there are a bunch of different types. should be git repos for them you can find. what kind of relay are you wanting to run?

For now just a simple relay server limiting to specific topics

from my understanding strfy is the most basic

GitHub

GitHub - hoytech/strfry: a nostr relay

a nostr relay. Contribute to hoytech/strfry development by creating an account on GitHub.

(lots of forks for differnet flavoring/specifications) you can also get a really good hosted relay on RelayTools https://relay.tools/

This helps thanks

Nostr relays in plain English Nostr is a way to post and message online without any single company owning the place you post to. The part that does the actual moving around is called a relay. A relay is a small server that holds your notes and hands them to anyone who comes looking, a lot like a post office that keeps your mail and passes it to whoever asks for it. What makes Nostr different is that you choose your relays. On normal social media, one company runs the only server, sets the rules, and can lock you out whenever it likes. On Nostr you pick which relays carry your posts, and you can swap them anytime. Your account is a key that belongs to you, so you carry the same identity and the same followers from app to app. No one can take that away or silence you by closing a single server. Getting started is easier than it sounds. Whatever Nostr app you open (Damus on iPhone, Amethyst on Android, Primal on either) comes with a sensible list of relays already set up, so you can post and read from minute one without touching a thing. When you feel like tuning it, the rule of thumb is to keep five to ten relays connected. That gives you redundancy, so if one drops offline your posts still travel through the rest. A few things worth knowing once you open the relay settings: - Free relays are the default and work fine. They cost nothing and are well connected. The trade is more spam. - Paid relays charge a small fee (nostr.wine runs about seven dollars a month, for example). That fee keeps spammers out, so the feed stays cleaner. Adding even one paid relay alongside your free ones lifts the whole experience. - If Nostr ever feels slow, the relays are usually why. Drop a dead or sluggish one, or add a fresh one, and it speeds back up. Down the road, if you catch the bug, you can run your own relay. It is the social version of running your own Bitcoin node, full ownership of your data on a machine you control. A basic one fits on a Raspberry Pi or a cheap server for a few dollars a month. That comes later though, well after you have found your feet. For a friendly guide to all of this, look up @Derek Ross. He is one of the best known advocates in the Nostr world, and his site derekross.me has plain spoken explainers on what relays are and how to pick good ones. His whole aim is making this approachable, so it makes for a soft landing. That is the heart of it. Relays are simple servers, you get to choose them, and the defaults are a fine place to begin. The rest you pick up by playing.

let me know if you have additional questions. not a pro but i moderate and run a few

What good is a paid relay if not everyone is on it