Nostr
Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays — a decentralized protocol for creating censorship-resistant social networks and messaging systems based on cryptographic keypairs.
Core Design
- Not peer-to-peer: users interact via relays (servers)
- Every user identified by a public key (npub...)
- Every post (event) is cryptographically signed and validated
- NIP-01 defines the core protocol; other NIPs extend functionality
- Anyone can run a relay; users choose which relays to publish to and read from
How It Works
- Users run a client (app)
- Anyone can run a relay (server)
- Clients publish signed events to relays of their choice
- To follow someone, a client queries relays for events by that public key
- On startup, clients pull data chronologically from known relays
Key Management
- Alby — Browser extension for signing and Lightning wallet
- Nos2x — Dedicated Nostr signing extension
- Private keys must be kept secure; loss = loss of identity
Clients
| Client | Platform | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Damus | iOS | Closest to Twitter experience; Lightning tipping |
| Snort.Social | Mobile Web | Good UI; works with Kiwi browser + nos2x on Android |
| Astral.ninja | Desktop Web | Full desktop UI; Alby integration |
Advanced Concepts
- nostrnode-cli — Send encrypted RPC commands to Bitcoin Core, Core Lightning, or Join Market via Nostr events
- Nostr 2.0 — Layer 2 off-chain data storage, incentivizing relays to become full nodes
- eCash over Nostr — Receive Cashu ecash tokens directly via Nostr DMs
Round Rock Bitcoiners on Nostr
- NIP-05:
roundrockbitcoiners@nostrplebs.com - Npub:
npub17ysayggwumkpkpgsq75axd7ed9guw03wz9jldz5d0zrkgz0cja2qd09tzu - Relay:
wss://nostr.roundrockbitcoiners.com
Related
- Cashu — Chaumian ecash tokens transferable over Nostr
- Alby — Lightning wallet and Nostr signing tool
- Privacy Stacks — Identity and communication privacy