Nostr — decentralised social media and identity you own
Today's platforms own your identity and your data. Nostr flips it: one keypair you control, your followers come with you, and no company in the middle.
What is nostr & social?
Nostr is a protocol, not a platform. The name stands for "Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays". Instead of one company owning the network, anyone can run a relay — a small server that stores and passes on messages — and you choose which relays to use. There is no head office to ban you and no algorithm deciding what you see on your behalf.
Your identity on Nostr is a key pair, the same idea as a Bitcoin wallet. You have a public key (your npub) that you share freely, and a private key (your nsec) that you guard. Sign in to any Nostr app with that key and your profile, posts, and followers come with you. Many apps also support "zaps" — tipping in sats over the Lightning Network — which is why Nostr and Bitcoin grew up together.
A Nostr course covers the mental model (protocol versus platform), the practical setup (creating your keys, picking relays, choosing a client, posting your first note), and the safety side — backing up your nsec the way you would a seed phrase, and understanding what is public versus private.
What you'll learn
- 1Explain why Nostr is a protocol, not a platform — in one sentence
- 2Create a Nostr identity and know which key to share and which to guard
- 3Understand relays, and why no single server can delete you
- 4Pick a client and post your first note
- 5Back up your nsec the same way you would a seed phrase
- 6Send and receive zaps — tips in sats over Lightning
- 7Explain to your kids why owning your identity online matters
Why it matters
On today's social platforms, the company owns your identity, your audience, and your data. It can change the rules, hide your posts, or close your account, and your followers do not come with you when you leave. Nostr makes identity portable: because it lives in a key you hold, you can switch apps and keep everything. The platform becomes interchangeable plumbing instead of a landlord.
For anyone who already values self-custody, Nostr is the social layer that shares Bitcoin's principles — you hold the keys, and no permission is required. For families it is a concrete lesson in digital ownership: the same "your keys, your coins" idea applied to your online self. We teach it honestly, including the rough edges — Nostr is young and still evolving.
Sample insight from our courses
“Your Nostr identity is a key you hold — no platform can delete it, ban it, or sell it.”Take the full nostr & social course →
Earn Bitcoin while you learn
Every lesson ends with a quiz. Pass it, the sats land in your self-custody wallet automatically — your keys, your control. Subscribers also earn 50% sats-back on every payment, monthly. The only Bitcoin platform where the lessons pay you instead of the other way around.
How we teach nostr & social
We start with the problem Nostr solves — a decade of watching platforms control reach, change rules, and own data. By the time we describe Nostr, the question stops being "why would I need this?".
It is hands-on from the second lesson. You generate your keys, pick a relay, and post — you leave with a live identity, not just a concept.
The keys lesson is taught like wallet security. Your nsec is your private key: back it up, never paste it into a random site, and treat a leak the way you would a leaked seed phrase.
For families we frame it as a stepping stone from "own your money" to "own your online self", and we are upfront that Nostr is early — some apps are polished, some are not.
Who this is for
Platform-fatigued
You are tired of rules changing under you and want an identity that is actually yours.
Bitcoiner going deeper
You already hold your own keys. Nostr applies the same idea to your online life.
Future-proofing parent
Your kids will grow up with decentralised networks. Teach the ownership principle now.
Frequently asked
Is Nostr a cryptocurrency?
No. Nostr is a protocol for decentralised social networking — more like email than a blockchain. It is not a coin and there is nothing to buy. It uses the Lightning Network for "zaps" (tipping in sats), which is where Bitcoin comes in, but Nostr itself is just an open messaging standard.
What are an npub and an nsec?
They are your public and private keys. Your npub is your public identity — share it so people can find and follow you. Your nsec is your secret key — it proves posts are really yours, so guard it like a seed phrase and never paste it into sites you do not trust.
What is a relay?
A relay is a server that stores and forwards Nostr messages. You typically use several at once. Because no single relay owns your account — your key does — if one goes down or blocks you, your notes still flow through the others.
What happens if I lose my nsec?
It works like a seed phrase: there is no reset and no support line that can recover it. That is the trade-off of owning your identity. We teach you to back it up properly before you rely on it.
Is Nostr only for Bitcoiners?
No — anyone can use it. But it shares Bitcoin's values of self-custody and no gatekeepers, so a lot of the Bitcoin community is there, and most clients support sending sats.
Is it suitable for kids?
Nostr is open and public by design, so we teach the ownership concept rather than encouraging young children onto public networks. Supervise it as you would any social app, and use it as a way to explain what "owning your data" really means.
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