ATProto Spaces brings private data to decentralized social

ATProto is finally getting non-public data, starting with an alpha release for developers.

The Bluesky team published the alpha for "spaces" — a new extension to the AT Protocol. Until now, every post, follow, like, and block on the network was entirely public. Spaces add access control, letting developers store non-public data like private bookmarks, draft posts, and invite-only groups.

Why it matters: Public networks usually struggle with non-public content because global relays broadcast every record. Spaces skip the global relay entirely, syncing data directly between hosts. This gives developers access control while keeping portable identities intact. One important detail: spaces manage access control, not encryption — authorized apps can still read the raw data.

Try it / know this: You can test a sample app at bulletin.my or run the tagged Docker image (ghcr.io/bluesky-social/atproto:pds-spaces-alpha). Do not use real accounts or production data — the alpha PDS will be deleted when testing ends.

Public feeds got decentralized social off the ground, but private rooms are where people actually talk.