Frequency

A DSNP L1 Blockchain

Frequency: The DSNP L1 Blockchain on Polkadot (2025 Guide)

Frequency is a Polkadot parachain purpose-built to run the Decentralized Social Networking Protocol (DSNP), enabling portable social identities and graphs across interoperable apps. This guide explains how Frequency + DSNP work, the FRQCY + Capacity economic model, where MeWe’s large-scale migration stands, and how builders can ship DSNP-compatible apps today.

Why Frequency + DSNP

Most social platforms lock your identity, graph, and distribution behind proprietary silos. DSNP standardizes the social layer (identities, relationships, announcements) so any app can interoperate. Frequency is the production blockchain that runs DSNP operations at scale, so users can move between apps without losing their social capital. Think “SMTP for social,” but with on-chain assurances.

Web2: your handle, followers, and posts stay trapped in one app.
DSNP on Frequency: your DSNP identity + social graph live on shared infrastructure. Switch apps, keep your people and history.

What Frequency is (and why Polkadot)

Frequency is a Layer-1 Polkadot parachain, built with Substrate, designed to execute DSNP operations (identity, graph, announcements). Polkadot supplies shared security and XCM interoperability; Frequency focuses on social performance and an economic model tailored for high-volume social transactions.

Core concepts & how it works

Identities (MSA)

Message Source Account (MSA): the on-chain identity tied to a DSNP User ID.
Stores delegation relationships and schema permissions; manages profile/graph state.

Providers & Delegation

Users can delegate posting/management rights to Providers (e.g., apps or services) and selectively grant schema permissions—useful for “coinless” UX where apps sponsor interactions.

Announcements, Schemas & Messages

DSNP defines Announcements (posts, follows, etc.) mapped to Schemas.
Frequency’s Messages pallet stores announcements or Batch Publications to scale throughput efficiently.

Operations (extrinsics)

DSNP operations are executed via Substrate extrinsics exposed by pallets: MSA (identity), Messages (announcements), Schema (data types), and stateful storage primitives.

Identity enrichment (optional)

Projects can enrich identities with KILT DIDs to bind verifiable credentials to DSNP identities where needed (KYC, age attestations, etc.).

Tokenomics: FRQCY & “Capacity”

FRQCY is Frequency’s utility token. Fees for general transactions are paid in FRQCY (XRQCY on testnets).
Frequency also offers Capacity—a renewing, stake-based allowance so Providers can perform certain DSNP transactions without per-tx fees. Capacity accrues based on staked FRQCY; the ratio is governed on-chain and resets each Capacity epoch.
Design goal: combine a standard fee market with staking-based throughput for app-sponsored, “coinless” UX at scale and predictable cost profiles.

Why this matters: For social networking, cost predictability and sponsorship are key. Capacity lets a Provider pre-commit to throughput, then batch and publish posts/graphs efficiently.

Real-world adoption: MeWe’s migration

MeWe (20M+ users) began integrating DSNP on Frequency in 2023, publicizing milestones such as:

The “largest migration to decentralized social” initiative (late 2023).
500k active users migrated to Web3 via Frequency (early 2024).
1M+ users on-chain milestones reported through 2024–2025, with hundreds of thousands owning their social graph.

These milestones demonstrate DSNP/Frequency at consumer scale—not just a lab demo.

Mewe MeWe is a social media platform on Frequency that promotes itself as a privacy-focused alternative to mainstream platforms like Facebook.

Architecture: Where data lives

On-chain (Frequency): identities (MSAs), delegations, graph/state pointers, announcement commitments, and batched publications per DSNP schemas.
Off-chain (app infra): rich media/content blobs can be pinned elsewhere (e.g., app CDN or decentralized storage) and referenced from DSNP announcements.

Build on Frequency: step-by-step

A. Plan your UX & identity

Decide if users sign directly or delegate to your Provider (recommended for mass-market).
(Optional) Integrate KILT DIDs for credential-based features (age-gating, verified creators).

B. Wire DSNP primitives

Create MSAs and set delegations/permissions to your Provider for the schemas you’ll use.
Choose your Schemas (posts, follows, profiles); map UI actions to DSNP Announcements.

C. Publish efficiently

Use Batch Publications whenever possible to aggregate many posts/follows in one operation.
Decide what goes on-chain vs off-chain (e.g., store text + pointers on-chain; media off-chain).

D. Economics & ops

Stake FRQCY to earn Capacity proportional to your expected DSNP throughput; monitor the epoch schedule and governance-set ratios.
For bursts, fall back to paying FRQCY fees; keep a treasury wallet topped up.

E. Interop & compliance

Expose export/import tools for DSNP handles & graphs to honor portability.
If you need cross-chain assets or bridges (e.g., rewards), lean on Polkadot/XCM patterns from the broader ecosystem.

