{"slug": "nostr", "name": "Nostr", "category": "communication", "category_name": "Email and chat", "description": "Open decentralized protocol for social networking and messaging using public-key identities.", "recommenders": 5, "commenters": 5, "warners": 0, "score": 4.466, "rising": -0.31, "first": "2026-01-05", "latest": "2026-08-26", "why": "Liked as a decentralized alternative to the fediverse with server-free key-pair identity and feeds that don't depend on seizable domain names.", "why_is_quote": false, "has_verdict": true, "sentiment": {"recommend": 5, "neutral": 0, "compare": 0, "warn": 0}, "spark": [0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 1, 0, 0, 1, 1, 0, 0], "listed": true, "loved": ["Decentralization", "Protocol design"], "caveat": "Small audience", "short_quote": "Nostr is not that excellent, but it works, and have a potential to became \"unified personal web platform\"", "icon": true, "domain": null, "github_repo": null, "official_url": "https://nostr.com", "pricing": "open source", "aliases": ["Nostr"], "verdict": [{"text": "Liked as a decentralized alternative to the fediverse", "cites": [{"id": 791175056, "item_id": 49448441, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49448441", "by": "digikar99", "date": "2026-08-26", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I find it a saner alternative to fediverse, particularly because the identity is just a server-free public-private key pair", "excerpt": "I found this post from Nostr. I find it a saner alternative to fediverse, particularly because the identity is just a server-free public-private key pair But I don't know when if ever we will have a significant mass there. Hacker News 100 on Nostr: https://njump.to/nprofile1qqsfexztjz4sq05j972pv5h3s9w0gaqvay7z2lfdz5nxlmk3v4fwx6qpzemhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerfw36x7tnsw43z7kajcch", "context": "", "use_case": "decentralized social network", "switched_from": "", "story": "Nitter and XCancel receive cease and desist notices"}, {"id": 743962224, "item_id": 46497639, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46497639", "by": "sanskritical", "date": "2026-01-05", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Nostr is the only decentralized manner", "excerpt": "I recommend Anna's Archive get a Nostr account. Once they finally have a solid court order to seize domains, generally the rate at which they get seized accelerates greatly. Nostr is the only decentralized manner (no, Mastodon/fediverse is dependent on domain names, which are getting seized by courts in relation to this -- it is not decentralized at all when it comes down to it) that people can reliably use to have a", "context": "", "use_case": "censorship-resistant content feed", "switched_from": "", "story": "Anna's Archive Loses .Org Domain After Surprise Suspension"}, {"id": 763994768, "item_id": 47749673, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47749673", "by": "kkfx", "date": "2026-04-13", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Nostr is not that excellent, but it works, and have a potential to became \"unified personal web platform\"", "excerpt": "We simply need open, decentralized or distributed platforms. Nostr is not that excellent, but it works, and have a potential to became \"unified personal web platform\", take a look at it.", "context": "", "use_case": "decentralized social platform", "switched_from": "", "story": "X Randomly Banning Users for \"Inauthentic Behavior\""}]}, {"text": " with server-free key-pair identity", "cites": [{"id": 791175056, "item_id": 49448441, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49448441", "by": "digikar99", "date": "2026-08-26", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I find it a saner alternative to fediverse, particularly because the identity is just a server-free public-private key pair", "excerpt": "I found this post from Nostr. I find it a saner alternative to fediverse, particularly because the identity is just a server-free public-private key pair But I don't know when if ever we will have a significant mass there. Hacker News 100 on Nostr: https://njump.to/nprofile1qqsfexztjz4sq05j972pv5h3s9w0gaqvay7z2lfdz5nxlmk3v4fwx6qpzemhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerfw36x7tnsw43z7kajcch", "context": "", "use_case": "decentralized social network", "switched_from": "", "story": "Nitter and XCancel receive cease and desist notices"}]}, {"text": " and feeds that don't depend on seizable domain names.", "cites": [{"id": 743962224, "item_id": 46497639, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46497639", "by": "sanskritical", "date": "2026-01-05", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Nostr is the only decentralized manner", "excerpt": "I recommend Anna's Archive get a Nostr account. Once they finally have a solid court order to seize domains, generally the rate at which they get seized accelerates greatly. Nostr is the only decentralized manner (no, Mastodon/fediverse is dependent on domain names, which are getting seized by courts in relation to this -- it is not decentralized at all when it comes down to it) that people can reliably use to have