bigint/hey

Analysis updated 2026-06-20

★ 29,427TypeScriptAudience · developerComplexity · 4/5LicenseSetup · hard

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((Hey))
    What it does
      Post and follow
      Decentralized identity
      User-owned social graph
    Built on
      Lens Protocol blockchain
      TypeScript monorepo
      PostgreSQL
      Node.js
    Use cases
      Censorship-resistant social
      Developer contributions
      Crypto-native networking
    License
      AGPL-3.0 copyleft

mindmap root((Hey)) What it does Post and follow Decentralized identity User-owned social graph Built on Lens Protocol blockchain TypeScript monorepo PostgreSQL Node.js Use cases Censorship-resistant social Developer contributions Crypto-native networking License AGPL-3.0 copyleft

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What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Run your own version of Hey to participate in a social network where your profile and posts cannot be deleted by any platform company.

USE CASE 2

Use the codebase as a reference for building your own Lens Protocol-based social app, posts, follows, and feeds all in one working example.

USE CASE 3

Contribute to Hey's open-source development to improve a censorship-resistant social platform used by crypto-native communities.

What is it built with?

TypeScriptNode.jsPostgreSQLLens Protocol

How does it compare?

	bigint/hey	statelyai/xstate	bytedance/ui-tars-desktop
Stars	29,427	29,575	29,622
Language	TypeScript	TypeScript	TypeScript
Setup difficulty	hard	moderate	hard
Complexity	4/5	3/5	4/5
Audience	developer	developer	developer

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · hard Time to first run · 1day+

Requires PostgreSQL, Node.js, a Lens Protocol wallet, and understanding of blockchain social graphs before meaningful use.

Copyleft license: free to use and modify, but if you deploy a modified version as a web service you must release your source changes publicly.

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

I want to run Hey locally for development. Walk me through cloning the repo, setting up the PostgreSQL database, installing dependencies in the monorepo workspace, and starting the dev server.

Prompt 2

Explain how Lens Protocol stores social graph data on a blockchain instead of a database, and how Hey's TypeScript frontend reads and writes to it.

Prompt 3

I want to add a new feature to Hey, a pinned post on user profiles. Show me where in the TypeScript codebase I'd add the UI component and how to write the Lens Protocol interaction.

Prompt 4

How does Hey's monorepo workspace structure organize its packages? Show me which packages handle the frontend, the API calls to Lens, and shared utilities.

Frequently asked questions

What is hey?

A decentralized social media app built on the Lens blockchain protocol where users own their profile and follower data, no company can delete your account or censor your posts.

What language is hey written in?

Mainly TypeScript. The stack also includes TypeScript, Node.js, PostgreSQL.

What license does hey use?

Copyleft license: free to use and modify, but if you deploy a modified version as a web service you must release your source changes publicly.

How hard is hey to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated hard, with roughly 1day+ to a first successful run.

Who is hey for?

Mainly developer.

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