1 day, 20,000 users - a new social internet layer disrupting the old web

You’re an indie hacker who struggles for users and revenue - the same old story. Marketing is hard. You build your product for weeks on end, launch and crickets. Zero users.

This was how things used to be, but not anymore.

Imagine that you’re done with the old world. There is a new way to launch successful products and it’s incredibly easy. You’ve got a whole new set of tools and a super power: INSTANT access to thousands of users.

Sounds almost too good to be true, except that it isn’t. For the first time in history, a new type of social layer is enabling entrepreneurs to plug into a protocol that’s eagerly waiting for their products.

This protocol is nostr. A sort of social layer, glue that binds together any app that decides to tap into it.

Nostr - Notes And Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays is deceptively simple but limitlessly abundant in opportunities. On the surface, it looks like an X clone where notes are streamed in a timeline - nothing fancy. But, as you dive down the rabbit hole you quickly realize that it’s nothing like anything that has existed. The “other stuff” is the rabbit hole of unimaginable possibilities.

Nostr is a protocol that takes care of user authentication and reach for the entrepreneur. Imagine not having to worry about maintainng a user database, authentication or even payments. Data lives on distributed servers (relays) that support the entire protocol. All you need to do is access this data and pipe it into your app.

With libraries like NDK (nostr development kit), indie hackers can build nostr apps in a matter of hours. Yes, hours! That’s how long it takes to tap into the entire protocol of existing and future users!

What’s more, it’s all open source and any time one developer improves the protocol, everyone benefits instantly in a backwards-compatible / optional way. It’s kept simple on purpose with other modules (Nostr Implementation Possibilities - NIPS) being completely optional. This means you can get started fast and add on only the functionality your app needs as it matures.

What can you build on nostr? Just about anything.

Nostr Apps is a curated showcase of just a fraction of nostr-powered apps that already exist today. Some of my favorites include:

• Damus - a simple and minimal feed client for iOS.

• Zap.stream - a twitch alternatives where streamers get paid directly
  and instantly by their audiences.

• Fountain - a nostr-enabled podcasting app where listeners can support
  their favorite podcasts while reaching their braoder nostr following.

• Zapstore - an alternative app store where nobody takes a cut of your
  revenues and users can get app recommendations from their friends.

What this all means

I’m not going to lie, I haven’t fully figured out what this means for the world, yet alone for indie hackers. I’ve been down the rabbit hole for close to 2 years and have spent all of my time there (hence my absense on IH), and I am still wrapping my head around what’s possible.

What I can say is that the space is growing fast and experiments are happening all over the place. Right now many of the apps are tapping into zaps for instant payments powered by lightning, but I am more excited to see what the indie hackers come up with - and I don’t think they need to utilize zaps. Even traditional integrations with Stripe could see a huge unlock.

I haven’t even touched on the AI side of nostr, the social graph, the web of trust, the lack of needed to maintain user credentials and so many other things that make this an amazing opportunity for a new type of web! This is a rabbit hole you’ll need to explore on your own.

To get started, I highgly recommend joining the protocol, introducing yourself and asking some questions. Here’s a demo of a developer building a simple app in 30 minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rmQ7ulumgw

Check out Damus or Primal on iOS, Amethyst on Android and come hang out with amazing developers shaping the social internet.