Run a Nostr Relay
Nostr is a simple, open protocol for censorship-resistant global communication. Unlike centralized social platforms, Nostr messages are carried by independent relays — and anyone can run one.
What is Nostr?
Nostr (Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays) is a protocol where users sign messages with their cryptographic keys and send them to relays. Relays store and forward messages, but no single relay — or government — can silence you. If one relay blocks your messages, your content still lives on every other relay that carries it.
Rev Now publishes episode announcements, community updates, and emergency alerts on Nostr. When you run a relay that carries our messages, you ensure our audience can always find us — even if every major social platform bans the show.
Why Run a Relay?
Censorship resistance
More relays = more places our messages exist. No single point of failure.
Network health
Relays in diverse geographic locations improve latency and resilience.
Community sovereignty
You control what your relay carries. You set the rules, not a corporation.
Support the ecosystem
Every relay strengthens the entire Nostr network — not just Rev Now.
Types of Relays
Public Relay
Accepts events from anyone. High storage requirements but maximum impact. Good for powerful servers with plenty of disk space.
Curated / Paid Relay
Requires payment (Lightning sats) or manual approval. Higher signal-to-noise ratio. Protects against spam. Sustainable model.
Community Relay
Only accepts events from a whitelist of pubkeys (like Rev Now's npub). Low resource requirements — perfect for supporting specific communities.
What You'll Need
Server or VPS
Any Linux server with a public IP (as low as $5/month)
Domain name
Optional but recommended for wss:// connections
Disk space
1 GB minimum (community), 50+ GB for public relays
Technical skill
Comfortable with the terminal and basic sysadmin
Relay Software Options
Ready to set up your relay?
Our step-by-step guide covers strfry installation, domain setup, TLS certificates, and connecting to the Rev Now network.
Full Setup Guide →After Setup: Connect to Rev Now
Once your relay is running, let us know! We maintain a list of community relays on our Access page. To be listed:
- 1.Ensure your relay is publicly reachable via
wss:// - 2.Submit your relay URL via our participation form
- 3.We'll verify connectivity and add it to our relay list
Having trouble?
Check our Nostr troubleshooting guide for WebSocket, TLS, and relay configuration issues.
Nostr Troubleshooting →