bitcoinerrorlog
John Carvalho

CEO at Synonym, creators of Pubky, Bitkit, and Blocktank.

Public Key

npub13ndpm2hm9hud4azsq5euhf5mv3d05r90wymwxsd7rdn29609hhvqp60svh

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsgeksa4tajm7x673gq2v7t56dkgkh6pjhhzdhrgxlpke4za8jmmkqpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dse8llhy

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub13ndpm2hm9hud4azsq5euhf5mv3d05r90wymwxsd7rdn29609hhvqp60svh

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Last Notes

2025-07-17 08:27:48 UTC

Everyone on Nostr keeps asking me where they can get Pubky merch so they can show their support.
Here! https://tf.style/search?q=Pubky
Bitcoin & LN are accepted, but no zippy-zappies, sorry.
https://blossom.primal.net/d893d453ef9d6fc2d52e84280517119c524680b88c934796b4fcf34f3ff4d134.png

2025-07-13 23:09:52 UTC

People are telling me Terms of Service are bad, but I cant figure out which Nostr apps dont require them.
If Nostr is already censorship resistant, and does not follow the law, where do i find the illegal stuff like drugs and edibles or whatever?
How does nostr deal with pedos?

2025-07-13 21:06:02 UTC

Mental gymnastics.
#note14a2…xqds

2025-07-13 08:37:11 UTC

GM Nostr!
Here's the where the current Nostr roadmap leads:
https://blossom.primal.net/60ab27c4a3345a42c4116d474d9178967d53d0768932aaa5dc3ca8ee7ff15e66.png

2025-07-12 21:08:41 UTC

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Your whole post was a retaliation, just like most people here. And like them it warped you into equivocating and even lying by mistake.
I am not mean to people because they are dumb, i am candid because they are ignorant, and deluded, and i dont have time to humor the qty of people that wished i didnt say the things i do.
I cant know how smart these people are, but i can judge how genuine they are pretty easily.
I am sorry if my style offends anyone, but times are retarded and I have shit to say.

2025-07-12 20:31:54 UTC

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Yes, we assume that, which is why we use pkarr and mainline as for pkdns and public key domains.
Scale brings censorship, but scale is a requirement.

2025-07-12 16:01:34 UTC

Look, we're still in beta, and we have a lot bugs & work to do, but we aren't fucking around here.
https://blossom.primal.net/5a7c0363861841ac1769ccc9a79ab78ce20e714a4006ba8f2a10a52688b9b45c.png

2025-07-12 10:38:48 UTC

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I shouldn't have to prove Pubky in order to criticize Nostr, right?
Anyway, Pubky is in beta, but all of it is open source.
You can learn about it in various ways, in various places, including:
https://github.com/pubky/
https://pubky.org
https://medium.com/pubky/
There are also presentations and interviews from me and my team in YouTube.
Or, you could ask for an invite to the beta app, and view the #pubky-faq tag.
The worst thing you could do is stay ignorant and assume I'm crazy just because I don't say good things about nostr.

2025-07-12 08:45:33 UTC

GM nostr!
https://blossom.primal.net/9b5fe54c011b707ef8b4d607c54cb9a7a0c23beb9fd2443a27d7b2fb1fc04c92.png
https://blossom.primal.net/f8cebd6a2b4021ccc8e409259156567cb1146856b4f746330e2b763f9833eeea.png
https://blossom.primal.net/7cbe5b1730f29521df2edcb105477e05509269bfc7c55eb522d8c8f5b68ac60c.png
https://blossom.primal.net/443bde78a1767e769ca4741a9aeb2a1ed35175f1787bb4ab799b145c09c8e9c1.png

2025-07-11 18:02:37 UTC

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Well, it competes with nostr in that it can do everything it does and more, right?
We use literally the most decentralized and proven network in the planet, that is how:
https://medium.com/pubky/mainline-dht-censorship-explained-b62763db39cb

2025-07-10 13:35:17 UTC

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It wouldn't be responsible to have this protocol and ecosystem as a dependency unless you can somehow capitalize on it in the short term... because most of the momentum is trendiness and tribalism, not utility.
Extreme naivety here around censorship resistance and legal realities of providing apps, bitcoin custody and/or hosting as a business, leading to bad designs and wasted effort on things that would blow up at scale.
No clear signs of raw talent in the product realm, nor raw profit opportunities. (I don't actually care about making money, but I do know a system can't work without also being economically sustainable).
It's a hackathon project that never graduated to being an actual solution to the problems such tech is meant to mitigate.
Nostr is broken, censorable, does not scale, and the community is toxic until you signal allegiance.
Why *should* I build here?!

