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Relay Implementations

This page covers the major relay implementations available for running your own Nostr relay.

Quick Comparison​

RelayLanguageDatabaseBest ForDifficulty
strfryC++LMDBHigh performanceMedium
nostreamTypeScriptPostgreSQLProduction featuresMedium
nostr-rs-relayRustSQLite/PGEasy setupEasy
khatruGoCustomCustom relaysMedium
fonstrJavaScriptIn-memoryTesting/devEasy
hyper-nostrJavaScriptHyperbeedeeP2P syncEasy

strfry​

High-performance C++ relay with advanced features.

Repository: github.com/hoytech/strfry

Features​

  • Extremely fast (handles millions of events)
  • LMDB database (memory-mapped, crash-resistant)
  • Negentropy sync protocol for relay-to-relay sync
  • Plugin system for custom policies
  • Low memory usage

Quick Start​

git clone https://github.com/hoytech/strfry.git
cd strfry
git submodule update --init
make setup-golpe
make -j4
./strfry relay

Docker​

docker run -p 7777:7777 -v $(pwd)/data:/app/strfry-db hoytech/strfry

Supported NIPs​

NIP-01, NIP-02, NIP-04, NIP-09, NIP-11, NIP-12, NIP-15, NIP-16, NIP-20, NIP-22, NIP-26, NIP-28, NIP-33, NIP-40, NIP-42, NIP-45, NIP-50

nostream​

Production-ready TypeScript relay with rich features.

Repository: github.com/Cameri/nostream

Features​

  • Docker-ready deployment
  • PostgreSQL for scalability
  • Payment integration (NIP-57)
  • Rate limiting and abuse prevention
  • Metrics and monitoring
  • Horizontal scaling support

Quick Start​

git clone https://github.com/Cameri/nostream.git
cd nostream
cp .env.sample .env
docker compose up -d

Configuration​

Edit .env:

RELAY_NAME="My Nostream Relay"
RELAY_PUBKEY="your-hex-pubkey"
RELAY_CONTACT="admin@example.com"

POSTGRES_HOST=db
POSTGRES_PORT=5432
POSTGRES_USER=nostr
POSTGRES_PASSWORD=secure_password

nostr-rs-relay​

Rust relay with SQLite, easy to set up.

Repository: github.com/scsibug/nostr-rs-relay

Features​

  • Simple configuration
  • SQLite or PostgreSQL backend
  • Low resource usage
  • NIP-42 authentication
  • Configurable limits

Installation​

# From cargo
cargo install nostr-rs-relay

# Run
nostr-rs-relay --db ./nostr.db

Docker​

docker pull scsibug/nostr-rs-relay
docker run -p 7777:8080 scsibug/nostr-rs-relay

With custom config:

docker run -it -p 7000:8080 \
  --mount src=$(pwd)/config.toml,target=/usr/src/app/config.toml,type=bind \
  --mount src=$(pwd)/data,target=/usr/src/app/db,type=bind \
  nostr-rs-relay

khatru​

Go relay framework for building custom relays.

Repository: github.com/fiatjaf/khatru

Features​

  • Modular, extensible design
  • Build custom relay logic
  • Go ecosystem integration
  • Easy to embed in applications

Example​

package main

import (
    "github.com/fiatjaf/khatru"
)

func main() {
    relay := khatru.NewRelay()

    relay.StoreEvent = append(relay.StoreEvent, func(ctx context.Context, event *nostr.Event) error {
        // Custom storage logic
        return db.SaveEvent(event)
    })

    relay.QueryEvents = append(relay.QueryEvents, func(ctx context.Context, filter nostr.Filter) (chan *nostr.Event, error) {
        // Custom query logic
        return db.QueryEvents(filter)
    })

    relay.Start("0.0.0.0", 7777, nil)
}

fonstr​

Simple JavaScript relay for testing and development.

Repository: github.com/nostrapps/fonstr

Quick Start​

npx fonstr

With HTTPS:

bin/relay.js -h

Requires privkey.pem and fullchain.pem in current directory.

Use Cases​

  • Local development
  • Testing clients
  • Learning the protocol
  • Phone-based relay (experimental)

hyper-nostr​

Distributed relay using Hyperswarm for P2P sync.

Repository: github.com/Ruulul/hyper-nostr

Features​

  • P2P relay synchronization
  • Hyperswarm for peer discovery
  • Hyperbeedee database
  • No central coordination needed

Installation​

npm install -g hyper-nostr
hyper-nostr 3338 nostr

Testing​

echo '["REQ", "test", {}]' | websocat -n ws://localhost:3338/nostr

Supported NIPs​

NIP-01, NIP-02, NIP-04, NIP-09, NIP-11, NIP-12, NIP-16, NIP-20, NIP-33, NIP-45, NIP-50

Python Relay​

Simple Python relay for learning.

pip install nostr-relay
nostr-relay serve

Choosing a Relay​

For Production​

  1. strfry - Best performance, complex setup
  2. nostream - Feature-rich, Docker-friendly

For Development​

  1. fonstr - Quickest to start
  2. nostr-rs-relay - Simple and reliable

For Custom Use Cases​

  1. khatru - Build exactly what you need
  2. hyper-nostr - P2P/distributed scenarios

See Also​