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Bluesky is a social-network app for public conversation, built on an open protocol called AT Protocol. It looks much like a short-form microblogging service, but it is designed to let different services provide accounts, feeds and moderation—and to give users more choice over what they see.
What is Bluesky?
Bluesky is both a social app and part of a broader network built on AT Protocol. People use the Bluesky app to post, follow accounts and join public conversations. The protocol is an open framework intended to let compatible apps and services work with shared public data.
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Bluesky’s official FAQ describes AT Protocol as “a protocol for public conversation and an open-source framework for building social apps.” Its design emphasizes interoperability, account portability, user choice of feeds and moderation, rather than requiring every part of the experience to be controlled by one app.
How does Bluesky work?
Bluesky runs on the AT Protocol, an open network in which apps can read and write the same public data. The protocol uses schemas called Lexicons to define record types, so compatible services can interpret shared content.
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In practice, Bluesky’s app is one way to access the network. The protocol’s design separates elements such as account hosting, feed selection and moderation, though the ability to switch between providers or use another compatible app depends on implementation and service support.
Is Bluesky decentralized?
Bluesky is built on a decentralized protocol, but that does not mean every user currently spreads their activity across many providers or that Bluesky has no central platform role. Its architecture is intended to support interoperable services and easier provider switching. The extent to which those options work in a given situation depends on the services involved.
Decentralization also does not eliminate moderation. Bluesky can enforce platform rules while users choose to add independent moderation and labeling services.
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Feeds and ranking
Users can choose among chronological, discovery and custom feeds. Custom feeds let people select different ways to find and rank posts, rather than relying only on a single default ranking system. In a September 19, 2025 product post, Bluesky said its app had a marketplace of more than 100,000 user-built algorithms. That is a dated company claim, not a guarantee of the current number.
Moderation and labels
Bluesky supports “composable” moderation: users can subscribe to independent labeling and moderation services as well as rely on platform-level enforcement. This gives users additional ways to filter or label content, but it does not make every moderation decision user-controlled or replace the platform’s own rules.
Account identity
A Bluesky user can use a domain they control as their handle. A custom-domain handle can make an account easier to recognize as belonging to a publication, company or creator. Using a domain for identity is distinct from hosting the account on a different service.
Account portability
AT Protocol is designed to let people change service providers without abandoning their identity and social graph. That portability is a protocol goal, not an unconditional promise that every provider supports every move or that every detail transfers in every case. Actual switching depends on implementation and service support.
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Are Bluesky posts private?
No. Bluesky’s documentation says that all data published to AT Protocol is public and that Bluesky posts are technically accessible to anyone. Visibility settings may limit distribution or reach, but they do not make ordinary posts private in the way an encrypted messaging service does.
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Do not post sensitive information on Bluesky on the assumption that changing a visibility preference makes it confidential.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Is Bluesky like Twitter or X?
Bluesky resembles Twitter/X in its short-form posts and public conversations, but the services differ in how their networks and user choices are designed. Bluesky is built on AT Protocol, which aims to support interoperability, provider portability, user-selected feeds and composable moderation. Those design goals do not mean the two services have identical features, audiences or moderation systems.
A useful comparison is to ask who controls each part of the experience—not simply whether both apps have posts and followers:
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors- Accounts and portability: AT Protocol is designed to support changing providers while retaining identity and social graph, subject to implementation and support.
- Feeds: Bluesky offers chronological, discovery and custom-feed options; its September 2025 marketplace figure was a company-reported count of more than 100,000 algorithms.
- Moderation: Bluesky combines platform enforcement with the option to use independent labels and moderation services.
- Visibility: Bluesky posts are public by default at the protocol level; visibility preferences do not make them equivalent to private encrypted messages.
- Interoperability: AT Protocol is intended to let compatible apps and services work with the same public data.
How large is Bluesky?
Bluesky’s company FAQ reported more than 44 million users in May 2026. Its 2025 transparency report said the service grew from 25.94 million to 41.41 million users during 2025. These are company-reported figures, and network size can change quickly.
What Bluesky’s moderation figures mean
Bluesky’s 2025 transparency report said the company reviewed 9.97 million reports, applied 16.49 million labels and removed 2.45 million pieces of violating content, with moderation coverage around the clock. These figures describe the company’s reported operational activity; they are not an independent audit of moderation effectiveness.
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