> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/estebanrfp/gdb/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Nostr Signaling

> Run your own Nostr relay for GenosDB peer discovery

GenosDB/GenosRTC uses the Nostr relay network for peer discovery and signaling. By running your own Nostr relay, you get full control, better privacy, and improved reliability.

## Benefits

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Full Control" icon="crown">
    Complete ownership of signaling infrastructure
  </Card>

  <Card title="Privacy" icon="eye-slash">
    Signaling metadata stays on your infrastructure
  </Card>

  <Card title="Reliability" icon="shield-check">
    No dependency on public relay availability
  </Card>

  <Card title="Customization" icon="sliders">
    Configure access control, rate limiting, and retention policies
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Quick Start (Under 5 Minutes)

This guide deploys a Nostr relay using **nostream** on an Ubuntu VM with Nginx and HTTPS.

### Prerequisites

* Cloud VM (DigitalOcean, Linode, AWS, etc.)
* Domain name with DNS access
* Basic server administration familiarity

### Step 1: Provision VM

Create and access an Ubuntu server, then install packages:

```bash theme={null}
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y nodejs npm nginx certbot python3-certbot-nginx git tmux curl
```

### Step 2: Install Docker

```bash theme={null}
sudo mkdir -p /etc/apt/keyrings
curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg

echo "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu $(lsb_release -cs) stable" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null

sudo chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-compose-plugin
```

Verify:

```bash theme={null}
docker --version
npm --version
node --version
```

### Step 3: Clone nostream

```bash theme={null}
git clone https://github.com/Cameri/nostream.git
cd nostream
```

### Step 4: Configure Nginx

Remove default config:

```bash theme={null}
sudo rm -f /etc/nginx/sites-available/default
```

Create new config:

```bash theme={null}
sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/default
```

Insert:

```nginx theme={null}
server {
    server_name relay.example.com;

    location / {
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;

        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:8008;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
    }
}
```

Test and reload:

```bash theme={null}
sudo nginx -t
sudo service nginx restart
```

### Step 5: Configure DNS

Add an **A record** pointing `relay.example.com` to your VM IP.

### Step 6: Enable HTTPS with Certbot

```bash theme={null}
sudo certbot --nginx -d relay.example.com
```

### Step 7: Start the Relay

```bash theme={null}
tmux
cd ~/nostream
npm run docker:compose:start
```

**Detach**: `Ctrl+B`, then `D`\
**Reattach**: `tmux a`

### Step 8: Test Your Relay

Use any WebSocket testing tool to connect:

```
wss://relay.example.com
```

If the connection succeeds, your relay is live!

## Use Your Relay in GenosDB

```javascript theme={null}
import { gdb } from "genosdb";

const db = await gdb("my-db", {
  rtc: {
    relayUrls: [
      "wss://relay.example.com",
      "wss://another-relay.example.org" // Optional backup
    ]
  }
});
```

## Production Considerations

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Event Limits and Retention">
    Configure in `nostream` settings to limit storage and manage retention policies.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Authentication and Access Control">
    Restrict relay access to known clients using authentication mechanisms.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Monitoring and Logging">
    Set up monitoring for relay health, connection counts, and error rates.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Regular Updates">
    Keep Docker images and dependencies updated for security patches.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

More details: [nostream GitHub](https://github.com/Cameri/nostream)

## Related Pages

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="GenosRTC Architecture" icon="satellite-dish" href="/advanced/p2p/genosrtc-architecture">
    P2P networking overview
  </Card>

  <Card title="Fallback Server" icon="server" href="/advanced/p2p/fallback-server">
    Optional reliability enhancement
  </Card>
</CardGroup>