Connect to the network infrastructure
Relays are simple servers that store and distribute Nostr events. They're the backbone of the network. Connect to multiple relays for redundancy, speed, and reach.
Getting Started? Most clients come with good default relays. Advanced users can optimize their relay list for speed, spam filtering, or specialized content.
wss://relay.damus.io Official Damus relay - one of the most popular and reliable public relays
wss://relay.nostr.band Search-focused relay with full-text search capabilities and trending data
wss://relay.nostr.wine Premium paid relay with spam filtering and guaranteed service
wss://cache1.primal.net Primal's caching relay for blazing-fast performance and trending content
wss://relay.bitcoiner.social Bitcoin-focused community relay
wss://nostr.mutinywallet.com Blast relay that forwards events to multiple relays
wss://relay.current.fyi Relay for Current mobile app with Bitcoin focus
wss://eden.nostr.land Premium paid relay with advanced features and spam protection
wss://filter.nostr1.com Filtering relay with advanced spam protection
wss://relay.nos.social Relay operated by Nos/Planetary team with focus on quality and moderation
wss://relay.nostr.dev.br Brazilian relay serving South American region
wss://relay.nostr.inosta.cc Japanese public relay serving Asian region
wss://nostr.land Suite of paid premium relays with different tiers
wss://relay.nostr.pub Popular public relay with good performance and wide NIP support
wss://nostr.rocks High-performance public relay with excellent uptime
wss://purplepag.es Long-form content focused relay for NIP-23 articles
wss://relay.nostr.info Long-standing public relay, one of the earliest in the ecosystem
wss://relay.nostrich.de German public relay with European focus
wss://relay.snort.social Official relay for Snort social client
wss://relay.wellorder.net Well-established public relay with good reputation
wss://wot.nostr.party Web-of-Trust filtering relay for spam reduction
Free and open to all
Most users start with public relays. They're free, easy to use, and well-connected. May have more spam.
Examples: Damus, nostr.band, nostr.pub
Premium, spam-free experience
Lightning payment required. Dramatically reduces spam. Better signal-to-noise ratio. Worth it for serious users.
Examples: nostr.wine (~$7/month), Eden, nostr.land
Purpose-built for specific functions
Search relays (nostr.band), blast relays (Blastr), article relays (Purplepag.es), WoT filtering, and more.
Use Case: Add alongside general relays for specific features
Optimized for geographic regions
Lower latency for your location. Support local communities. Better performance for users in your region.
Examples: Europe, Asia, North/South America
Most clients come with good default relays. Don't overthink it at first.
Connect to 5-10 relays for redundancy. Mix public and paid for best results.
Add relays based on your needs: search, communities, spam filtering, or speed.
Even one paid relay dramatically improves your experience. Worth $5-10/month.
Include relays near you for lower latency and local content discovery.
Advanced users can run their own relay. Full control, complete data ownership.
Running a Nostr relay is surprisingly simple. Basic relays can run on a Raspberry Pi or cheap VPS for under $5/month.
Coming Soon: Complete guide to running your own Nostr relay
Operating a Nostr relay? We'd love to list it in our directory!
To submit your relay:
Featured Listings: Contact us about sponsored/featured placement for visibility.