I don't deal in protocol wars, I place lots of bets on open tech. But there's a reason I don't typically expect durable open protocols to come from VC backed for-profit. If ATProto succeeds long term — it does show promise — it'll be in spite of Bluesky PBC, and thanks to the rest of the ecosystem.
May 7, 2026 at 4:16 PM
Why a New Protocol? The History and Future of AT Protocol - AT Protocol
Bluesky CTO Paul Frazee and Head of Protocol Daniel Holmgren join for a wide-ranging conversation about what atproto is, why it exists, how it got built, and where it's going next. From a Twitter consultancy to an IETF working group, this is where to get started.
ATProto ideas
If AT Protocol becomes “a meaningful layer of the web” — even if it’s only tens of millions of users — then the winning ideas probably won’t only be futuristic...
I am very excited about AT Protocol
AT Protocol (atproto) is the right mix of useful, practical, personal, and fun. I think it could save the internet.
bnewbold.net
Bluesky released early documentation for the "AT Protocol" (atproto) a few weeks ago, and I've been noodling around with it. Technically, it strikes an appealing balance between rigid cryptographically signed content-addressable storage on the one hand, and familiar web-friendly schemas and integrations on the other. But at an ecosystem level, there are already a bunch of existing open social media projects. Does atproto bring anything interesting to the table? How might it fit in compared to other similar protocols?
How can open social protocols fail us in 2025 | shazow.net
Let’s compare the possible failure modes of various open social protocols: ActivityPub/Mastodon ATProto/Bluesky Farcaster/Warpcast Some scenarios I’d like to …
atproto.energy
Energy networks built on open protocols — from a Bluesky post about AI emissions to a case for open protocols in the energy sector, built on the AT Protocol.
#protocolsforpublishers #atproto #mcp #webapplets | Chad Kohalyk
Web publishing is facing its next challenge: a new iteration of centralizing platforms. BUT there is also a new wave of open protocols and standards that can help us gain our independence. Next month in NYC we are gathering a group of frontier technologists and popular web publishers to discuss how we can sail into this next platform shift as captains. #ProtocolsForPublishers Learn more and sign up here: https://pfp.unternet.co We will be hosting talks on #atproto #mcp #webapplets and web payments, and give publishers the opportunity to interact directly with developers working on these frontier technologies. Thank you to Unternet, Graze Social, Free our Feeds, and betaworks for their support.
Ricardo J. Méndez (@ricardo.bsky.social)
If WSocial sold people on the idea that everyone they would interact with is ID-verified, then indeed, every single open ATProto community would act as a back door of sorts. The only way for them to deliver would be to de-federate entirely. And it's always a bad idea to bet against openness.
FediForum Talk: Atproto: A Technical Introduction
By Daniel Holmgren, head of protocol at Bluesky PBC. AT Protocol (atproto) is the open protocol powering Bluesky and the emerging Atmosphere. This talk gives a high-level overview of atproto's app...
Understanding Atproto - AT Protocol Docs - AT Protocol
Dive deeper into the concepts behind the AT Protocol.
Supporting the npmx Alpha Launch - AT Protocol
The launch of npmx is an incredible showcase for how open source communities can build quickly on top of atproto.
Protocol Reader - Summer of Protocols
The Protocol Reader The Protocol Reader is an 358-page book (currently only available as an epub) comprising 26 foundational essays by 31 authors from the Summer of Protocols program, carefully edited and sequenced to introduce you to the fascinating new discipline of Protocol Studies. It can serve as
