Channels and ownership
Channel types
| Public | Password | On-chain (native) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Read access | Everyone | Password holders | Authorized addresses |
| Write access | Everyone | Password holders | Authorized addresses |
| Access enforced by | — (open by design) | Client-side encryption | On-chain Streamr permissions |
| Content on the wire | Signed plaintext (Pombo format) | AES-256-GCM ciphertext | Streamr-encrypted |
| Cost to join | Free | Free | Free (owner pays gas to add you) |
- Public channels are open rooms. Anyone can read and write.
- Password channels look public to the network, but every message is encrypted client-side with AES-256-GCM using a key derived from the shared password (PBKDF2, 310,000 iterations). Without the password, the network carries only ciphertext.
- Native channels enforce membership on-chain: the owner grants publish/subscribe permission to specific Ethereum addresses in the Streamr registry on Polygon. This is the only channel type where access control is cryptographically and economically enforceable.
:::note Roadmap Token-gated channels (hold an NFT / token balance / pay a subscription to enter) are designed but not yet implemented. :::
Ownership
The channel's stream ID literally contains the creator's address: {ownerAddress}/{id}. Ownership and permissions are entries in the Streamr registry contracts on Polygon PoS — public blockchain state that no third party, including Pombo, can alter or confiscate.
Two consequences worth understanding:
- Your channels survive Pombo. Any client that speaks the protocol can read them.
- Creating a channel is public. The creator's address is permanently visible in the channel ID. If you don't want a channel linked to your main identity, create it from a separate account.
Retention
Channel owners choose how long storage nodes keep message history (default: 180 days). Older messages age out of storage; the live network never held them anyway.
Moderation
Owners moderate through the channel's admin stream: ban members, hide messages, pin messages. Clients apply this state when rendering.
:::caution Honest limits In public and password channels, moderation is cosmetic: compliant clients hide banned users' messages, but since accounts are free and instant, a banned user can return with a new address in one click — and the messages still exist on the network for non-compliant clients. Bans are only truly enforceable in native channels, where writing requires an on-chain permission the owner can revoke.
Also note: ban lists are technically public (the admin stream is world-readable). :::
Discovery and curation
The Explore view lists public channels. The Pombo interface applies a curation manifest — a list of pinned channels and channels hidden from discovery. Hiding is interface-level only: a hidden channel still exists on the network and remains reachable by direct link. This reflects Pombo's design split: the protocol is neutral and uncensorable; the interface curates what it presents.