a", "context": "", "use_case": "censorship-resistant content feed", "switched_from": "", "story": "Anna's Archive Loses .Org Domain After Surprise Suspension"}]}, {"text": " The most common caveat is its small audience, so few people may see what you publish.", "cites": [{"id": 791175056, "item_id": 49448441, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49448441", "by": "digikar99", "date": "2026-08-26", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I find it a saner alternative to fediverse, particularly because the identity is just a server-free public-private key pair", "excerpt": "I found this post from Nostr. I find it a saner alternative to fediverse, particularly because the identity is just a server-free public-private key pair But I don't know when if ever we will have a significant mass there. Hacker News 100 on Nostr: https://njump.to/nprofile1qqsfexztjz4sq05j972pv5h3s9w0gaqvay7z2lfdz5nxlmk3v4fwx6qpzemhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerfw36x7tnsw43z7kajcch", "context": "", "use_case": "decentralized social network", "switched_from": "", "story": "Nitter and XCancel receive cease and desist notices"}, {"id": 784910416, "item_id": 49056901, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49056901", "by": "cykros", "date": "2026-07-26", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I love the protocol", "excerpt": "I'm sort of surprised it's not mirrored there, but not surprised that it's main hosting isn't there. It sort of works best if people find it. Nostr purity spirals have a great way of resulting in 5 people ever seeing what you're publishing. I love the protocol but when trying to get people using it you sort of need to put apps where they are.", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Bitchat Is Now on Radicle"}]}], "praise": [{"label": "Decentralization", "summary": "Seen as a workable open, decentralized platform that avoids the domain dependence of Mastodon and the fediverse.", "quotes": [{"id": 743962224, "item_id": 46497639, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46497639", "by": "sanskritical", "date": "2026-01-05", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Nostr is the only decentralized manner", "excerpt": "I recommend Anna's Archive get a Nostr account. Once they finally have a solid court order to seize domains, generally the rate at which they get seized accelerates greatly. Nostr is the only decentralized manner (no, Mastodon/fediverse is dependent on domain names, which are getting seized by courts in relation to this -- it is not decentralized at all when it comes down to it) that people can reliably use to have a", "context": "", "use_case": "censorship-resistant content feed", "switched_from": "", "story": "Anna's Archive Loses .Org Domain After Surprise Suspension"}, {"id": 763994768, "item_id": 47749673, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47749673", "by": "kkfx", "date": "2026-04-13", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Nostr is not that excellent, but it works, and have a potential to became \"unified personal web platform\"", "excerpt": "We simply need open, decentralized or distributed platforms. Nostr is not that excellent, but it works, and have a potential to became \"unified personal web platform\", take a look at it.", "context": "", "use_case": "decentralized social platform", "switched_from": "", "story": "X Randomly Banning Users for \"Inauthentic Behavior\""}, {"id": 791175056, "item_id": 49448441, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49448441", "by": "digikar99", "date": "2026-08-26", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I find it a saner alternative to fediverse, particularly because the identity is just a server-free public-private key pair", "excerpt": "I found this post from Nostr. I find it a saner alternative to fediverse, particularly because the identity is just a server-free public-private key pair But I don't know when if ever we will have a significant mass there. Hacker News 100 on Nostr: https://njump.to/nprofile1qqsfexztjz4sq05j972pv5h3s9w0gaqvay7z2lfdz5nxlmk3v4fwx6qpzemhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerfw36x7tnsw43z7kajcch", "context": "", "use_case": "decentralized social network", "switched_from": "", "story": "Nitter and XCancel receive cease and desist notices"}]}, {"label": "Protocol design", "summary": "Commenters like the protocol itself and suggest borrowing its ideas.", "quotes": [{"id": 784910416, "item_id": 49056901, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49056901", "by": "cykros", "date": "2026-07-26", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I love the protocol", "excerpt": "I'm sort of surprised it's not mirrored there, but not surprised that it's main hosting isn't there. It sort of works best if people find it. Nostr purity spirals have a great way of resulting in 5 people ever seeing what you're publishing. I love the protocol but when trying to get people using it you sort of need to put apps where they are.", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Bitchat Is Now on Radicle"}, {"id": 755687392, "item_id": 