Nostr's ambition is more than just replacing Twitter

Author: Alpha Rabbit Research Notes

1. The Origin and Development of the Nostr Protocol, including its ideas and traffic analysis

1.1 First, let's discuss the Nostr protocol

The recently popular Damus is an application built on the Nostr protocol, primarily designed for decentralized social scenarios (you can think of it as a decentralized Twitter).

NOSTR is a protocol through which many things can be built. It is a relatively lightweight, simple yet extensible open protocol that can establish a truly decentralized social media platform.

This protocol is based on relays (Relays, which can be translated as relay stations, relay ends, etc., is a concept commonly used in Nostr. You can understand it as relay servers. Here, to correspond with the Client, we translate it as relay end. Thanks to many friends on Jike for the translation, acknowledgments can be seen at the end of the text). The relay ends can be operated by anyone, and by establishing a persistent connection with the server, clients (or applications) can interact with events in real time (push and pull events in real time).

Nostr's official website

About Accounts

In Nostr, we do not need to register an account using personal data (see, this is its advantage).

Like Bitcoin, we only need a set of keys, which means two keys.

• ?️ A public key (Public Key) serves as your username. This key can be shared and is public to everyone (just like your Weibo account, WeChat ID, or bank account, others can find you through this).

• ? A private key (Private Key). This key is like your password and needs to be kept secret. With this key, you can access your account on any Nostr-supported platform. You just need to choose a Nostr protocol client, such as anigma, coracle, or astral, and it will generate one for you. Here, to enhance security, it is recommended to use external signing tools, such as the Alby browser extension or nos2x extension, etc., or you can use tools like Rana to generate an independent private key.

Be sure to save your private key, as it is the only way to recover and log back into your account in the future. For example, using Damus, it would be the image I posted yesterday:

Protect your private key! Protect your private key! Protect your private key! There are countless paths, but safety is the first priority.

Events:

Let's take a look at what the above data is about:

• For the content and created_at fields, these are relatively simple.

• The id is the unique identifier for the event, which is the only way to reference that event in the network.

• The pubkey field contains the public key (user) that created the event.

• The event (event type) is one of the most interesting parts of Nostr. This is a field that can specify exactly what type of event it is. Why is it interesting? Because it indicates that the types of events are not limited, and we can design any type we want.

• For example, if there is an event type that is a plain text note, like a tweet, but there is also the fourth type of end-to-end encrypted information mentioned above, there are many possibilities here.

• The sig field (signature) is a cryptographic proof that proves the person publishing the event is the holder of the private key associated with that public key.

• The tags field can contain any tags you want, providing developers with many possibilities! For example, when you reply to a certain message (event), the id of that event can be set as a tag named "e tag."

About Relays: Relay Ends

Relay ends are a major part of the Nostr protocol, used to store events received from clients. Relay ends cannot communicate with each other; only the relay end you are connected to will receive and store your events.

This is also an important feature of Nostr, meaning that relay ends cannot communicate with each other, so users should connect to as many relay ends as possible.

Clients (will always) allow users to connect to any number of relay ends they want. Users can also choose whether they want to read or write information from the relay ends they are connected to, etc. This is interesting because it means we can connect to a relay end to retrieve content but choose not to publish events there, or vice versa.

For example, if Rabbit connects to relay end A, and Bear connects to relay end B, even though they are both using Nostr, they will not be able to see each other's events. To see each other's events, users must connect to at least one shared relay end. This means that if Rabbit wants to see Bear's events in the above situation, Rabbit needs to connect to relay end B (or Bear can connect to relay end A), and then they can see each other's events.

This may sound a bit complicated, but its power lies in the ability to host a relay end that does not share with anyone and publish all your events there, allowing you to back up your events only on your relay end.

For example, if a relay end wants to discuss entertainment news, and I do not want to participate or be part of it, I simply do not add that relay end to my client. However, as a user, I can still communicate with users who are both in the entertainment news relay end and in other relay ends where I am also a member.

Therefore, the importance of Nostr lies in its ability to empower individuals strongly. For example, you have the ability to create a portal anywhere you want. If someone wants to lock you in a small black room, you can create a new territory and escape from the small black room. Establishing a relay end in Nostr is not costly and is easy to do; relay ends can also run on ordinary smartphones.

Controlling one relay end does not affect other relay ends.

So, is Nostr just trying to be a decentralized Twitter?

