Does it cost anything to use?

The page does not state any pricing or fees; it is presented as a community forum. Check the site's About page and Guidelines for details on participation.

The Nostr Protocol Forum — A community forum for using, building, and running Nostr

The Nostr Protocol Forum is a community forum for people who use, build, and run things on Nostr — the decentralized social protocol. It covers everything from a beginner's first steps with keys and zaps to relay operations, client development, and protocol design. Notably, the forum itself is built on Nostr, running the Squalk forum engine (v0.2.1) and hosted on its own relay at relay.nostr-proto.org.

Key Features

Dedicated topic rooms

Organized discussion rooms: Agora (open conversation, news, opinions, feedback), Help (questions about using Nostr, keys, backups, clients, zaps), Protocol (NIPs, relays, implementation and spec discussion), Apps (client and app releases, showcases, reviews, developer feedback), and Relays (running

Beginner-friendly Help room

A support space where no question is considered too basic — covering keys and backups, choosing a client, notes that don't appear, and zaps that don't work.

Protocol and NIP discussion

A room specifically for spec discussion, proposals, and building on Nostr, aimed at developers and protocol designers.

Built on Nostr itself

The forum is built on the Nostr protocol using the Squalk forum engine (v0.2.1), and its content is hosted on the forum's own relay, relay.nostr-proto.org.

Active community discussions

Recent threads span app showcases (Flotilla, Armada, Sidecar, Squalk), relay topics (application-specific vs open relays, Cloudflare relays, PosterChan), weekly Nostr news recaps, and protocol ideas like Bitcoin-based usernames as an alternative to NIP-05.

How It Works

Pick a room and join the conversation

Visitors browse rooms such as Agora, Help, Protocol, Apps, and Relays, then read or participate in discussions relevant to their interest — from beginner questions to relay administration and protocol proposals.

Runs on Nostr infrastructure

The forum is powered by Squalk, an old-school forum engine built on Nostr, and is backed by the relay.nostr-proto.org relay, tying the community directly to the Nostr network it discusses.

Pros & Cons

Pros

Covers the full spectrum of Nostr participation — end users, client developers, relay operators, and protocol designers — in one place
Explicitly welcoming to beginners; the Help room states no question is too basic
Practice what it preaches: the forum is itself built on Nostr (Squalk) and hosted on its own relay
Dedicated rooms keep relay-operations and protocol-spec discussions separate from casual conversation
Shows recent activity across rooms, indicating ongoing discussions (activity measured in hours to days)

Cons

Who It's For

Best for

Nostr newcomers who need help with keys, backups, clients, and zaps
Developers building Nostr clients, extensions, and apps who want feedback and a place to showcase releases
Relay operators dealing with spam, moderation, storage, performance, and monetization questions
Protocol enthusiasts and contributors discussing NIPs, proposals, and implementation

Not ideal for

People looking for general-purpose discussion outside the Nostr ecosystem
Teams needing a private or enterprise forum solution — this is a public community space

Use Cases

Getting help with Nostr basics like key management, backups, choosing a client, or troubleshooting zaps

Discussing NIPs, spec proposals, and protocol implementation details

Showcasing and reviewing Nostr apps, clients, browser extensions, and signers

Comparing notes on running relays: moderation policy, storage, performance, costs, and monetization

Following community news and weekly Nostr recaps

Sharing feedback with app developers and exploring ideas like alternative identity naming schemes

FAQ

What is The Nostr Protocol Forum?

It is a community forum for people who use, build, and run things on Nostr — whether you are taking your first steps with keys and zaps, shipping relays and clients, designing protocols, or simply curious about where the network is heading.

What topics are covered?

Discussions are organized into rooms: Agora (open conversation and feedback), Help (using Nostr: keys, backups, clients, zaps), Protocol (NIPs, relays, implementation, and spec proposals), Apps (Nostr clients, extensions, releases, and reviews), and Relays (running a relay: moderation policy, storage, performance, costs, monetization).

Is the forum itself built on Nostr?

Yes. The forum is built on Nostr using the Squalk forum engine (v0.2.1), and it is hosted on the relay at relay.nostr-proto.org.

Is it suitable for beginners?

The Nostr Protocol Forum