Deploy a Free Nostr Blossom Relay to Zeabur

📡 What is Swarm?

Swarm is a private Nostr relay with integrated Blossom media server for teams. Control access via your domain's .well-known/nostr.json, configure user access or custom permissions, and sync media between relays via an embedded bouquet client. Works with any Nostr client. Includes a link to the Curator client to help quickly check relay content and post notes. Default is badger db and filesystem for media, but you can easily switch to a postgreSQL database and S3 storage for media.

One-shot AI Deploy

First, Sign up to the AI Dev ops platform here:

Next, Pick a Relay Name, preferably one word:

Then, set a Relay Public Key (npub or HEX):

Deploy this repository https://github.com/HiveTalk/swarm and please use the zeabur-dashboard branch. 

Name it MyTestRelay. Automatically assign a zeabur domain to the MyTestRelay service. 

Set the following environment variables.

RELAY_NAME="MyTestRelay"
RELAY_PUBKEY="3878......"

Paste into Zebur.com's AI for deploy

Wait until Deployed. Might take a while...Once the zeabur domain name is set, make sure the **BLOSSOM_URL** environment variable is set to the zeabur domain name provisioned.

blossom

If you want to keep using the default settings please mount these volumes, so that the data is not wiped out every time you redeploy.

Volumes

Verify your relay - Jump to Step 3 below.

💰 Zero Cost Relay

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Running a Nostr relay doesn't have to be expensive. By leveraging the free tiers of several modern cloud platforms, you can host a fully functional Swarm relay for $0/month. This is made possible by the generous free usage limits provided by Zeabur and Tigris.

Zeabur (Deployment & Hosting)

Zeabur provides a free tier that is perfect for small relays. It includes enough resources to run the Swarm container and handle initial traffic without any cost.

View Zeabur Pricing

Tigris (S3-Compatible Storage)

For Blossom media storage, Tigris offers an S3-compatible API with a free tier including 5GB of storage and generous transfer limits.

View Tigris Pricing

Note: I am not associated with any of these companies. I simply wanted to share how it's possible to easily deploy a zero-cost relay for starters and show how easy the process can be.

Manual Deployment Guide

🎯 Step 1: Initial Deployment

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Go to your Zeabur.com dashboard
Click "Create New Project"
Select "Deploy from GitHub"
Enter repository URL: https://github.com/HiveTalk/swarm.git
Click "Deploy" with default settings
Wait for initial deployment to complete

ℹ️ Note: The initial deployment uses Badger DB and filesystem for Blossom media storage. This is fine for testing but should be configured for production use.

⚙️ Step 2: Configure Essential Environment Variables

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Navigate to your Zeabur Project dashboard
Click on your deployed service
Go to "Variables" tab
Add/update the following required variables:

Required Variables:

RELAY_NAME="Your Relay Name"
RELAY_PUBKEY="your_relay_public_key_here"
NPUB_DOMAIN="yourdomain.com" # optional if you have it, if not leave blank.

                        

⚠️ Important: The NPUB_DOMAIN should match your domain and reference the /.well-known/nostr.json file to indicate which users have access.

Click "Save" or "Update" after adding variables
Trigger a redeploy from the dashboard

🔧 Don't have a domain with nostr.json yet?

You can set up a NIP-05 service either with the built in one on the relay or set up your own nip05-service repository.

Here's how to Configure nostr.json on the relay

First, set a volume for the relay to save the nostr.json file, in case we redeploy.

Setup Public Domain

You Must setup a domain for your relay to function.

Navigate to the "Networking" tab in your service dashboard
Verify the port is set to 3334 (HTTP)
Under "Public" section, click "Generate Domain" for an automatic domain, or click "Custom Domain" to use your own
Wait for the domain to be activated

💡 Domain Setup: Your relay needs a publicly accessible domain to function. Zeabur can generate one automatically (e.g., swarm123.zeabur.app) or you can configure your own custom domain.

🗄️ Optional: Database Configuration

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Best for production use, consider upgrading from the default Badger DB:

Option A: Zeabur PostgreSQL Template (Recommended for beginners)

In your Zeabur project, click "Add Service"
Select "PostgreSQL" from the marketplace
Wait for PostgreSQL to provision
Zeabur will automatically inject database connection variables, if issues chat with Zeabur's AI assistant Also see guide for details here: ENV_CONFIG_GUIDE.md
Redeploy your application

Option B: InsForge PostgreSQL

InsForge provides a managed PostgreSQL database that is fully compatible with the Swarm relay.

Sign up at insforge.com
Create a new project and provision a PostgreSQL database
Copy the connection string from your InsForge dashboard
Update Zeabur environment variables: Also see guide for details here: ENV_CONFIG_GUIDE.md
DB_ENGINE=postgres DATABASE_URL=postgres://user:pass@host:5432/db?sslmode=disable
Redeploy your application

📦 Optional: S3 Storage Configuration

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Replace filesystem storage with S3-compatible storage for Blossom media:

Using Tigris Data

Sign up at tigrisdata.com
Create a new bucket
Generate access credentials, make sure you have write access granted to the bucket
Add S3 configuration to Zeabur environment variables: Also see guide for details here: ENV_CONFIG_GUIDE.md

                        
# Storage (S3/Tigris)
STORAGE_BACKEND=s3
S3_ENDPOINT="https://tigris or aws url here"
S3_BUCKET=swarm-media
S3_REGION=auto
AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=tid_xxxxx
AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=tsec_xxxxx

# Blossom (enabled for S3)
BLOSSOM_ENABLED=true
BLOSSOM_URL=https://your_url_here
                        
                    

Also remember to update Blossom configuration:

                                
BLOSSOM_ENABLED=true
BLOSSOM_URL=https://swarm123.zeabur.app (use your actual deployed URL)

Save variables and redeploy

💡 Pro Tip: Zeabur's AI assistant can guide you through setting up PostgreSQL and S3 storage directly in the dashboard!

✅ Step 3: Verify Deployment

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Check deployment logs for any errors
Visit your deployed application URL
Verify relay name and description appear correctly
Test basic functionality
Confirm user access via /.well-known/nostr.json

🎉 Success! Your Swarm Nostr relay is now deployed and configured on Zeabur!

🔗 Useful Resources

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🆘 Troubleshooting

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Common Issues:

If deployment fails, check the logs in Zeabur dashboard
Ensure all required environment variables are set correctly
Verify your domain's .well-known/nostr.json file is accessible
For database connection issues, verify your DATABASE_URL format
For S3 issues, confirm your credentials and endpoint are correct