---
title: Nostr Implementation Possibilities (NIPs)
description: Documentation on what must, should, and may be implemented by Nostr.
---

What are NIPs and why should you care about them?

---

## What is a NIP?

A Nostr Implementation Possibilty, or NIP for short, exist to document what MUST, what SHOULD and what MAY be implemented by Nostr-compatible relay and client software. It is a document outlining how the Nostr protocol works.

## Why should I care?

Nostr is decentralized and not owned by a centralized service (like Twitter). This means that the direction of the protocol is up to all of us! We can suggest and advocate for changes and offer feedback on ideas suggested by others. Being an active part of the community gives you a say in the direction of the network. NIPs published in the main repository are already approved. Adding new ideas is done via Pull Request on that repo.

## Where can I find NIPs?

You can see all current NIPs in the [Nostr NIP repo](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips).
