Zero to Zero Knowledge | What Is Bluesky and How It Compares to X
💡Get to know the platform that is rivaling Twitter and its technology
Undoubtedly we are living in an era of decentralized and centralized platforms, where both are fighting to have the best product and consequently attract more users.
We know X (Formerly Twitter) since the pump of the media socials, and it has been the main platform to share news/announcements in the crypto space, and of course, personal opinions.
Even being on the top of the most popular platform, for those who aren’t into politics, tech startups etc, X has undergone several changes applying an abusive algorithm, with ADs, publications that are not of personal interest and other controversies that the platform has been involved in.
Few years before, in 2019, Bluesky was conceived as a research initiative by then Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, aiming to explore decentralized social media protocols. In 2021, Bluesky became an independent company to pursue its mission without the constraints of Twitter’s corporate structure, with Jay Graber, a software engineer, appointed as CEO in August of that year.
Note: Jay Graber was involved with Zcash as a developer. In 2016, she worked as a junior developer for Zcash. Her contribution to Zcash were part of her early career in blockchain technology, which later influenced her work in decentralized social media platform.
By Feb 2022, it became a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC), emphasizing its commitment to developing technologies for open and decentralized public conversation. In the meanwhile, the company began building the Authenticated Transfer (AT) Protocol, designed to underpin a new kind of social media network.
One year after, Bluesky launched its invite-only beta for iOS, followed by an Android release in April. In a short period of time, the platform reached a considerable number of users who were looking for an alternative to centralized platforms such as X.
On February 6, 2024 — they love february — Bluesky opened to the general public, removing the invite-only restriction. After X implemented controversial changes to its block feature and data usage policies in October 2024, Bluesky saw a over 1.2 million new users join within two days.
By November 2024, the user base had expanded to 20 million. As of May 2025, Bluesky boats over 35 million registered users.
Now we know the history of Blueksy, let’s dive into the tech behind the project.
As we mentioned before, Bluesky has developed the Authenticated Transfer Protocol, an open-source framework that supports a federated network design, enabling developers to create independent social apps that integrate seamlessly with Bluesky. Interesting and different, doesn’t it?
Users can also transfer their data, followers, and handless across plataforms. It gives users control over their experience and even being like X or any other social network, it allows users the option to subscribe to different kinds of feeds or even create their own, avoiding ADs (future monetization strategies are being explored with a focus on ethical design)or any random thing that you’re following, and all of this is by default, giving the user two feeds: an algorithmic discover feed and a chronologial following feed.
AT also offers the user the possibility of hosting their own server (Personal Data or PDS) that stores your data. These servers can communicate with each other using the technology, allowing the interation with other servers created by users.
In a nutshell, the key features include Decentralization, Algorithmic Choice, Interoperability, Custom Feeds and Domain-Based Handles.
Ahh, about the features? Bluesky supports text posts, images, replies, reposts, videos, gifs and likes — with a clean and fast interface. The character limits are currently 300 per post, subject to change.
You’re probably wondering: why should I use Bluesky if X is complete?
Well, the answer is simple: X is centralized, owned by Elon Musk, being a private company. Bluesky, by contrast, is decentralized, with more emphasis on freedom, user autonomy and platform interoperability.
The moderation is made by the community through the customizable moderation services, the algorithm is open, the data portability is fully portable (which allows users exports their data and switch providers) and multiple apps can acess the sam esocial network via protocol.
So for those whom is protecting their privacy, it’s clear that Bluesky is the best option, even with most of the startups being based on X (they are migrating over time).
Same to X, anyone can create a post. It can be a text, an image, a meme, a video, a GIF, Link and the posts have a maximum of 300 characters.
As we can see, they are pretty similar.
Conclusion:
The core difference lies in control and openness. X is tightly controlled, proprietary, and built for scale under corporate management. Bluesky offers a federated, user-empowered model, allowing for greater customization, portability, and moderation autonomy — more like how email works across different providers than a locked-in app.
🔐Key Privacy Features
Bluesky puts users in control of their online identity and data. You can use your own domain as your handle, move your account between providers, and choose where your data is hosted.
The platform is decentralized, so you're not locked into one company. Posts are public by default, and while there's no central tracking, metadata can still be analyzed. Moderation is flexible, letting you pick or create your own filters.
You also get to choose the algorithms that shape your feed. However, full data deletion is complicated due to how content spreads across the network.
💰Payment System for Creators
Bluesky's Chief Operating Officer, Rose Wang, has indicated that the platform is prioritizing the creation of an in-app payment system. This system is designed to facilitate transactions both within the Bluesky app and across other applications built on the AT Protocol.
The goal is to align financial incentives among users, creators, and developers, ensuring that as they generate income, Bluesky benefits proportionally through transaction fees .
This includes features like:
Subscription-based content
Tipping Systems
Exclusive Content Access.
What are your thoughts about Bluesky now? Let us know! 😊