Practical example — a Twitter-like feed:

User signs into your app → Provider holds a delegated key.
User posts → your service composes a DSNP Announcement and batches with others.
A single Batch Publication writes it to Frequency, emitting events your indexer subscribes to.
Any DSNP-aware client can render that post alongside the user’s existing graph.

Common pitfalls & tips

Forgetting delegation scope: grant only the schemas your Provider needs; over-broad permissions are a risk.
Not batching: costs + latency spike if you publish every announcement individually. Batch by default.
Capacity sizing: under-staking leads to throttling; model daily/weekly peaks and stake FRQCY accordingly.
Identity collisions: if you add DIDs, store bindings carefully and surface revocation UX.
Spec drift: track DSNP spec updates and Frequency runtime changes for pallet/extrinsic updates.

How Frequency compares (quick table)

Stack	Base / Consensus	Identity Primitive	Data Availability	Fee/Economics	Notes
Frequency + DSNP	Polkadot parachain (Substrate)	MSA (DSNP user) with delegations to Providers; optional KILT DID enrichment	On-chain announcements/records + batched publications; pointers to off-chain media	FRQCY fees + Capacity (stake-based throughput)	Production DSNP implementation; supports app-sponsored “coinless” UX
AT Protocol (Bluesky)	Federated (no L1 requirement)	DID (did:plc) per PDS	Repo model on PDS; federation sync	No chain fees; ops are server-level	Focus on portability between servers; not blockchain-based
Farcaster	Ethereum L2 (Optimism/Base)	FID (ID Registry), keys, storage rental	“Hubs” gossip network + on-chain registries	On-chain registration + off-chain hubs	Frames & strong dev momentum
Lens	Lens Chain (ZK-stack)	Lens profiles	Momoka/DA + L2	L2 fees; DA via specialized layers	Migrated from Polygon to a dedicated L2 in 2025

FAQs

1) Is there a token? Yes. FRQCY is Frequency’s native utility token for fees; Capacity is a renewing, stake-based allowance for certain transactions.

2) Do end-users need tokens? Not necessarily. Apps can operate as Providers, stake FRQCY to earn Capacity, and sponsor UX—so users can post without holding tokens.

3) What exactly is DSNP? An open protocol that standardizes identities, graphs, and announcement formats so apps interoperate. It’s app-agnostic—akin to SMTP/HTTP for social.

4) Where are posts stored? Announcements are committed/published on-chain (with batch options); media can live off-chain and be referenced.

5) Can I enrich DSNP identities with verifiable credentials? Yes; use a DID system such as KILT to attach attestations.

6) Is anyone big using it? MeWe has publicly announced and shipped milestones indicating hundreds of thousands of users migrated to DSNP on Frequency, with over a million on-chain events reported through 2024–2025.

7) Why Polkadot? Parachains get shared security and native interop (XCM), letting Frequency focus on DSNP scale and economics.

8) Is this financial advice? No—this article is educational, not investment advice.

Conclusion

Frequency operationalizes DSNP on a production L1, giving builders portable identities, programmable graphs, and predictable posting economics via FRQCY + Capacity. If you’re shipping social apps (consumer or enterprise), start by mapping your UI to DSNP schemas, decide on Provider-backed UX, and size your Capacity so you can batch efficiently. Ready to build? Map your features to DSNP operations, stand up your Provider, and ship your first Batch Publication.

Frequency Community Videos

What Is Frequency?

Frequency is a parachain on Polkadot focusing on decentralized communication solutions. It allows the creation and management of decentralized networks.

How Polkadot Frequency Aims to Fix Social Media - SM110

Blast off with Braxton Woodham, the President of the Amplica Labs behind the Frequency L1 Parachain on Polkadot.

Coinless Users in the Web3 Ecosystem - Decoded 2024

Polkadot Decoded 2024 Session by Harry Evens of Project Liberty Labs

Social Network Freedom for 1 Billion People w/ Braxton Woodham - SM70

Sit down with Braxton Woodham to discuss Project Liberty, its Decentralized Social Networking Protocol first implementation on Frequency, and the migration of 20m users to Polkadot.

What Will it Take to Build a Better Web? | Gavin Wood, Frank McCourt, Andy Serwer

Polkadot founder Dr. Gavin Wood, Unfinished Frank McCourt, and Andy Serwer from Yahoo Finance discuss how user-owned platforms can build a better web.

TikTok on Polkadot?

Frank McCourt game-changing move to acquire TikTok and his innovative Project Liberty.

How Polkadot and Web3 Can Save TikTok in the United States

Could decentralization be the future for Tik Tok?

Tik Tok Ban & Polkadot

Project Liberty is building a consortium to purchase TikTok and rearchitect the platform to put people in control of their digital identities and data on the Polkadot blockchain.