2025-07-10 11:57:07 UTC

If nostr were the answer, people like me would be building on it.
Ask yourselves who the builders are that aren't choosing nostr, and why.
Then ask yourselves what all the people building here have in common.
Then compare these groups earnestly. I dont just mean Bitcoiners vs Bluehairsky. I mean their experience, talent, and reputation.
I mean the most talented and resourceful people; people that innovate, and have deep expertise. Why aren't they leaving where they are to build here?
Examples: Bitcoin Core devs, shitcoin expert devs that really do want to fix things, talented cryptographers, deeply experienced systems/p2p people, experienced entrepreneurs, reputable VCs and funders.
The closest I see here are people that got Bitcoin-rich and are now learning how to be angels by naively funding their friends and dead-end startup projects that arent much better than weekend hackathon submissions. A sandbox for playing.
Everything worth anything here is a subdivision of Bitcoin culture itself and Bitcoin privilege. Bitcoin is the only provider of talent and resources to Nostr. That worked great to bootstrap from nothing, but now what?
Deal with this, and figure out how to be relevant to other people, or Nostr will continue to be nothing more than a perpetual hackathon sandbox subsidized by a Bitcoiner ego-cult.

2025-07-08 05:43:29 UTC

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Nostr is censorable, thus does not scale to its purpose.
Use PKDNS for this if you are serious.
Use Nostr if you wanna signal allegiance by making another toy for the tribe.

2025-07-01 12:56:19 UTC

You should try Bitkit wallet. It's clean and works well.
In Q4 we'll launch a new version, and begin adding features again too.
You're also gonna need it for upcoming integration of Bitkit & Pubky (Q4/Q1?)
(LN features are limited for USA/Can, sorry!)
https://bitkit.to/
https://blossom.primal.net/5fd25ab8b169cbdb09394514c425aa2014e998b78d608219c469199d7d51ecc0.png

2025-07-01 07:10:53 UTC

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#nevent1q…hzqa

2025-06-30 06:34:33 UTC

Saylor's gift to Bitcoin was showing shitcoiners how to be evil with it.
https://x.com/1914ad/status/1939429601698091416

2025-06-29 13:00:15 UTC

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The "Nexus" Indexer is a generic role we support for providing a graph database that aggregates homeserver data and associates URLs and Keys with the tags provided by those keys.
Simply, it makes it possible to have fast apps, algorithmic feeds, and search-engine roles provided by anyone, and possible to access and apply our social tagging graph paradigm.
It is a trusted, optional, convenience, backstopped by PKARR homeserver data as authoritative.

2025-06-29 12:54:14 UTC

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When no one knows where to find you because you were censored, you have an authoritative ability to tell them.
Self-sovereign DNS, "discovery" via PKDNS (on Mainline DHT) - something Nostr cannot do.
(And then on the indexer/app side we are doing the whole semantic social graph thing, which nostr could maybe emulate in messy way...)
All the protocols could technically pick and choose aspects and copy each other, but true interoperability is everyone using the same thing, in the end, and it would be easier for Pubky to copy Nostr than the inverse.

2025-06-29 12:47:18 UTC

Next week we will begin work on a new update for Pubky Ring to streamline onboarding to this web app, improve seed compatibility, and more.
Pubky Ring is open source and anyone can now use it as a PKARR keychain for their own Pubky apps and homeservers.
What are you waiting for?
https://medium.com/pubky/pubky-ring-your-keychain-for-the-next-web-4ef37cdf593c/

2025-06-29 08:14:07 UTC

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lol that is not accurate at all

2025-06-29 07:43:58 UTC

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This fukn thing... speculating... please give a correct answer or cease all function.

2025-06-29 07:39:10 UTC

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lol this is not stated anywhere in our goals or descriptions, where is this garbage coming from?

