FAQ
What is Harbor?
Harbor is an open-source, distributed social network. Content is published to multiple servers at once, so no single server owns the network or your data. See the Introduction for the full model.
Do I need an account on a server?
No. Your identity is a set of cryptographic keys held on your devices, not a server account. Every post is signed by a key you control, so servers cannot forge or alter your content, and your identity works across any servers you choose.
What happens if a server shuts down or bans me?
You post to the world, not to a server. Every post goes to all the servers you use, and clients read from whichever server has the data. If one server disappears or refuses to serve your content, your audience can still reach you through the rest.
How is Harbor different from Mastodon?
Both are open networks where anyone can run a server. The main difference is where identity and content live: a Mastodon account belongs to its home server, while a Harbor identity is a set of keys you hold, and your content lives on several servers at once. See Compared to federated networks.
How is Harbor different from Nostr?
Both use signed events stored on servers you choose, with no account on any server. Nostr keeps its core deliberately minimal and leaves the rest to optional extensions. Harbor is more opinionated: it specifies more up front so that apps and servers behave the same way.
- One specification. Nostr's core is a small JSON event format, and almost everything else, from replies and reactions to deletes and direct messages, comes from optional NIPs that each client and relay may or may not support. The Polycentric Protocol defines its event and content types (posts, replies, reposts, reactions, follows, profiles, reports, labels and verifications) as one typed Protocol Buffers schema, and servers expose the same gRPC API. A client can rely on every server understanding the same events.
- Keys. A Nostr identity is a single key pair, copied to every device and app, and if it leaks or is lost the identity goes with it. A Harbor identity is a document of keys: each device gets its own key, keys can be revoked, and the identity can be recovered with a new key. See Identities and keys.
- Complete history. Each Harbor event links to the ones before it, and carries a vector clock recording the latest event it knew of from each of the identity's other devices. A client can tell when a server is missing or hiding someone's posts, and order posts made on different devices. Nostr events stand alone, so a relay can leave some out without anyone noticing. See Hash-linking and proofs and Vector clocks.
- Deleting content. Harbor events point to their content instead of carrying it, so a post's content can be deleted while the history stays verifiable.
- Discovery and moderation. Search, recommended feeds and content labels are part of what every Harbor server provides, and clients combine results from several servers. On Nostr these come from whichever relays and third-party services a client chooses to support.
- Verified accounts. Harbor has verifications built in: you can prove you own accounts on other platforms, and people you choose can vouch for claims about you.
Is Harbor a blockchain?
No. Harbor provides distributed synchronization and censorship resistance without consensus, so it avoids the latency and throughput costs of blockchain consensus. See Why not a blockchain.
Who moderates content?
Moderation is per-server: each server decides what it serves and curates its own discovery feeds, and you pick the servers whose moderation you trust. See Content moderation & removal.
Can I get a readable username?
Yes. An alias like [email protected] points a domain you control at your
Harbor identity, so people can find you by a memorable handle instead of a
long key. See Setting Up an Alias.
Can I run my own server?
Yes. Anyone can run a server and interoperate with the rest of the network. See Running a Server.
Where do I get help?
See the Support page for how to reach FUTO by chat or email.