their followers. So let's talk
about spam. We all know how annoying and frustrating
it can be, right? Well, in Noster, there are
a few measures in place to tackle this issue.
One way is to require some sort of authentication,
such as an email address or phone number, before
allowing publication on a relay. This ensures
that only legitimate users can post their content.
Additionally, spam can also be prevented by utilizing
other anti -spam techniques like Hashcash or
CAPTCHAs. These methods help to filter out unwanted
spam and keep the network clean. Now, when it
comes to the number of active relays needed for
the network to function properly, it's actually
not as many as you may think. In fact, just a
handful of relays can do the job just fine. The
beauty of Noster lies in its ability to easily
create and spread new relays throughout the network
if needed. So even if some relays start misbehaving,
new ones can be quickly brought in to maintain
a healthy network. This means that the amount
of data storage required is relatively less compared
to other similar software like Mastodon. But
what if we consider a different scenario? One
where there are hundreds of niche relays run
by amateurs, each relaying updates from a small
group of users. Well, even in this case, the
architecture of Nostr is quite scalable. Data
can be sent from users to a single server, and
from there, directly to the users who need that
information. It doesn't have to be stored by
anyone else. This means that even if there are
numerous amateur servers in the mix, it's not
a burden for any single server to handle updates
from others. So, having amateur servers is not
an issue at all. Now let's turn our attention
to video and other heavy content that may be
shared on Noster. The platform makes it easy
for a relay to reject large content or charge
for accepting and hosting such content. By making
the information and incentives clear, market
forces can play a role in solving this problem.
Users who want to post heavy content would need
to pay for its hosting, ensuring that only those
who are willing to invest in it can do so. This
approach helps to control the flow of large files
and prevents any potential overload on the network.
When it comes to tricking users, Nostr gives
the power back to the clients. Each client can
decide how they want to show posts to users.
Whether it's through an AI algorithm that decides
the order of updates or simply displaying them
chronologically, the choice is in the hands of
the user. This level of customization ensures
that users have control over the content they
consume and how it is presented to them. Finally,
let's address the question of why no one has
done something like Nostra before. Well, it could
be because social networks are typically developed
by companies aiming to make money or by P2P activists
who want to create a serverless network. In both
cases, they fail to see the unique combination
of both worlds that Nostr brings to the table.
Nostr strikes a balance between being a decentralized
network and providing a user -friendly experience,
something that hasn't been fully explored before.
And there you have it. Nostr takes a proactive
approach to combat spam. ensures scalability
with a limited number of relays, handles heavy
content effectively, gives users control over
their feed, and brings a much needed blend of
decentralization and convenience to the social
networking space. No wonder it's making waves
in the world of social media. Finding people
to follow on a social network can be an exciting
step towards building your online community.
So how exactly do you go about finding these
individuals? Well, the first thing you need is
to know them and somehow obtain their public
key. This can be done by asking them directly
or by discovering their public key reference
somewhere on the platform. Once you are inside
a Noster social network, you can start exploring
and interacting with others. You'll be able to
see the people you know already following and
interacting with each other, which can give you
a starting point. From there, you can begin to
follow and engage with these individuals as well.
Now let's talk about relays. How do you find
them and what happens if you are not connected
to the same relay as someone else? Relays play
a crucial role in facilitating communication
between users on a social network. They act as
intermediaries, allowing data to be transferred
between users who may not be directly connected.
If you are not connected to the same relay as
another individual, you won't be able to communicate
with them directly. However, there are ways to
address this limitation. Nostr provides hints
on events that can be used to enable your client
software, or even manually connect to the other
person's relay and interact with them. This helps
overcome the challenge of not being connected
to the same relay. It is important to note that
while there may be ideas on how to further improve
this in the future, it is impossible to promise
perfect reachability for every user. No protocol
can guarantee seamless connectivity in all situations.
Now let's discuss if you can know how many people
are following you on a social network. Unfortunately,
you do not have direct access to this information.
However, if relays cooperate outside of the protocol,
you may be able to gather some estimates. This
extra protocol cooperation can provide you with
insights into the number of people following
you. Moving on to the question of what incentives
there are for individuals to run relays. It is
important to note that the assumption behind
this question is somewhat misleading. Relays
are not merely dumb pipes. that exists solely
for the purpose of data transfer. In the context
of NOSTER, relays serve as essential infrastructure
for the social network. They enable communication
and data exchange between users. Incentives for
running relays can vary depending on the specific
context and goals of the social network. However,
it is important to understand that relays are
more than just providers for moving data. The
comparison to DHT nodes and other peer -to -peer
networks is relevant here. In those networks,
similar questions arise. What incentives do people
have to run DHT nodes? The answer lies in the
functionality and benefits that these nodes bring
to the network, beyond acting as mere data carriers.
Now let's address the question of using different
server relays and the difference between using
relays on platforms like AWS or Azure. It is
important to note that there are numerous VPS,
virtual private server, providers available worldwide,
not just limited to AWS or Azure. While AWS and
Azure are popular choices for large -scale centralized
service providers, they are not the only options.
For smaller relay servers, any VPS provider can
effectively serve the purpose. Noster allows
users to switch between server relays or even
utilize multiple relays. The key difference lies
in the underlying infrastructure and the specific
needs of the social network. Whether a relay
is hosted on AWS, Azure, or any other VPS provider,
The primary consideration is that it is capable
of efficiently handling the network's requirements.
Now, if you are looking for more detailed information
about the NOSTER protocol, you can explore the
NIP's, NOSTER Improvement Proposals, and specifically
refer to NIP -01. This provides a reasonably
detailed explanation of the protocol specification.
It's worth mentioning that the protocol specification
is concise, short, and relatively straightforward.
Lastly, if you are interested in the software
being built using Gnoster, you can find a comprehensive
list on GitHub. The repository, https://github
.com -aljaskaru -awesome -n -oster, contains
an almost complete compilation of the software
projects utilizing Gnoster. Remember, these are
the key aspects to consider when it comes to
finding people to follow, understanding relays,
and exploring the Gnoster protocol and software
ecosystem. Join the conversation and discover
new connections in the Noster social network.
Today's episode covered the creation of a censorship
-resistant social network using Noster protocol.
highlighting its advantages over Mastodon and
SSB, the role of clients and relays, and the
unique features that set Nostra apart, including
spam prevention and user customization. Thanks
for listening to today's episode. I'll see you
guys at the next one, and don't forget to subscribe.