FidoNetNostr 1:0/0 not logged in 0 relays --:--:--
Echomail areas
No areas yet.
Connect to relays and tap Refresh.
Select an area to read messages.
Netmail
No netmail.
Connect to relays or send a message.
Select a netmail message or compose a new one.
Nodelist Β· kind:10002
Node addr Pubkey Relay(s) Status Last seen
No nodelist entries. Tap Refresh or Publish yours.
My relay list (NIP-65 kind:10002)

These relays are used for publishing your events and receiving mentions. read = where you read; write = where you publish.

No relay list yet.
Relay list usage
⚠ Relay lists are public metadata. Anyone can see which relays you use.
Discovered relay lists (network)

Recent kind:10002 events from the network. Tap "Add" to add their relays to your connection pool.

Tap "Discover" in the nodelist view to populate.
Packet log β€” store & forward
No packets yet. Events sent & received will appear here.
πŸ”‘ Keys / Identity
No key loaded.
⚠ Private key stored in localStorage. Use a burner key for testing.
πŸ“‘ Connection relays
No relays configured.
🎨 Appearance
πŸ”‡ Mute list (NIP-51 kind:10000)
No muted pubkeys.
πŸ’Ύ Storage
ℹ️ About

FidoNetNostr demonstrates the mapping between FidoNet's store-and-forward social model and Nostr's relay-based protocol. All data is fetched live from Nostr relays.

version1.1.0

FidoNet β†’ Nostr mapping

FidoNet's store-and-forward model is structurally identical to Nostr's relay model. This table maps every FidoNet concept to its Nostr equivalent.

FidoNetNostr / NIPNotes
NodeRelay (WebSocket server)A node stores & forwards packets. A relay stores & forwards events.
Nodelistkind:10002 (NIP-65 relay list)Advertises which relays a user reads from / writes to.
Echomail areaNIP-29 group (h tag) / tag-based groupPublic discussion area. Primary mapping: NIP-29 relay-based groups. Fallback: kind:1 with #echomail:<area> tag.
Echomail messagekind:9 / 11 / 1 with h or t tagNIP-29 group messages use kind:9 (chat) or kind:11 (thread). Tag-based fallback uses kind:1 + #echomail:<area>.
NetmailNIP-17 (kind:14 β†’ 13 β†’ 1059)Private encrypted message. Rumor (kind:14) β†’ Seal (kind:13) β†’ Gift Wrap (kind:1059).
Netmail attachmentkind:15 (NIP-17 file message)Encrypted file sharing inside a DM conversation.
SysopRelay admin / NIP-11 self pubkeyOperator of a node. Identified by the relay's NIP-11 self pubkey.
ModeratorNIP-29 role / kind:39001Group admin defined in the relay's group metadata.
PacketEventThe atomic unit of transfer. A packet carries one message; an event carries one piece of data.
BinkpNIP-77 negentropy / relay syncProtocol for synchronising mail between nodes. Negentropy efficiently reconciles event sets.
AreaFixNIP-51 listsSubscription management. NIP-51 defines standard lists (mute, pin, bookmark, etc.).
FileFixNIP-94 / Blossom (NIP-B7)File distribution. NIP-94 defines file metadata; Blossom stores blobs by SHA-256.
Tearline / OriginRelay hints / client tagRouting metadata. Auto-appended tearline + origin in outbound messages.
PolicyNIP-32 labels, NIP-56 reports, NIP-51 mute listsModeration. Labels, reports, and mute lists form a distributed policy layer.
BBS "high-five"NIP-25 reactions (kind:7)Quick emoji reactions on echomail messages.
Sysop AUTHNIP-42 AUTHChallenge-response authentication to a relay (kind:22242).
"Grep" / archiveLocal full-text searchSearch across echomail messages and nodelist entries.

Why FidoNet's social model was healthy

  • Bounded communities. Each echomail area had a sysop and a charter. People knew the rules and the moderator.
  • Cost of entry. Running a node required real effort, which filtered out drive-by abuse.
  • Store-and-forward. Messages propagated slowly and deliberately, not in a global firehose. This gave conversations space to breathe.
  • Local identity. Your node address (zone:net/node) was a stable, human-readable handle tied to a physical BBS.
  • No algorithmic feed. You subscribed to areas you cared about. There was no engagement optimisation.
  • Moderation was local. Sysops could ban users from their node; the network did not have a central authority.

Quick reference β€” kinds

KindPurposeNIP
0User metadataNIP-01 / 24
1Short text noteNIP-10
7ReactionNIP-25
9Chat message (NIP-29 group)NIP-29 / C7
11Thread rootNIP-7D
13SealNIP-59
14Direct message (rumor)NIP-17
15File messageNIP-17
1059Gift wrapNIP-59
10000Mute listNIP-51
10002Relay list metadataNIP-65
1985LabelNIP-32
22242AUTH challengeNIP-42
30002Relay setsNIP-51
39000Group metadataNIP-29
39001Group adminsNIP-29
9021Join requestNIP-29