Bluesky

"Bsky" redirects here. For the broadcasting company, see BSkyB.
For other uses, see Bluesky (disambiguation).

Bluesky
A simplified silhouette of a butterfly, with two symmetric pairs of wings, colored with a sky-blue gradient
Current logo used in Bluesky's interface branding, introduced December 2023
Web interface showing a user account on Bluesky. To the left, a list of different modes. In the center, a header and profile description above a feed with posts, threading, and embedded content. To the right, a list of user-selected custom feeds.
Screenshot of the Bluesky desktop interface, featuring the official company account, October 2024
Type of site
Social networking service
Available in19 languages[1]
FoundedOctober 4, 2021; 3 years ago (2021-10-04) in Wilmington, Delaware[2]
CEOJay Graber[3]
Key people
ParentBluesky Social, PBC[2]
URL
github.com/bluesky-social (GitHub)
RegistrationPublicly available since February 6, 2024. Previously invitation-only.[5]
Users
  • Increase 13.5 million total registered users (as of October 30, 2024)[6][7]
  • Increase 6.8 million MAU (as of October 23, 2024)[8]

Bluesky (commonly abbreviated as Bsky) is a decentralized[9] microblogging social platform. The platform was created by Bluesky Social, a public benefit corporation based in the United States, as a proof of concept for the AT Protocol, a communication protocol for decentralized social networks.[10][11] Jay Graber is the company's CEO, with XMPP creator Jeremie Miller and Techdirt founder Mike Masnick serving on its board of directors.[3][4] In addition to its website, the service is also accessible via apps for iOS and Android. The service is focused on microblogging, and has been called "Twitter-like".[12]

A core feature of the service is its usage of domain names as handles. Users are assigned a generic subdomain handle after signing up (such as @example.bsky.social). Handles with the default *.bsky.social suffix redirect to the relevant user's page when visited in a web browser. They can choose to verify a domain or subdomain after signing up.[13] According to the company's website, the system is designed to be a method of verifying a user's legitimacy and identity, akin to how it is common to check a page URL for a potential phishing or typosquatting attack.[14]

  1. ^ "GitHub – bluesky-social/social-app – locales". GitHub. Archived from the original on October 28, 2024. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Division of Corporations - Filing". Government of Delaware. Archived from the original on September 21, 2015. Retrieved January 11, 2024. File Number: 6282898, Incorporation Date: 10/4/2021 (mm/dd/yyy), Entity Name: BLUESKY SOCIAL, PBC, Entity Kind: Corporation, Entity Type: Benefit Corporation, City: WILMINGTON, County: NEW CASTLE, State: DE
  3. ^ a b c "Frequently Asked Questions". Bluesky. Archived from the original on July 14, 2023. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Perez, Sarah (August 6, 2024). "Bluesky adds Techdirt founder Mike Masnick to its board". TechCrunch. TechCrunch, Inc. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  5. ^ Silberling, Amanda (February 6, 2024). "Bluesky is now open for anyone to join". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on February 8, 2024. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  6. ^ jazco.dev. "Stats for BlueSky by Jaz (jaz.bsky.social)". Archived from the original on October 25, 2023. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  7. ^ Bell, Karissa (February 8, 2024). "Bluesky has added almost a million users one day after opening to the public". Engadget. Archived from the original on September 7, 2024. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  8. ^ Davis, Eric. "bskycharts.edavis.dev". bskycharts. Archived from the original on September 7, 2024. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  9. ^ Matney, Lucas (January 15, 2021). "Twitter's decentralized future". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on September 6, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  10. ^ "The AT Protocol". Bluesky Blog. October 18, 2022. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  11. ^ Graber, Jay (March 2, 2023). "Bluesky Private Beta Update". Bluesky Blog. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference Techcrunch twitter-like was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Liu, Emily (April 28, 2023). "How to set your domain as your handle". Bluesky Blog. Archived from the original on September 3, 2024. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
  14. ^ "Our Plan for a Sustainably Open Social Network". Bluesky Blog. July 5, 2023. Archived from the original on September 7, 2024. Retrieved September 2, 2024.