Nostr's Ambition: More than Just Replacing Twitter

Replacing Twitter

To achieve the goal of replacing Twitter, clients utilize the first type of event, which is plain text notes. Some clients include: coracle, astral, nostr.ch, branle, damus, alphaama.com, Nostros, etc.

For example, Damus is created to replace Twitter.

Replacing Telegram

By using 4X (where X is a number between 0 and 9), public channels like Telegram can be realized. For example, the homepage of Anigma.io is a web application that implements a Telegram clone. You can create public channels where anyone can join and chat. In Anigma, you can send private end-to-end encrypted messages to users.

Replacing Reddit

Nostr can also serve as an alternative to Reddit, allowing users to post and vote on posts, like the nvote shown in the large image on the website.

? Online Games

Another interesting use of Nostr is to create simple multiplayer online games, such as Jeste, where you can play chess with other users online through Nostr.

Text Sharing

Sendstr is an online tool that allows you to share end-to-end encrypted text data between two devices using the Nostr protocol.

1.2 About Nostr's Data

(Since Similar Web only shows data up to January 30, this part is for reference only; the focus should be on the data from February 1.)

We can see that most of the traffic comes from organic search, and for outbound traffic, since the Nostr official website does not provide much explanatory text, the placement of Github is quite prominent, and most of the information is on Github, so outbound traffic mainly goes to Github.

Then for social media, you can see that all the information comes from Twitter. I believe that after Jack Dorsey posted that tweet, this data remained at 100%, meaning all traffic came from Twitter to Nostr to download Damus.

2. Recent Performance and Spread Path of Damus

We have discussed the Nostr protocol, and now let's talk about Damus: including some comments collected from Reddit.

2.1 Damus

On February 1, 2023, Jack Dorsey tweeted about Damus being available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, which instantly ignited interest. The author speculates that, in addition to Jack's celebrity effect, it is also because the application has come out on mobile, as most people globally use mobile devices more frequently. Additionally, the recent market performance has been mediocre (compared to last year's peak), making such an application easily attract attention.

Here is an example of Damus on iOS: the decentralized Twitter that is flooding the screens:

It is also important to note:

Public key (pubkey): as mentioned earlier, your address and username, everyone uses this to find you, it usually starts with npub, so don’t send it incorrectly.

Private key (Private Key): this is your password and your life, please keep it safe.

Another thing is that Logout = log out.

Do not accidentally click Delete account in excitement.

To find other users, you need to know their public key. For example, mine is:

npub1v48npxhgy6u7ftft3r0q5nq7fkn7tqc6myws0zcx7k9xcjscq0js73pcnl

Feel free to add me and let's be friends!

Here’s a brief discussion of the technical aspects; interested friends can also check it out on Github:

Since Damus is built on the Nostr protocol, its operation needs to comply with Nostr's requirements. We can see that in Damus's GitHub documentation, there is a NIP, which stands for Nostr Implementation Possibilities, mainly to document what Nostr-compatible relay and client software must implement, should implement, and may implement.

(This defines a series of rules and standards). NIPs stand for Nostr Implementation Possibilities. They exist to document what MUST, what SHOULD, and what MAY be implemented by Nostr-compatible relay and client software.

Specifically:

• NIP-01: Basic protocol flow defines the basic rules and processes, fields, and message requirements that all users need to follow.

• NIP-08: Mentions Handling Mentions mainly standardizes how clients handle inline mentions of other events and pubkeys in text_notes content.

• NIP-10: Reply conventions describe how to use "e" and "p" tags in text events, especially those that reply to other text events.

• NIP-12: Generic tag queries (hashtags) refer to the relay end, as it supports subscriptions via any tag, requiring the relay end to respond to tag queries, meaning NIP allows querying any single-letter tags present in events.

For more details, you can refer to the GitHub documentation:

https://github.com/damus-io/damus/blob/master/README.md

3. Thoughts on the Use of Damus and the Philosophy Behind It: What Does This Decentralization Represent?

After all, "the world has long suffered from oligarchy."

① First, Damus's breakout represents an evolution, where our interactions are no longer limited by so-called "products," but are based on protocols. How to understand this? Even if I want others to know that I like reading, this tag will be marked on my head, while the private interface remains hidden. Thus, the other party does not know my age, gender, or whether I am truly a rabbit. This means that while achieving social interaction, the soul carrier, which is our physical body, is hidden.