47230462, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47230462", "by": "txrx0000", "date": "2026-03-03", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Take ideas from Nostr but stay away from Bitcoin.", "excerpt": "Glad to see efforts like yours. I will give my two cents: Decentralizing everything doesn't scale well. Instead of doing that, look at how Minecraft does it. Decentralize at the server level, not client device level. Each node should be someone's Linux computer plugged in beside their router, not someone's phone. Minecraft is successfully decentralized, except for the identity service. When you buy Minecraft, you're ", "context": "", "use_case": "decentralized messaging protocol", "switched_from": "", "story": "AnChat \u2013 E2E messenger on decentralized infrastructure, no phone number required"}]}, {"label": "Key-pair identity", "summary": "Identity is a server-free public-private key pair.", "quotes": [{"id": 791175056, "item_id": 49448441, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49448441", "by": "digikar99", "date": "2026-08-26", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I find it a saner alternative to fediverse, particularly because the identity is just a server-free public-private key pair", "excerpt": "I found this post from Nostr. I find it a saner alternative to fediverse, particularly because the identity is just a server-free public-private key pair But I don't know when if ever we will have a significant mass there. Hacker News 100 on Nostr: https://njump.to/nprofile1qqsfexztjz4sq05j972pv5h3s9w0gaqvay7z2lfdz5nxlmk3v4fwx6qpzemhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerfw36x7tnsw43z7kajcch", "context": "", "use_case": "decentralized social network", "switched_from": "", "story": "Nitter and XCancel receive cease and desist notices"}]}], "caveats": [{"label": "Small audience", "summary": "Few users means posts may reach very few people, and mass adoption is uncertain.", "quotes": [{"id": 791175056, "item_id": 49448441, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49448441", "by": "digikar99", "date": "2026-08-26", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I find it a saner alternative to fediverse, particularly because the identity is just a server-free public-private key pair", "excerpt": "I found this post from Nostr. I find it a saner alternative to fediverse, particularly because the identity is just a server-free public-private key pair But I don't know when if ever we will have a significant mass there. Hacker News 100 on Nostr: https://njump.to/nprofile1qqsfexztjz4sq05j972pv5h3s9w0gaqvay7z2lfdz5nxlmk3v4fwx6qpzemhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerfw36x7tnsw43z7kajcch", "context": "", "use_case": "decentralized social network", "switched_from": "", "story": "Nitter and XCancel receive cease and desist notices"}, {"id": 784910416, "item_id": 49056901, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49056901", "by": "cykros", "date": "2026-07-26", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I love the protocol", "excerpt": "I'm sort of surprised it's not mirrored there, but not surprised that it's main hosting isn't there. It sort of works best if people find it. Nostr purity spirals have a great way of resulting in 5 people ever seeing what you're publishing. I love the protocol but when trying to get people using it you sort of need to put apps where they are.", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Bitchat Is Now on Radicle"}]}, {"label": "Rough edges", "summary": "One supporter says it is not excellent but works.", "quotes": [{"id": 763994768, "item_id": 47749673, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47749673", "by": "kkfx", "date": "2026-04-13", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Nostr is not that excellent, but it works, and have a potential to became \"unified personal web platform\"", "excerpt": "We simply need open, decentralized or distributed platforms. Nostr is not that excellent, but it works, and have a potential to became \"unified personal web platform\", take a look at it.", "context": "", "use_case": "decentralized social platform", "switched_from": "", "story": "X Randomly Banning Users for \"Inauthentic Behavior\""}]}, {"label": "Bitcoin ties", "summary": "One commenter advises taking ideas from Nostr while staying away from Bitcoin.", "quotes": [{"id": 755687392, "item_id": 47230462, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47230462", "by": "txrx0000", "date": "2026-03-03", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Take ideas from Nostr but stay away from Bitcoin.", "excerpt": "Glad to see efforts like yours. I will give my two cents: Decentralizing everything doesn't scale well. Instead of doing that, look at how Minecraft does it. Decentralize at the server level, not client device level. Each node should be someone's Linux computer plugged in beside their router, not someone's phone. Minecraft is successfully decentralized, except for the identity service. When you buy Minecraft, you're ", "context": "", "use_case": "decentralized messaging protocol", "switched_from": "", "story": "AnChat \u2013 E2E messenger on decentralized infrastructure, no phone number