Activity Overview#

What We Built#

1. Basic Posting (01a-hello-world.js)#

• Connects to Bluesky using app password
• Posts a simple message with #ATProtoChicago
• Shows the basics of authentication and posting

2. Creative Posts (01b-emoji-art.js)#

• Generates random emoji art grids
• Demonstrates creative uses of the posting API
• Fun visual output that's shareable

3. Rich Text Features (02-rich-text.js)#

• Auto-detects links and converts them to clickable links
• Auto-detects hashtags for discoverability
• Shows how Bluesky enhances plain text

4. Real-time Firehose (03-feed-generator.js)#

• Connects to Bluesky's Jetstream service
• Filters the entire network for #ATProtoChicago posts
• Shows posts in real-time with clean JSON format
• Demonstrates how feed generators work

5. Timeline Filtering (05-post-filter.js)#

• Fetches your home timeline
• Filters for Chicago/ATProto mentions
• Shows engagement metrics
• Local processing example

6. Profile Updates (04-profile-updater.js)#

• Programmatically updates your profile
• Adds timestamp to description
• Shows how to modify account data

Key Concepts Demonstrated#

• Authentication: Using app passwords safely
• CRUD Operations: Create posts, read timeline, update profile
• Real-time Data: Consuming the firehose
• Data Processing: Filtering and analyzing posts
• Rich Content: Links, mentions, hashtags
• API Patterns: Consistent error handling and async/await

Architecture Notes#

• All examples use the official @atproto/api SDK
• Jetstream provides JSON instead of binary CAR/CBOR
• Credentials stored in .env for security
• Bun runtime for fast execution and built-in TypeScript support