A social layer
for the physical world
Most social networks pull you away from where you are. Mafrend is built to do the opposite. It's a map where every location is a conversation, designed to connect you to the physical space around you.
The missing context of places
The idea started taking shape around 2014. If you look at how we use the internet, there is a strange disconnect: we use maps to figure out how to get somewhere, and we use social feeds to talk to people. But the places themselves are silent.
When you walk into a café, a park, or a new neighborhood, there is an entire layer of local context — conversations, history, recommendations, and events — that is completely invisible. Existing platforms treat locations as static pins or check-in badges. We wanted to treat them as living chat rooms.
"What if you could walk into any neighborhood, open a map, and immediately see what people are talking about, what's happening nearby, and reach the businesses around you — all from a single app?"
The most successful apps of the last decade share a pattern: social and business converge. WeChat became a commerce platform. Instagram became a marketplace. WhatsApp gave rise to WhatsApp for Business. The social layer brings people; the business layer brings services. Mafrend is built with this duality in mind from day one.
Our values
Privacy by design
You decide when and where you share your location. Granular controls, not dark patterns.
Open identity
Built on the Nostr protocol — your identity and social graph belong to you, not a corporation.
Your data, your server
Media is stored via Blossom — a decentralized blob protocol. Use our server, or self-host your own. Your data stays under your control, not ours.
Trust your people
Discover places through the lens of people you actually follow. See where they go, what they review, and what they recommend — your social graph as a guide to the world.
Another kind of social network
Not a feed to scroll, not an algorithm to please. Mafrend is rooted in real places and real proximity — social connections that exist because you were actually there.
Development timeline
Mafrend is being built step by step. Here's where we've been and where we're heading.
- GitHub repository and project structure
- Hetzner server infrastructure
- Domain mafrend.com with wildcard DNS
- Coolify PaaS deployment pipeline
- Ktor backend with Netty engine
- Zitadel OIDC authentication
- KMP architecture (Android, iOS, Server)
- Compose Multiplatform UI scaffolding
- MapLibre map rendering integration
- Custom map style and icon set
- Nostr Vault (Local / Cloud)
- Blossom media servers (Mafrend / Proprietary)
- Reviews & place ratings
- Map embed component for third-party websites
- User profiles
- Real-time direct messages
- Public place chat rooms
- User-created activities & events on the map
- Map search & in-app navigation
- Nostr Web of Trust (WoT) — content curation & spam filtering
- Zaps — Lightning payments to users, places, and content (NIP-57)
- Personalized Feed based on your social graph
- Business profiles
- Place ownership & merchant tools
- Event Calendar for: Appointments & Orders
- Web Components for business communication over Nostr
- Lightning-native merchant payments
- Analytics dashboard for businesses
- Lightning-native merchant payments
- Business advertising tools
- Monetization features
Built with
Mafrend is built by a strong team of developers who care deeply about the craft. Our stack runs on Kotlin Multiplatform — a single codebase shared across Android, iOS, and the server. We already ship embeddable components like the map widget, with open APIs and integration points on the roadmap — so that other developers can extend and build on top of Mafrend — making it a platform, not just an app.
We'd love to hear from you
Whether you have feedback, want to collaborate, or just want to follow along — reach out.
Business & partnerships: contact@mafrend.com
Support & questions: support@mafrend.com
Founder direct: dumitru.preguza@mafrend.com