2025-06-29 06:49:08 UTC

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I am also beginning to wonder if the claim that Nostr is "simpler" is accurate anymore.
Many complicating things are being used to cover the shortcuts taken.
#nevent1q…e78l

2025-06-28 14:17:22 UTC

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No email required!

2025-06-28 14:02:20 UTC

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Coward.

2025-06-28 05:45:34 UTC

Pubky is now entirely open source.
If you think companies (like Synonym) can't contribute to freedom software, I think you're a moron.
This would have been impossible to do as only me & my internet friends - they just take ideas & make their own shitty versions they never finish.

2025-06-27 15:52:03 UTC

https://blossom.primal.net/15a9d3ca57a84140d5b9c815cc419f2200953a641e0fd4796257ebba87353ff4.png

2025-06-27 15:46:15 UTC

Thank you to everyone looking at BIP 177 with an open mind, and especially to those trying it in your apps.
These are small wins, but they rejuvenate my hope in Bitcoin, and my desire to continue fighting the fight with you.
We can't get to the moon without a few space cadets!

2025-06-27 08:48:58 UTC

Just ₿asic Math
https://blossom.primal.net/f04842ff39d6220cc109eab12fe41af1c4a1aa09d2f2f6e5cf1f4c4258d9df1f.png

2025-06-26 13:19:37 UTC

Someone call an ambulance, sats is dying!
BIP 177
https://blossom.primal.net/e3b6244203f2daf3dcdbc3d5228828a8a42be97fc49f3026b632c21a7b1a7ffe.png

2025-06-26 06:47:15 UTC

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In Pubky, you tell everyone exactly where to get your profile, so if some app or cloud provider acts badly, you can just change the location and everyone else will still find it anyway.

2025-06-25 18:04:32 UTC

40k+ is not bad at all, but it is fair to say that growth is stalled, no?
https://image.nostr.build/0c9f39d20b82f413601a059ca4e3eb5ed32967cb2be361d2d81e43cb38e8d5d3.jpg
#note1d6a…w4k9

2025-06-25 11:20:52 UTC

I only need 700000 zaps to afford Primal Pro for a year.

2025-06-25 09:55:18 UTC

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The dirtiest secrets of Pubky revealed within. How will they recover from this?
#nevent1q…hzqa

2025-06-25 06:41:18 UTC

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Not really haha

2025-06-25 06:32:59 UTC

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Discover my weird shirt collection by watching my interviews, and also learn some things about Bitcoin!
#nevent1q…x233

2025-06-24 21:10:52 UTC

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Literally every relay or web server could require one...
#note1ct3…hkdd

2025-06-24 21:03:44 UTC

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Pubky uses a homeserver model, which is chosen by the key holder. (Via PKDNS).
To bootstrap the network, we are of course providing a free homeserver, so people can post in the app.
That means, like with relays, spammers can infinitely make accounts and use diskspace.
...but we arent ready for that, or for scale, we are still in beta!
So, instead of charging fees or asking for SMS, or Gmail, Bluesky or others, we are regulating the flow with invite codes until we, and the code, is ready for primetime.
In the end, people will be able to host themselves, or choose any host provider as homeserver, all while still controlling their own discovery via pkdns/pkarr. That just is not very easy yet.
So, the codes help me regulate flow into the beta, and prevent spam before we have ways to mitigate it. Nothing nefarious!

2025-06-24 20:13:32 UTC

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What argument? He lolled and then tried to make some sort of example. These arent genuinely curious people. They just want to bully and gaslight.

2025-06-24 20:04:05 UTC

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I am here to save the adults.

2025-06-24 20:03:00 UTC

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Meanwhile Primal is collecting personal data so you can zap. Search is broken. Data is inconsistent. You are still censorable, and Bluehairsky is kicking nostr's ass. But hey at least you showed loyalty today, you deserve a cookie.

2025-06-24 19:57:20 UTC

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Do you even know what it is for?
It is such a stupid thing to try and have a cool opinion about -- meanwhile, your apps put private keys into clients and are broken af.

2025-06-24 19:52:57 UTC

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It is so much easier to be a sniveling sheep, right?

2025-06-24 19:49:40 UTC

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You are so cool!

