There Are No Instances in atproto
The article argues that despite common terminology, the AT Protocol (atproto) does not have traditional server instances; instead, it functions more like a shared data relay system, comparable to RSS or Google Reader, where personal data repositories sync across services.
Background
- This essay is by **Dan Abramov** (React core team, Redux co-author), explaining a key design decision in **AT Protocol (atproto)** — the decentralized protocol behind **Bluesky** (a Twitter/X competitor started by former Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey).
- Unlike Mastodon and other ActivityPub-based platforms, atproto has **no traditional "instance" model**. Users don't "join a server" in the normal sense — identity (handles/DIDs) is separate from hosting (PDSes/relays), so users can move between providers without changing their handle.
- Abramov argues that calling services like bsky.social an "instance" is misleading. A better analogy is **RSS and Google Reader** — Reader was just one client; when it shut down, users kept their feeds and migrated. Atproto aims for a similar decoupling: the protocol owns your social graph, not any single host.