The Nostr Trifecta: Portability, Discoverability, and Verifiability

A trifecta is a set of three distinct elements whose combined presence produces an outcome that none can reliably achieve alone.

Portability

A record is controlled by its holder, not by a platform. • Identity is bound to a key, not an account • Records move with the key across relays, clients, and contexts • Exit is always possible

Without portability: you have a silo.

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Discoverability

A record can be found by others without prior coordination. • Relays enable lookup by public key, kind, tags, or time • No central index is required • Discovery scales socially, not administratively

Without discoverability: you have private data, not a network.

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Verifiability

A record can be independently validated. • Cryptographic signatures bind content to a public key • Integrity is local and replayable • Trust is not delegated to intermediaries

Without verifiability: you have messages, not records.