2025-06-24 08:52:36 UTC

Try talking to me like we are in the locker room, not the arena.
If you are in arena mode, I will gut you and leave you gurgling on your bullshit.
If you are in locker room mode, I will have a human conversation with you as a peer.

2025-06-24 08:11:57 UTC

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Blame Primal UI

2025-06-24 06:57:17 UTC

“Flatter me, and I may not believe you.
Criticize me, and I may not like you.
Ignore me, and I may not forgive you.”
— William Arthur Ward

2025-06-24 02:43:39 UTC

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That kademlia vid we linked is excellent, from the Iroh guys, they also use pkarr

2025-06-24 02:34:49 UTC

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You can't search on Pubky at all right now!
But you can filter the graph by keys and tags :)

2025-06-24 02:21:44 UTC

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It is totally broken for some people, so I won't be referring to it as solid, but I understand why you would.

2025-06-24 02:13:39 UTC

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Here is another, showing some settings and the output. Premium feed? It is a narrower search with few returns!
https://image.nostr.build/688159935328b4b70c9ec8eed0e44fb4c4713ffd2a4ccafcbc11e38c293ea3cb.jpg
https://image.nostr.build/9b13a54b14f70e7f6444947e2a8b4e762d9e8e871158e8c441050ad1aba64e03.jpg

2025-06-24 02:09:49 UTC

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If i pull it up on desktop it is just broken a different way anyway

2025-06-24 02:07:46 UTC

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Right, but it is a generic search from the Primal app i have on this phone. Not a profile search.

2025-06-24 01:59:34 UTC

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Here is mine. It shows only posts made from that account, note the 7month gap.
That post i replied to today, shown at the top of the screenshot, from bfgreen, i could not find it searching 3 different nostr apps
https://image.nostr.build/83d21983fd1390d2d42549d9fee864bb07167f276d0ca715ce5d742d5ad8e9fb.jpg

2025-06-24 01:20:52 UTC

“To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing.”
— Elbert Hubbard

2025-06-24 01:14:30 UTC

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Haha i was so confused by your post now i get it

2025-06-24 00:36:37 UTC

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Why lol when you could be asking for an invite code?

2025-06-21 07:02:31 UTC

Hello Nostr, who wants a Pubky invite code?

2025-05-23 15:24:07 UTC

Check out the new "₿lack Market Money" collection at tf.style
https://blossom.primal.net/3a6f5dc4f4fe31a146d006ef8d9550d4a328d6c2a3d33283495d2dd305e96c84.png
https://blossom.primal.net/48d636aace55df85426f1be96b1aedbe2c91d022b86cb35bc0bd883f6393169c.png

2025-05-23 05:23:36 UTC

Introducing the Glitch Collection by Tar & Feathers.
I designed these pieces by infusing typical clothing patterns with pixelated, scrambled signals and colors that are both stylish and fun to wear.
You can go casual with t-shirts or jogging pants, or, semi-formal with button shirts.
https://tf.style
https://blossom.primal.net/cb1bc618ad4a63b599326e4274b61b6afa15bc319cdf81a317fb44c4b009f5bc.png

2025-05-08 07:29:22 UTC

We're here to obsolete the bankers, not to join them.

2025-05-06 08:52:19 UTC

If you don't withdraw your bitcoin, someone will eventually withdraw it for you.
https://blossom.primal.net/321f2b580852510669afa529442a5949a5c03b64806134e9c6830be05105fafb.png

2025-05-05 10:25:14 UTC

What's your favorite Bitcoin merch/clothing?

2025-05-03 08:00:06 UTC

You are the spam.

2025-05-02 04:54:46 UTC

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So you designed a web browser for legal goods?

2025-05-01 08:20:57 UTC

🤖Agreeable AI bots on StackerNews, farming zaps.
"the greatest at scale example of bitcoin as every day payments are zaps"
"value4value"
https://image.nostr.build/b0242ddd303c3d62b7c2ff8728216376a4b14cdc2d5a5feb0ac5a5a009b38a2d.jpg

2025-05-01 07:45:04 UTC

How to Think About Data on Bitcoin
https://bitcoinerrorlog.medium.com/how-to-think-about-data-on-bitcoin-a5a80442ef68

2025-04-29 11:37:57 UTC

If value is subjective, then the store of value is in your head.

