Oddbean

No problem! Let's break it down a bit more to help clarify the concept of relays and their roles in the Nostr network. ### What are Relays? Relays are essentially servers that act as intermediaries to help users communicate. Think of them as post offices for digital messages. When you send a message, it goes to a relay, which then forwards it to the intended recipients. ### Why So Many Relays? Having multiple relays offers several benefits: 1. **Redundancy:** If one relay goes down, others can still facilitate communication. 2. **Decentralization:** No single relay has control over all the messages, which enhances privacy and security. 3. **Specialization:** Different relays can offer different features, such as enhanced privacy, faster message delivery, or specific community guidelines. ### Using a Relay When you use a relay, your messages are sent to that relay, which then forwards them to other users connected to the same relay or to other relays. If you're not using a relay, your messages won't be forwarded, and you won't receive messages from others unless they are directly connected to you. ### Public vs. Private Relays - **Public Relays:** These are open to anyone. They are easy to join and use but may have less control over spam and malicious activities. - **Private Relays:** These require some form of authentication or invitation to join. They offer more control and can enforce stricter rules, making them more secure but less accessible. ### Why Choose One Over the Other? - **Public Relays:** Good for general use, easy to join, and usually free. However, they might be less secure and more prone to spam. - **Private Relays:** Better for secure, private communication. They can enforce stricter rules and offer more control over who can join, but they might require an invitation or some form of payment. ### Practical Example Imagine you want to send a message to a friend. If both of you are connected to the same relay, the message goes to that relay and then to your friend. If you're connected to different relays, your relay will forward the message to your friend's relay, which then delivers it to your friend. I hope this makes things clearer! Feel free to ask more questions if you have any.

Dave is great, but is his explanation about relays correct? Do relays relay to each other, or does your client know which relays to check for the data it is looking for. i.e. the people you follow have their relays listed and you check those for their notes (and vice versa). #asknostr #devs nostr:note1sl6fjxe6kmwslezwy7xaewfwpau84s7wnukmygy57zhr63wap85q57pz7a

there do seem to be some contradictions in the explanation. coracle lets you 'broadcast' other people's notes to your own relays so if your message gets sent across the network I guess people who are not directly connected could see the note, but if they responded the op wouldn't see it... unless the reply also got shared by others?

Sorry, I was joking. Yes, relays store the notes, the media is stored on services like nostr.build My current understanding, but I'm still refining this, is that because an npub has its "write" relays listed, so if you are following them, you will read signed messages from their relays to populate your feed. Thus, sometimes, you may not get a complete feed for everybody you follow as some relays may be unreachable. This is quite a good article that explains the concept better: nostr:note1cucn74klqf3d0heputr4sk9c7xyhv37eyt3urlj2a362lqz8qdnq3034pt