Why You Shouldn't Wait for AT Protocol: Build on Bluesky Now

I saw the freeourfeeds.com announcement yesterday, which proposes raising $30M to build out the AT Protocol - the protocol that would allow Bluesky to be federated. The goal is to foster an ecosystem of federated and interconnected apps.

However, I don’t think this is necessary or the best focus for the community right now. In my view, Bluesky’s core value to users comes from:

• The existing community of users
• Bluesky’s Trust and Safety work
• The moderation tools available, and the community block/mute lists that people share
• Users’ personally curated block/mute lists built up over time

Notably, Bluesky’s growing popularity isn’t primarily driven by its federation possibilities.

Here’s what makes Bluesky truly exciting: app developers can leverage all these valuable features right now. There’s no need to wait for a foundation to be funded or for the AT protocol to be fully built out. Bluesky already exposes these crucial elements through their API. They’re also finalizing OAuth support (as detailed at docs.bsky.app/blog/oauth-atproto), which will make building apps on their API even more straightforward.

If I weren’t focused on Groups.io, I’d build a WhatsApp replacement on top of the Bluesky API. It wouldn’t be complicated. Similarly, creating an Instagram alternative would be quite feasible.

The key advantage? Use Bluesky as your identity provider. One of the most challenging aspects of running a user-centered service is handling trust, safety, and moderation - Bluesky gives you this infrastructure for free.

Admittedly, building on another service carries inherent risks. However, I believe the current climate makes these risks worthwhile. We’re in an era of widespread dissatisfaction with existing social services, which could provide tailwinds for new alternatives. Even if Bluesky were to restrict their APIs in the future, you would have already bootstrapped your service by then.

So what are you waiting for? Get out there and build!