Bluesky, ATProto and the freedom to choose an app

Your identity and history should be able to outlast your enthusiasm for a particular app. Over time, an account holds writing, connections and a name people recognise. Choosing a different interface should not mean starting that life again.

ATProto, the open protocol used by Bluesky, separates account identity and data hosting from the apps that use them. The Atmosphere is the wider ecosystem built around it. That distinction matters: Bluesky is one familiar way to take part in something that can support other apps and services.

On TouchGrass, you can link a Bluesky account to bring in posts from people you follow there and reply to them. It gives those connections a place in an app with a different set of priorities. TouchGrass keeps its focus on the people you chose, with no algorithmic feed or suggested-account stream brought across.

We care about that freedom because independence needs to be useful in everyday life. People should have room to try a different social experience while keeping the connections that made an account worth having. Open standards give developers a way to build towards that expectation.