In speaking to many friends about nostr, i realised it would be handy if i could send them a quick one pager to help get them setup with a client, understand the nature of key pairs (just think username/password for now) and briefly highlight why protocols over platforms.
This is intended to be as brief as possible. One liners ideally. So it will naturally lack depth, but the aim is on simple and actionable.
OK. So.. lets dive in.
Nostr is a protocol - not a single app (client) like facebook, twitter or instagram. A protocol can be thought of simply as a highway for information. It is also critically not a company. It is simply a technology that anyone can use and build upon. Much like TCP/IP which the internet is built on and like bitcoin. Nostr clients are also not limited to social media. This just happens to be one of the initial popular use cases, but nostr has way more potential than simply social clients/apps.
What makes nostr different? The basic structure of nostr contains relays (where data is stored) and clients (the app you use to interact with this data). This is significant as anyone can run a relay and anyone can create a client to access that data. If you compare to this the current status-quo it provides a wildly different range of possibilities which ultimately benefit the user.
Where the existing are centralized, nostr is decentralized. Where the existing are closed, nostr is open
The other core difference with nostr is its use of key pairs A key pair is like a username and a password but leverages the security provided by cryptography. So you have a public key (username) which anyone can see, and is akin to your identity, and a private key which enables you to publish as this identity. One huge positive benefit from this is it means you can use multiple different clients, but you do not need multiple different identities and login credentials. This is a game changer, and means the network you are connected with can follow you via any nostr client.
Get Started:
For iOS users: Download Damus from the app store.
For Android users: Download Amethyst
These are two of several micro-blogging twitter-like clients, and a great way to get you started.
Both apps will run you through a setup process and help to create a new key pair. Probably the most important part of this to understand is that we do not want to be manually entering this key into the a browser or anywhere where it could be public.
Using Nostr on your laptop/desktop If you want to access nostr from a laptop of desktop environment the best option to manage your keys is Alby. Click install browser extension and you'll be off and running. Once this is setup with your private key saved, every time you access a client in the browser Alby will prompt for your confirmation.
One final step that is not essential but will really open up an entirely new potential is to link a lightning wallet address to your profile - this will let anyone, from anywhere send you bitcoin.
To do this, download Wallet Of Satoshi and save the lightning address to your profile in your nostr client of choice and you’re ready !! That’s it!
Now you’re setup, you can begin to explore the potential of nostr. Welcome to the future 🫂🧡