The Protocol

The Protocol

Details on how the Nostr Protocol works and why


Nostr at a high level

  • There are two main components: clients & relays. Each user runs a client. Anyone can run a relay.
  • Every user is identified by a public key. Every post is signed. Every client validates these signatures.
  • Clients fetch data from relays of their choice and publish data to relays of their choice. Relays don't talk to one another, only directly to users.
  • For example, to "follow" someone a user just instructs their client to query the relays it knows for posts from that public key.