the Compost Protocol

in Standard Garden, nothing truly dies—it composts. This protocol defines how content expires and what happens to anonymous notes.

Anonymous Note Lifecycle

Creation

When you create a note without an account:

  • Gets a temporary URL: standard.garden/t/{nano_id}
  • Automatically expires after 7 days
  • Receives email warnings before deletion (if you create an account later)

Warning System

Anonymous notes receive composting warnings:

  • 3 days before: First warning email
  • 1 day before: Final warning email
  • on expiration: Note is composted (soft deleted)

Creating an Account

to save an anonymous note permanently:

  1. Create an account (::login)
  2. Claim ownership of the note
  3. the note converts to permanent storage
  4. URL changes from /t/{nano_id} to /{username}/{slug}

the Composting Process

When a note composts:

  1. Soft Delete: Note is marked as deleted but not immediately removed
  2. Grace Period: 30-day recovery window for technical support
  3. Final Deletion: After 30 days, note data is permanently removed
  4. Metadata Retention: Anonymous usage statistics are preserved (privacy-safe)

Why Composting?

Sustainability

Storage isn’t infinite. by composting old anonymous content:

  • we keep infrastructure costs low ($200/month for 10K users)
  • This allows us to offer generous free tiers
  • Efficiency is how we stay free forever

Intentional Friction

the 7-day expiration creates natural upgrade pressure:

  • Encourages account creation for permanent storage
  • Tests if content is worth keeping
  • Mimics natural cycles (impermanence has value)

Resource Respect

Unlike platforms that hoard data forever:

  • we respect your right to be forgotten
  • Old, unclaimed content doesn’t clutter the system
  • Storage scales sustainably

Preventing Composting

to prevent your notes from composting:

1. Create an Account

the simplest solution:

::login

Enter your email, verify with the code, choose a username. Now all your notes are permanent.

2. Account Benefits

Free accounts include:

  • 10 permanent notes
  • Custom username URLs
  • Note editing and updates
  • no expiration

3. Upgrade to Estate

Unlimited everything:

  • $4/month
  • Unlimited notes
  • Private notes
  • Custom domain support
  • Priority support

Technical Details

Database Schema

-- Anonymous notes have expires_at timestamp
CREATE TABLE notes (
  ...
  expires_at TEXT, -- ISO 8601 timestamp (7 days from creation)
  owner_id INTEGER DEFAULT 1 -- NULL or 1 = anonymous
);

Composting Job

Automated cleanup runs daily:

// Pseudo-code
const expiredNotes = await db.query(`
  SELECT * FROM notes 
  WHERE expires_at < NOW() 
  AND owner_id IS NULL
`);

for (const note of expiredNotes) {
  await compostNote(note.id);
}

Recovery

if you accidentally let a note compost:

  • Contact support within 30 days
  • we can recover from soft-delete grace period
  • After 30 days, recovery is impossible

Philosophy

"Composting is part of the design. Not everything needs to last forever. the garden grows, blooms, and returns to soil."

This isn’t a flaw—it’s intentional. Ephemerality creates urgency, sustainability, and respect for resources.

See Also