explaingit

bigint/hey

📈 Trending★ 29,413TypeScriptAudience · developerComplexity · 4/5ActiveLicenseSetup · hard

TLDR

A decentralized social media app built on Lens Protocol where users own their identity and data instead of a corporation controlling it.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      Decentralized social network
      User-owned profiles
      Post and follow
    Tech stack
      TypeScript
      Node.js
      PostgreSQL
    Use cases
      Build on Lens Protocol
      Censorship-resistant social
    Audience
      Crypto-native users
      Lens developers

Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Build a social media app where users control their own profiles and cannot be censored by a platform.

USE CASE 2

Create a decentralized social feature or tool that integrates with Lens Protocol's blockchain-based social graph.

USE CASE 3

Run a self-hosted social network where followers and posts are owned by users, not the operator.

Tech stack

TypeScriptNode.jsPostgreSQLLens Protocol

Getting it running

Difficulty · hard Time to first run · 1day+

Requires PostgreSQL setup, Lens Protocol testnet configuration, and understanding of blockchain wallet integration.

You can use and modify the code freely, but any derivative work must also be open-source under the same AGPL-3.0 license.

In plain English

Hey is a decentralized social media application built on top of Lens Protocol, a blockchain-based social graph. "Decentralized" means no single company owns the data or controls who can participate, instead, social connections and content live on a public blockchain. "Permissionless" means anyone can build on or interact with the network without needing approval. The app lets users post, follow, and interact in ways similar to mainstream social platforms, but because it runs on Lens Protocol, users own their social identity and data rather than a corporation. It is built as a monorepo, a single code repository containing multiple related packages, using TypeScript as the primary language. Under the hood, it uses a PostgreSQL database for development data storage, and Node.js as its JavaScript runtime. The project is structured with workspaces so that multiple internal packages can share dependencies cleanly. Someone would reach for Hey if they want a social media experience where their profile and follower graph cannot be deleted or censored by a platform, or if they are a developer wanting to build on or contribute to a Lens-based social application. It is aimed at users interested in crypto-native, user-owned social networking. The codebase is released under the GNU AGPL-3.0 license.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
How do I set up Hey locally and start posting on Lens Protocol?
Prompt 2
Show me how to add a new feature to Hey that lets users create custom feeds based on their interests.
Prompt 3
How does Hey store user data on the blockchain instead of a centralized database?
Prompt 4
Walk me through the monorepo structure and how the TypeScript packages share dependencies in Hey.
Open on GitHub → Explain another repo

Generated 2026-05-18 · Model: sonnet-4-6 · Verify against the repo before relying on details.