What Is Bluesky? Everything to Know About the X Competitor

In the rapidly shifting landscape of social media, a compelling new platform is emerging with a bold vision for how online interaction should work. Bluesky, a decentralized social media network founded with the support of Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, is quickly gaining attention as a serious challenger to X (formerly Twitter). Built around principles of openness, user control, and transparent design, Bluesky represents a fundamental rethink of how digital communities can be structured and governed.

By leveraging decentralized protocols and offering customizable features that put the user in charge, Bluesky is resonating with individuals tired of opaque algorithms, data harvesting, and top-down moderation. But what exactly is Bluesky, how does it work, and why are millions flocking to it?

This deep dive explores Bluesky’s origins, core technologies, unique features, and the movement it’s inspiring—a movement aimed at giving power back to users in the social media space.

Origins of Bluesky

Bluesky began in 2019 as a research initiative under Twitter’s umbrella, launched by then-CEO Jack Dorsey with the intent of exploring decentralized social networking protocols. It was born out of a desire to move away from the centralized, corporate-driven structures that dominated online discourse.

In 2021, the project spun off into an independent organization with software engineer and entrepreneur Jay Graber stepping in as CEO. Under her leadership, Bluesky began developing the Authenticated Transfer Protocol (AT Protocol), the technical backbone of the platform. Though originally supported by Twitter, Bluesky now functions independently of X and is driven by its own mission and community.

Public interest surged when the platform launched publicly in February 2024. Within a year, Bluesky had amassed over 30 million users, many drawn by growing dissatisfaction with the user experience on centralized platforms. Changes to X under Elon Musk, including controversial moderation shifts and paywall policies, only accelerated the exodus to alternatives like Bluesky.

The platform’s open governance, transparent communication, and developer-first mentality have only strengthened its appeal.

Learn more about Bluesky’s backstory on Wikipedia

The AT Protocol: Foundation of a New Social Web

At the core of Bluesky is the Authenticated Transfer Protocol (AT Protocol)—a decentralized, open-source framework that enables seamless communication across independently hosted social apps. The AT Protocol ensures that users are not locked into a single platform and can move between services while maintaining their digital identity and social graph.

Benefits of the AT Protocol include:

• Data Sovereignty: Users own their identity, posts, and relationships.
• Federation: Different services can host their own social networks while remaining interoperable.
• Transparency: All code is open-source, inviting audit, trust, and innovation.
• Developer Freedom: Anyone can build new tools, services, or moderation systems using the protocol.

Much like how email works across providers, Bluesky envisions a social internet where users choose their hosting provider, moderation policies, and even content algorithms.

Explore the AT Protocol on Bluesky’s GitHub

Key Features That Set Bluesky Apart

Bluesky stands out not just for its underlying tech but for the thoughtful user-facing features that reflect its decentralized ethos:

1. Customizable Algorithms

Bluesky allows users to choose how their content is surfaced. Instead of a single, opaque feed dictated by corporate interests, users can select or create personalized ranking algorithms. This offers a transparent and diverse approach to content discovery and helps reduce echo chambers and misinformation.

2. Composable Moderation

Moderation in Bluesky isn’t centralized. Users and communities can subscribe to moderation services or build their own. This flexibility promotes nuanced moderation and prevents the heavy-handed censorship or negligence often seen on traditional platforms.

3. Open Source and Extensible

Bluesky’s open-source codebase invites contributions from developers worldwide. This enables rapid iteration, security through transparency, and a flourishing ecosystem of third-party apps and tools built on the protocol.

4. Portability and Identity Control

Because Bluesky separates identity from platform, users can migrate their profiles between different service providers. This breaks down platform lock-in and fosters healthy competition based on service quality rather than user captivity.

The New Yorker explores Bluesky’s mission

Rapid Growth and the Rise of a Community

Bluesky’s rise in early 2024 marked a shift in public perception of what social media could be. Within months, it attracted millions of users dissatisfied with the direction of legacy platforms. The initial invite-only model fostered a focused, values-driven community that prioritized constructive discourse and experimentation.

Today, Bluesky’s users include:

• Developers building decentralized applications and clients
• Creators and influencers seeking fairer content discovery and monetization
• Moderators and activists testing community-driven governance
• Everyday users tired of ad-based engagement manipulation and data surveillance

Bluesky continues to roll out features like domain-based verification, support for rich media, and new monetization options for creators—all designed to support sustainable, open communities at scale.

Read more on Bluesky’s growth at Barron’s

Ongoing Challenges

Despite its strong momentum, Bluesky faces significant challenges as it attempts to reshape the social web:

• Educating New Users: Decentralization is a foreign concept to many. Onboarding must be simple and intuitive.
• Scaling Infrastructure: Growth must be met with a reliable, performant infrastructure that retains the benefits of decentralization.
• Moderation Complexity: While composable moderation is promising, it must scale effectively to handle abuse and misinformation.
• Revenue Models: Bluesky must fund operations without relying on invasive ads or user exploitation.

To its credit, the Bluesky team is taking a transparent, community-first approach to solving these issues, including regular updates, open discussions, and opportunities for user involvement in platform evolution.

Why Bluesky Matters

Bluesky is not just another app—it’s a framework for rethinking how people interact online. At a time when centralized platforms are facing backlash for their business models and governance practices, Bluesky’s decentralized model offers a new path forward.

By allowing users to own their identities, control their data, and shape their social experiences, Bluesky fosters trust, diversity, and long-term resilience. It challenges the notion that a single corporation should control global communication and offers a model for open, collaborative innovation.

Whether it becomes the next dominant network or spurs a new generation of decentralized platforms, Bluesky’s impact on the future of the internet is already being felt.

Conclusion

Bluesky represents a fresh and ambitious vision for social media. With its commitment to decentralization, transparency, and user empowerment, it directly challenges the structures and practices of mainstream platforms like X. Backed by a thriving developer community, a fast-growing user base, and a powerful open-source protocol, Bluesky may very well be the beginning of a new era of online interaction.

If you’re a developer, creator, or user seeking more agency and less algorithmic manipulation in your online life, Bluesky is a platform worth exploring.

Read the full profile of Bluesky on the Financial Times