Getting Started

Barazo is a forum built on AT Protocol, the same open network behind Bluesky. You sign in with an account you already own, and everything you post stays tied to your identity, not to one forum's database.

This page gets you from "I found a Barazo forum" to your first topic and reply.

What you need

An AT Protocol account. If you're on Bluesky, you already have one. Your handle (alice.bsky.social, or a custom domain like alice.com) is all you need. No separate Barazo account, no new password.

Don't have one yet? Create a free account at bsky.app, then come back.

Sign in

1. Open the forum and select Sign in.
2. Enter your handle. A pasted bsky.app/profile/... link or an @handle works too, and we strip it down for you.
3. You're sent to your account provider to approve access, then back to the forum.

Barazo signs you in with OAuth. Your password is entered on your own provider, never on the forum. The forum only receives permission to act on your behalf, and you can revoke it from your provider at any time.

Find your way around

• Categories organize the forum into topics of discussion. Browse them from the sidebar or the category list.
• Topics are the individual threads inside a category.
• Search sits in the top bar. Look up a keyword, a phrase, or a person.

Post your first topic

1. Select New topic.
2. Pick a category.
3. Write a title and your post. Formatting uses Markdown, with a live preview.
4. Publish.

Your topic is written to your own account's data store first, then indexed by the forum. Some forums review new posts before they appear. If yours does, you'll see a note that the topic is awaiting a moderator, and it goes live once approved.

Reply to a discussion

Open any topic and use the reply box at the bottom. Replies thread underneath the post they answer, so a long conversation stays readable. React to a post with the button under it: depending on the forum, that's a like, a vote, or an emoji.

What you own

Because your posts live in your AT Protocol account, they travel with you. Move to a different provider and your history comes along. Leave a forum and the record of what you wrote is still yours.

For the full picture, see Your account and identity.

Next steps

• What is the Atmosphere?: the open network Barazo is built on
• Features: a tour of what a Barazo forum can do
• Your account and identity: how portable identity works
• Staying safe: blocking, muting, and reporting