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:

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

The Composting Process

When a note composts:

Soft Delete: Note is marked as deleted but not immediately removed
Grace Period: 30-day recovery window for technical support
Final Deletion: After 30 days, note data is permanently removed
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.