2025-04-29 09:28:05 UTC

Wouldn't it be cool if you could use your public key as a domain name?

2025-04-29 07:06:52 UTC

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fwiw We didn't "see nostr and think" anything really. As you know, we have been researching this stuff since before nostr existed. Bluesky too.
What we saw were problems and what we have is a comprehensive vision for an ecosystem we are solving for. We didn't use Nostr because it does not meet requirements and attempts to interface with Nostr people were always retarded.
Yes, there is a big distinction between "discovery" of endpoints for an identity vs "discovery" of identities and content you like. Obv, these are very different topics.
Feel free to continue glossing over the first one, but you have to admit Pubky(pkarr/pkdns) is a strict improvement over nostr in that regard.
For the second form of discovery (of content), Nostr won't have any special advantage over any other platform as there is no novel method in Nostr. In fact, Nostr is likely to have more trouble due to uncertainty around relays and data (and the other form of discovery).
In Pubky, we do in fact have an intentional design for identity and content discovery, and it is mostly novel.
We use a Semantic Social Graph, which creates subjective relationships between keys and URLs. This graph can then be applied as filters or by distance and weight, like a WoT.
In the end, you can't have perfect p2p web, so you must design for scaled and trusted use cases. We can offer the people competition and interoperation within an open ecosystem, but everyone needs services indexing, cloud hosting, moderation, etc.

2025-04-27 15:42:52 UTC

"Carvalho appears to be on an all-out campaign, borrowing Trump’s MAGA slogan and filling his X page with pictures of well-known figures from the global economic community, including Satoshi, Klaus Schwab, and Ursula von der Leyen donning red caps with the slogan “Make Satoshi Bitcoin Again.”
https://cryptoslate.com/bitcoin-debate-reignited-with-satoshi-unit-redefinition-proposal/

2025-04-26 15:12:42 UTC

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cheap bitcoins!

2025-04-26 14:52:25 UTC

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some people think the opposite

2025-04-25 16:17:26 UTC

It's still a minority, but a lot more people are becoming interested in the idea of calling the base units of Bitcoin bitcoins.

2025-04-25 09:33:37 UTC

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There is a problem. People think it is divisible. It is not. Dividing is multiplying here. This makes people infer incorrect things about how Bitcoin works.

2025-04-25 08:31:21 UTC

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Some people disagree with you, and your arguments are all speculative and subjective, so, it is what it is.

2025-04-25 07:57:18 UTC

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It is confusing already and people just live in ignorance.

2025-04-25 06:05:12 UTC

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What is "hardcoded" is a limit of 2.1 quadrillion base units.

2025-04-24 15:00:10 UTC

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Read the BIP.

2025-04-24 12:31:19 UTC

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Well, if everyone thought it was divisible, then people that know otherwise can exploit that to multiple the qty of bitcoin later.
So it's actually pretty important.

2025-04-24 12:11:07 UTC

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The BIP actually REMOVES the decimal point because it is fake.

2025-04-24 11:48:08 UTC

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That is one purpose of the BIP, to force people to learn that Bitcoin is not actually divisible and we cannot add more decimals places because it uses whole integers.

2025-04-24 11:40:16 UTC

https://image.nostr.build/c4a7031947a3ca02fd8681552124ab8fbf310be37ef25255aa125d6e42e23bff.jpg

2025-04-24 11:25:43 UTC

https://image.nostr.build/4db21393d886dd733e58d28cf1df5244115416f96ab2013c7b679d0c2a1c649a.jpg

2025-04-24 09:54:29 UTC

I heard @npub180c…h6w6 approves.
https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/862f5488dfaca72c0bcecd596fbbf87ae392f46c/bip-0177.mediawiki

2025-04-23 08:09:13 UTC

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I think discovery and key delegation are real problems for Nostr and I am afraid to see the mutation they birth just to avoid fixing it in some known way.
Otherwise, Nostr didn't stop Bluesky from reaching 30M users, right? All that is emergent so far is that Bitcoiners think Nostr is interesting and Lefties think Bluesky is a safespace.
Will millions of people use Pubky someday? I really think so. But I can't predict the future, so meanwhile we will do everything we can to keep our priorities straight and make our work as compatible with reality as possible.

