Meanwhile nostr 😎
https://video.nostr.build/e1fd67275ed41f951e3d1e396ba6967ffe512271a6bb386914023973440b1636.mp4 

 I understand this *now*, thanks for enlightening me, but what do most relays use for data storage these days? Gotta be something with an index right? 

 strfry uses rasgueadb 

 Thats just a metaprogramming layer over lmdb for setting up tables and indexes. Most of nostr is powered by lmdb atm, even damus/nostrdb 

 Still have to configure nginx, systemd and run certbot. But that's a strict subset of what you have to do for mastodon, I also know from experience :-)

And the needed config is simpler.

Sounds like something to add to nixos. 

 you don't need TLS for a nostr relay  

 And reveal to half the internet what all connected clients are interested in? 

 good answer 

 I let cloudflare terminate tls on the damus relay. Im lazy and it’s all public data. I don’t even run nginx. 

 fwiw this is my configuration right now, maybe it helps: https://gist.github.com/laanwj/a16497ba8b30511b3827e2e733190e5d 

 I also believe that people compare bitcoin to Nostr too directly. In the bitcoin network, it's essential for every participant to have a full copy of the ledger and be able to verify every transaction. However, when it comes to information, in my opinion, the most important feature is its ability to spread freely. Some might run big specialized relays, while others may run smaller, personal backups. As long as information can flow freely, that is more than enough. 

 Simplicity is key 

 That's not a fair comparison. Relays do nothing compared to a full Mastodon install. Mastodon is a complete solution with admin controls, client ,etc.

The instructions are very-well documented on their website and anyone can follow them.

You can even pay a host to spin up a instance for you.