Spam & Filtering¶

Spam resistance is a core design goal of Azzamo relays.

The goal is not to censor opinions, but to reduce automated noise, abuse, and low-effort flooding that makes Nostr unusable at scale.

Why spam filtering exists¶

Open write access on Nostr relays leads to predictable problems:

Automated spam and scams
Mass reposting and reply flooding
Low-effort advertising
Resource exhaustion

Without filtering, relay performance and user experience degrade quickly.

Azzamo treats spam resistance as infrastructure, not moderation theater.

Layered approach¶

Azzamo uses multiple layers of filtering rather than a single rule.

Each layer removes a class of abuse while minimizing false positives.

Payment-based write access¶

The first and most important filter is economic.

Writing to the premium relay requires active premium time
Premium time is paid using Bitcoin Lightning
Automated abuse becomes expensive

This does not block anyone from reading or following users elsewhere on Nostr.

Rate limiting¶

Free relay endpoints apply rate limits.

Limits are per public key
Burst limits protect against floods
Sustained abuse is automatically throttled

Rate limits are tuned to allow normal usage while blocking automation.

Web of Trust filtering¶

Azzamo uses Web of Trust–based rules for importing and prioritizing events.

Events from trusted public keys are prioritized
Unknown or low-trust sources may be delayed or filtered
Trust is based on observed network relationships, not manual lists

This improves signal quality without requiring global blocklists.

Client-side compatibility¶

Filtering on Azzamo relays does not replace client-side controls.

Clients remain free to apply their own filters
Muting, blocking, and content warnings still work
Users can connect to additional relays freely

Azzamo filtering complements client behavior rather than overriding it.

What is considered spam¶

Examples of behavior that may be filtered or limited:

Automated posting at high frequency
Repeated identical or near-identical content
Large-scale unsolicited advertising
Scam or phishing campaigns
Resource abuse intended to degrade service

Normal conversation, criticism, and controversial opinions are not considered spam by default.

What is not filtered¶

Azzamo does not filter based on:

Political views
Personal opinions
Client choice
Network affiliation

Filtering is based on behavior and impact, not ideology.

Enforcement behavior¶

Most enforcement is automatic.

Rate limits and filters apply silently
No manual review is required for normal cases
Severe or repeated abuse may trigger stronger limits

In cases involving coordinated abuse or harm, additional tooling such as the Ban API may be used.

Trade-offs¶

Spam resistance always involves trade-offs.

Azzamo intentionally prioritizes:

Network health over unlimited free writes
Predictable behavior over maximal permissiveness
Economic friction over manual moderation

Users who want fully unfiltered environments can and should use other relays alongside Azzamo.

Free vs Premium access
Azzamo Premium overview
Moderation and Trust
Ban API overview