2025-04-22 12:50:26 UTC

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Not in any terribly useful way, but yes? The problem is that Nostr uses an incompatible elliptic curve for the DHT.
So, you could technically use the same seed to generate a Nostr key and also a Pubky, and then you could use whatever discovery system in each to list the key of the other (put your Nostr key in your Pubky data, and vv).
Otherwise, these are two separate networks with separate URLs, separate data methods, etc, so bridging them isn't super-practical.
Nostr could change this, and start using our PKDNS method, but it would be a breaking change. (They should though, it's a strict upgrade.)

2025-04-22 12:44:20 UTC

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I think you would find our design for both the Pubky protocol and app to be impressive, and meeting you standards.
We use Mainline DHT to store key-signed DNS records, for "public key domains" without ICANN.
These records point to any endpoint you like, self-hosted or trusted "homeservers." (No relays needed.)
This gives users of trusted homeservers a credible exit, allowing providers to compete with each other, and with self-hosting.
We also implemented semantic social graph for users to tag/filter any other key or URL.
It's cool. Web-compatible and more censorship resistant than anything I know of.
fwiw The Silk Road is why I got into Bitcoin at all. This set my career on a trajectory where I am managing a team of 20+ people building open source freedom-tech.
Happy to preview any of our for you anytime you are ready!

2025-04-22 08:43:48 UTC

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You could use both! ;)

2025-04-16 14:25:32 UTC

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=O-lXF7SRetY&si=yJPkbh6RCDfrkO83

2025-04-16 06:15:53 UTC

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The DNS capabilities you mention are already open-sourced and live. You can check out the PKDNS, MAINLINE and PKARR repos at github.com/pubky
The Nexus Indexer is also open-sourced and running live.
The only thing private is a new app we are building, which we will open-source in June.

2025-04-16 05:51:41 UTC

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We did not include signing all data for a reason. It doesn't actually fix anything.
Some of the problems people quote to justify signing everything are only theoretical problems (you never hear about trusted servers mutating data really,, despite it being possible). And all of the problems signing introduces are ignored.
If you want attestation or proofs there are better ways to do it either incidentally or inherently with tree structures.
I'd rather have a mirror/watchtower than a bunch of floating signed messages inconsistently available across relays.

2025-04-16 05:32:12 UTC

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We have official blogs, websites, podcast interviews, code repos, and more for you to read if you want to dig deeper!
Some people like the AI summaries, some don't.

2025-04-15 15:52:10 UTC

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Time to update your knowledge!
https://medium.com/pubky/mainline-dht-censorship-explained-b62763db39cb

2025-04-15 15:51:30 UTC

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I kind of like how I can just delete or edit any post of mine in Pubky anytime. It makes me the real authority on my data.
People have been arguing about IP law lately, and I think this is a good primitive to discuss any remotely rational alternative to the current system.
If I am the authority on my data, it means that any version of it that is copied can be strictly identified as such. You could even establish provenance in deep ways with tagging, social graph, and some sort of signing/stamping or structured data trie or such.
We can add versioning, tree-based data structures, and even per-event signing like Nostr if we want, but for now, it feels nice being in control, even when I am trusting a homeserver.

2025-04-15 15:08:08 UTC

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https://primal.net/e/nevent1qvzqqqqqqypzprx6rk40kt0cmt69qpfnewnfkez6lgx27ufkudqmuxmx5t57t0wcqyf8wumn8ghj7mn0wd68yat99e3k7mf0qqspy0qfy90wsumhuxy3tkj92ac2y3mzggslpclf89yatggvn4kct9st33f8q

2025-04-15 15:07:12 UTC

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https://primal.net/e/nevent1qvzqqqqqqypzprx6rk40kt0cmt69qpfnewnfkez6lgx27ufkudqmuxmx5t57t0wcqyf8wumn8ghj7mn0wd68yat99e3k7mf0qqspy0qfy90wsumhuxy3tkj92ac2y3mzggslpclf89yatggvn4kct9st33f8q

