# Open Social: How the AT Protocol Changes Social Data

DevFeed: [Open Social: How the AT Protocol Changes Social Data](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/open-social-36185.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://overreacted.io/open-social/>)

Published: 2025-09-26T00:00:00Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [Dan Abramov](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/dan-abramov.md>)

Topics: [AT Protocol](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/atproto.md>), [Bluesky](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/bluesky-social.md>), [free software](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/free-software.md>), [data](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/data.md>), [API](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/api.md>), [Web](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/web.md>)

Tags: [api](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/api.md>), [data](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/data.md>), [free-software](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/free-software.md>), [open](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/open.md>), [protocol](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/protocol.md>), [social-media](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/social-media.md>)

## AI overview

This opinion article argues that open social could play a role for social applications similar to the role open source plays in software. It presents Bluesky's AT Protocol as a convincing, unfinished approach and explains how it changes the relationship between users, developers, products, and social data.

## Source excerpt

The protocol is the API.