required"}]}], "who": [], "tags": ["censorship-resistant publishing", "fediverse alternative"], "use_cases": ["decentralized social network", "decentralized social platform", "decentralized messaging protocol", "censorship-resistant content feed"], "compared": [], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49437283", "title": "Nitter and XCancel receive cease and desist notices", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49047365", "title": "Bitchat Is Now on Radicle", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47748036", "title": "X Randomly Banning Users for \"Inauthentic Behavior\"", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47214981", "title": "AnChat \u2013 E2E messenger on decentralized infrastructure, no phone number required", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46497164", "title": "Anna's Archive Loses .Org Domain After Surprise Suspension", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {}, "2025-12": {}, "2026-01": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-02": {}, "2026-03": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-04": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-05": {}, "2026-06": {}, "2026-07": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-08": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-09": {}, "2026-10": {}}, "quotes": [{"id": 791175056, "item_id": 49448441, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49448441", "by": "digikar99", "date": "2026-08-26", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I find it a saner alternative to fediverse, particularly because the identity is just a server-free public-private key pair", "excerpt": "I found this post from Nostr. I find it a saner alternative to fediverse, particularly because the identity is just a server-free public-private key pair But I don't know when if ever we will have a significant mass there. Hacker News 100 on Nostr: https://njump.to/nprofile1qqsfexztjz4sq05j972pv5h3s9w0gaqvay7z2lfdz5nxlmk3v4fwx6qpzemhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerfw36x7tnsw43z7kajcch", "context": "", "use_case": "decentralized social network", "switched_from": "", "story": "Nitter and XCancel receive cease and desist notices"}, {"id": 784910416, "item_id": 49056901, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49056901", "by": "cykros", "date": "2026-07-26", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I love the protocol", "excerpt": "I'm sort of surprised it's not mirrored there, but not surprised that it's main hosting isn't there. It sort of works best if people find it. Nostr purity spirals have a great way of resulting in 5 people ever seeing what you're publishing. I love the protocol but when trying to get people using it you sort of need to put apps where they are.", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Bitchat Is Now on Radicle"}, {"id": 763994768, "item_id": 47749673, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47749673", "by": "kkfx", "date": "2026-04-13", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Nostr is not that excellent, but it works, and have a potential to became \"unified personal web platform\"", "excerpt": "We simply need open, decentralized or distributed platforms. Nostr is not that excellent, but it works, and have a potential to became \"unified personal web platform\", take a look at it.", "context": "", "use_case": "decentralized social platform", "switched_from": "", "story": "X Randomly Banning Users for \"Inauthentic Behavior\""}, {"id": 755687392, "item_id": 47230462, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47230462", "by": "txrx0000", "date": "2026-03-03", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Take ideas from Nostr but stay away from Bitcoin.", "excerpt": "Glad to see efforts like yours. I will give my two cents: Decentralizing everything doesn't scale well. Instead of doing that, look at how Minecraft does it. Decentralize at the server level, not client device level. Each node should be someone's Linux computer plugged in beside their router, not someone's phone. Minecraft is successfully decentralized, except for the identity service. When you buy Minecraft, you're ", "context": "", "use_case": "decentralized messaging protocol", "switched_from": "", "story": "AnChat \u2013 E2E messenger on decentralized infrastructure, no phone number required"}, {"id": 743962224, "item_id": 46497639, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46497639", "by": "sanskritical", "date": "2026-01-05", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Nostr is the only decentralized manner", "excerpt": "I recommend Anna's Archive get a Nostr account. Once they finally have a solid court order to seize domains, generally the rate at which they get seized accelerates greatly. Nostr is the only decentralized manner (no, Mastodon/fediverse is dependent on domain names, which are getting seized by courts in relation to this -- it is not decentralized at all when it comes down to it) that people can reliably use to have a", "context": "", "use_case": "censorship-resistant content feed", "switched_from": "", "story": "Anna's Archive Loses .Org Domain After Surprise Suspension"}]}