② Secondly, Web3 social interactions follow a whitelist model. How to understand this? For example, if I add you and tell you I am a rabbit who likes carrots, there is no need for so-called trust (meaning you do not need to know me). Behavior-oriented social interactions replace object-oriented social interactions. How to understand this? Traditional social interactions are person-oriented, meaning I need to know who you are first before deciding to understand you and ask for your help.

Now, in the future, it will be about completing a task: you help me fix the code, and I give you a painting. Therefore, in this context, the importance of blockchain and wallets lies in that they are the foundation for the flow of subsequent benefits, representing a purely behavior-oriented social model.

③

There is no Group A that includes members B, C, D.

Only B, C, D as standalone objects have tag A.

④ There is no credit, no social relationships, only interactions; there is no so-called safety or censorship, only history.

4. What Problems Does Damus Need to Solve to Continue to Succeed?

① Product Experience: I browsed their Reddit and found that many users still struggle to upload avatars.

This raised some questions, so the subsequent product experience will be a significant test. After all, compared to today's mobile applications that have been refined over time and feedback, product experiences are usually excellent. Moreover, users' habits and expectations will be relatively high; no one will use a poorly designed product.

(If you haven't uploaded an avatar, you can use websites like postimage.org to upload images, generate image links, and then copy the URL link to your Damus profile as shown below.)

② About Growth and Retention

Yesterday, I discussed with friends on Jike, and I said:

Note that in early 2021, there was also a phenomenal social app called Clubhouse, which exploded in popularity due to the influence of celebrities like Elon Musk, but it did not develop well afterward.

Regarding the fleeting success of Clubhouse, Tencent Research Institute published an article in 2021 that mentioned whether voice social interaction is a latent human need.

(Reference: "Under Fourfold Thinking: Is Clubhouse a Fleeting Phenomenon or Disruptive Innovation?" - Tencent Research Institute · 2021-02-20 1)

For example, if we look at the history of internet applications, every technology application that has become a trend has effectively solved a certain human need, such as:

• Portal websites solved people's need for "one-stop" information access; search engines solved people's choice barriers for massive information;
• Instant messaging solved people's need for point-to-point communication anytime and anywhere;
• Blogs solved people's needs for self-recording and self-expression;
• Social media tools like Weibo empowered every social member with the power to disseminate public information, breaking the monopoly of information production and dissemination channels;
• WeChat solved people's social needs and, after ten years of development, has perfected various needs for point-to-point private communication, interest-based socializing, and public expression in squares. From the perspective of the evolution of communication forms, social communication media has continuously upgraded from text, images, to voice, and then to video.

Voice social interaction is a dimensionality reduction in communication methods. During the pandemic in 2020, live streaming for sales became the biggest trend, with platforms like Douyin and Kuaishou becoming industry favorites. People began to consider what the next generation of interactive communication methods would be after live streaming—VR? Holographic internet? In 2021, Clubhouse's rise through voice social interaction can be seen as a dimensionality reduction and regression in communication forms, lowering the barriers to interactive communication again and providing more possibilities for social products.

With social isolation lasting a year during the pandemic, thousands of meetings and gatherings were forced to cancel or move online. Clubhouse emerged, lowering the threshold for social interaction to a minimum, reducing social pressure to the lowest level—no need to wash hair, put on makeup, dress neatly, or worry about lighting and room cleanliness, perfectly adapting to people "staying at home" during the pandemic (please imagine the scene of spending two months in pajamas during the Spring Festival of 2020). In the new normal of the pandemic, voice social interaction will have a certain space. Whether celebrities or ordinary people, at the moment of speaking, hundreds or thousands of listeners quietly listen to you speak behind the screen, allowing the desire for expression to be maximally released.

So, what will the subsequent content accumulation and user retention for Clubhouse rely on? At that time, the attractions mainly included celebrity interviews, high-quality topic discussions, the mystery of invitation-only access ensuring relatively high-quality users, and the warmth and immediacy brought by direct voice conversations. Users felt like they were attending a cocktail party, listening and wandering around, staying to listen or participate in discussions on topics of interest, and jumping to the next room if they weren't interested. However, despite Clubhouse's global popularity, it quickly became a forgotten product.

Similarly, if we look at Damus, we must ask the same question: what needs does decentralized social interaction satisfy for us?

And what will the subsequent content accumulation and user retention rely on? The answer to this question needs to be discussed together with everyone. However, I hope that data ownership can belong to each individual, and attempts in this direction are always worth supporting.