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Basics

Nostr Basics

Start with the simple map: keys, clients, relays and the first safe steps.

Read What is Nostr? Follow the first path Search a term

Key facts

  1. Public keyHow people find you across apps.
  2. Private keyHow you sign. Never paste it into a website.
  3. ClientsThe apps you choose to read, post and build with.
  4. RelaysWhere signed events travel.

Use this hub when

You want the map before the maze.

If you are new, read the first links in order. If you already know the basics, jump into a reading path or search for the exact term, app or protocol idea you came for.

Read first

Choose your route

Useful next

Your first 20 minutes

Read just enough to stop feeling lost.

You do not need every NIP first. You need the mental model: public key, private key, client, relay and signed event. Once that clicks, the rest of the archive becomes a map instead of a maze.

  1. 01 Understand the idea Start with the plain-language explanation. Open What is Nostr?
  2. 02 Get your first safe path Learn what to try, what to avoid and why private keys stay private. Open Getting started
  3. 03 Decode the words Use the glossary when npub, relay, event or signer suddenly appears. Open the glossary
  4. 04 Choose the next door Go into apps, people, relays, privacy, wallets or standards when your question gets specific. Back to the 12 doors

The model

Four ideas carry most of the weight.

Public keyYour public identity. People can find it across apps. Private keyYour signing secret. Never paste it into a website. ClientsThe apps you use to read, post, search and build. RelaysThe servers that carry signed events between clients.

Learning compass

You are in Basics

Beginner path. Start with the simple model, then use search or the 12 doors when you want a specific answer.

Use this page to Learn the first Nostr concepts, find the right next page and avoid unsafe key handling from the beginning.
Continue the pathOpen related concepts without losing your place
Portable identity should feel like walking into the room with your own name.
A social graph is useful only when real people can actually use it.
Nostr becomes easier when the first door looks like daily life, not a server diagram.
The app is just the surface. The community is the point.
We read open protocol through people, rooms, access and culture.

How to use this page

Start with the clean mental model.

New to Nostr? Read the first concept pages, then follow a path when you want more depth. Looking for one term, app or person? Search the atlas.

Basics Start Exploring 41 pages in this routeCore concepts, Reading paths Browse pagesClose shelf

Core concepts

Reading paths

Deep dives

Field guides

Awesome Nostr branches

Research and library

Source inventory

Read first

Choose your route

Useful next

Portable identity should feel like walking into the room with your own name.
A social graph is useful only when real people can actually use it.
Nostr becomes easier when the first door looks like daily life, not a server diagram.
The app is just the surface. The community is the point.
We read open protocol through people, rooms, access and culture.

Bring something back

Ask, suggest, submit or nominate.

Ask a question, send a source, suggest a fix, submit a project or nominate a public Nostr account. The article stays stable; your contribution gets reviewed beside it.