2025-04-15 15:06:21 UTC

- reply

https://primal.net/e/nevent1qvzqqqqqqypzprx6rk40kt0cmt69qpfnewnfkez6lgx27ufkudqmuxmx5t57t0wcqyf8wumn8ghj7mn0wd68yat99e3k7mf0qqspy0qfy90wsumhuxy3tkj92ac2y3mzggslpclf89yatggvn4kct9st33f8q

2025-04-15 15:03:40 UTC

Pubky vs Nostr - Under the Hood
Here's an AI-generated breakdown of the key differences under the hood between Pubky and Nostr, focusing on architecture, protocols, and design principles:
🔑 1. Identity Model
Pubky:
- Uses PKARR (Public Key Addressable Resource Records) to map pubkeys to resources (e.g., profile, index, feed, etc.) via the Mainline DHT.
- Treats a public key like a domain name, with multiple associated records (like DNS).
- Emphasizes self-custodial identity with keychain-style apps (like Pubky Ring) to manage access.
Nostr:
- Identity is simply a public key.
- No native support for structured resource discovery—clients infer structure (e.g., via nip-05, which is optional and centralized).
- No native key management or delegation system.
🧠 2. Data Architecture
Pubky:
- Data is hosted via homeservers, which can be self-hosted or federated, but data belongs to the user, not the host.
- Each pubkey publishes signed records (e.g., profile, index, posts) to their homeserver or a DHT-announced URL.
- Homeservers act like mirrors, not gatekeepers—enabling credible exit.
Nostr:
- Data is broadcast to relays
- Relays decide what to store and serve; users must trust relays to propagate and preserve content.
- No built-in credible exit or ownership enforcement.
🔄 3. Data Discovery & Routing
Pubky:
- Uses PKARR + Mainline DHT for decentralized discovery.
- You can find the correct endpoint for any key without a centralized index or bootstrap.
- Promotes semantic discovery through social tagging and pubkey-indexed resources.
Nostr:
- Discovery relies on centralized relay lists, nip-05 (centralized domains), or third-party indexers.
- No native DHT or structured discovery mechanism.
- Feeds are mostly ephemeral, requiring external tooling to rebuild context.
🗂️ 4. Content Structure and Graph
Pubky:
- Native support for tags, semantic relationships, and custom indexes.
- Embraces a semantic social graph, where users create and share meaning through tagging and trust.
- Tagging is relative, not objective—enabling things like contextual moderation, reputation, and filters.
Nostr:
- Content is flat and unstructured beyond event.kind and tags[], which are simple arrays.
- Social graph is inferred from follows and zaps but lacks higher-level structure.
- No built-in semantics—interpretation is client-dependent.
🔒 5. Censorship Resistance & Exit
Pubky:
- Promotes a credible exit by allowing users to self-host or mirror their data.
- Homeservers can be replaced or migrated without losing history or identity.
- All records are cryptographically signed and portable.
Nostr:
- Resilience depends on relays honoring your writes.
- If major relays drop you, there's no native fallback unless you're running your own.
- No migration tooling for moving across relays or restoring full history.
⚙️ 6. Protocol Complexity
Pubky:
- Uses existing infrastructure (Mainline DHT, HTTP, JSON, etc.).
- Structured, with clear roles: PKARR, homeservers, apps.
- More modular and composable by design.
Nostr:
- Simple and minimalistic by design.
- One protocol to rule them all—relays serve everything, and clients decide what to do with it.
- Easier to bootstrap but harder to evolve without fragmenting.
🧭 Philosophy Differences
Pubky is systematic and protocol-first.
Nostr is minimal and spec-last.
Pubky builds a structured semantic graph.
Nostr uses a freeform event stream.
Pubky relies on decentralized routing via the DHT.
Nostr relies on centralized or trusted relays.
In Pubky, a public key is like a domain with structured records.
In Nostr, a public key is simply a handle for a feed.
Pubky focuses on providing users with a credible exit.
Nostr focuses on censorship resistance through broadcast redundancy.
Pubky uses a multi-role network with nodes, homeservers, and apps.
Nostr has a flat network with only relays and clients.

2025-04-14 08:28:29 UTC

As we build Pubky, I have a sidequest of preventing it from being a weird cesspool of niche socially dysfunctional morons and nihilistic perpetually traumatized losers. That's hell.
Signal, relevance and authenticity are of high importance, and I think that will show in our design choices.