Nostr Biweekly Review (1-14 Oct 2024)
GM, Nostriches!
The Nostr protocol is fascinating, and I’m actively covering its developments. That’s why I created The Nostr Review. If you’re interested, join me in covering updates from the Nostr ecosystem! The Nostr Review is a biweekly newsletter focused on protocol updates, exciting programs, the long-form content ecosystem, and key events happening in the Nostr-verse.
Quick review:
In the past two weeks, 18 pull requests have been submitted to the Nostr protocol, with 6 already merged. Additionally, I have tracked 40 Nostr projects, with 13 releasing updates on their product developments. Over 250 long-form articles were also published, with 43% focused on Bitcoin and Nostr. During the same period, five notable events took place. Looking ahead, four exciting events are on the horizon, including the Freedom of Tech, Business, and Art Meetup, the Bitcoin Culture Festival 2024, and For Artists By Artists.
1. Nips
Add Kind 15 for Encrypted File message
@npub10td4yrp6cl9kmjp9x5yd7r8pm96a5j07lk5mtj2kw39qf8frpt8qm9x2wl is proposing that kind 15 is used for sending encrypted file event messages.
The file-type specifies the MIME type of the attached file (e.g., image/jpeg, audio/mpeg, etc.). The encryption-algorithm refers to the algorithm used for encrypting the file;supported algorithms may include aes-gcm, chacha20-poly1305,aes-cbc etc. The decryption-key will be used by the recipient to decrypt the file. The decryption-nonce will be used by the recipient to decrypt the file. The content Contains either the URL of the file (
NIP-85: d Tag References in Addressable Events
@npub1q3sle0kvfsehgsuexttt3ugjd8xdklxfwwkh559wxckmzddywnws6cd26p is proposing that d Tag References in Addressable Events is an alternative solution to #1510.
Putting relay hints on the d tag breaks conventions. People already have code that does things with "p" and "e" tags automatically, since they're considered “standardised tags”. Querying with nak for example has special CLI flags for #p queries. Another example is using p-tags to connect nodes in a graph database. Semantically, it just should have them. This method ties them together. But it's only useful if people commit to doing it strictly so it can always be depended upon.
Trusted Assertions
@npub1gcxzte5zlkncx26j68ez60fzkvtkm9e0vrwdcvsjakxf9mu9qewqlfnj5z is proposing that certain calculations in Nostr require access to the entire dataset of events and are impossible to do directly by Clients. This PR offers a simple way for users to declare trust in service providers for those calculations.It's similar to DVMs, but without the need to request/response each item. The service just runs constantly and updates events as quickly as it can.
Update 94 add a d tag to event
@npub19yeqjawls407xjnmgkk6yss7936pcd7qzd5srlj8wye6j8433vrsjazqwk is proposing that add a “d” tag to file metadata events, which would make these events replaceable.
It means that the file can move between media services. Clients upload a file to media service and get a file link and other file informations.Clients send a File Metadata event and this event must contain a d tag, it means that this event is replaceable.If a client want to sends notes with this file, it should imports this event with nostr:naddr style uri.When other clients visit a note with kind 1063 naddr style uri, it should find this event and display it like a normal media file.If this file's owner want to change the media service, he can upload this file to other media service and resend a File Metadata event with the same d tag.
NIP-47 Add versioning and migrate to NIP-44
@npub1mjkxztcmws45vn04u5gtrr6smyt0pyzvn7ag6q4uzgnguzkwcw5saxkfm0 is proposing that NIP-04 is deprecated and no longer recommended for use. Authors of NIP-44 have confirmed that it can act as a drop-in replacement for NIP-04 for NWC's use case.
Versioning for NIP-47 allows the protocol to evolve and even make breaking changes while maintaining backwards-compatibility where needed. Versions are represented as
NIP-68 Lightning Debit Requests
@npub1xvtwx6tduaxnn9v3y7uasskl277achgu0tu2qncmc7hdsz6y2zyqce64sa is proposing that ad-hoc requests for lightning payments provide more intuitive and secure UX, while also leveraging Nostr as identity for the requesting service.And combined with prNIP69, this creates a more robust and scalable successor to NWC.
Push Notification - Event Watcher API
@npub1gcxzte5zlkncx26j68ez60fzkvtkm9e0vrwdcvsjakxf9mu9qewqlfnj5z is proposing that the Event Watcher API is basically a NIP-96 spec for Push Notification event-watching servers. Users can pick which server will watch their events and send push notifications via their preferred systems. Event-watching servers can be the relays themselves or separate operators.
It has many distinctive features:a simple POST interface, support for multiple Nostr accounts in a single registration event, and enhanced privacy by not allowing subscriptions with just pubkeys. It uses encryption via wraps to conceal the destination's pubkey from the user's push system. Additionally, it supports multiple servers, relays, and tokens, and allows DM inboxes or authenticated relays to provide this service while bypassing the authentication process.
Publish Cashu Mint and Burn Events
@npub1u07xw079lxwv24xslarh2eu4v37jtjmwvev0jyk3zjhxg2wnt56seyez97 is proposing that the introduction of three new event kinds to the Nostr protocol to facilitate the announcement of cashu mint and burn events, cashu mints identities, and the mints' outstanding balance at the end of an epoch.The proposed event kinds aim to enhance the transparency of cashu mint and burn operations, while also providing cashu wallets with a way of querying data of interest without compromising their privacy.
NIP-XX - Multiple Public Key Types and Signature Algorithms for Event Signing
ice-orestes is proposing that signatures, public key, and encodings are done according to the Schnorr signatures standard for the curve secp256k1,which is a limitation for Nostr adoption. As many Blockchains and other Cryptographic Networks already have identities in place using different ECC Public Key curves, and may use different Signature Algorithms. Even Bitcoin pre Taproot uses ECDSA/secp256k1 and not Schnorr/secp256k1.
In this case it is just the signatures that differ, and the public key derivation is based out of the same secp256k1 curve, so the public keys remain valid, but for other networks that use EdDSA signatures, for instance, not even the public keys would be valid, as the curve used is Curve25519 instead. This means that Nostr identities would have to be different than the ones used in the other networks, making it impossible to consider a direct match between one network identity and the other.
2. Notable Projects
**Amethyst v0.92.2 ** @npub142gywvjkq0dv6nupggyn2euhx4nduwc7yz5f24ah9rpmunr2s39se3xrj0
- More animations: notification chart, FABs, zap and reaction popups
- New fields in vision prescriptions
- Prioritized search results starting with the search term
- Bug fixes, performance enhancements, and code quality improvements
**Coracle 0.4.12 ** @npub1jlrs53pkdfjnts29kveljul2sm0actt6n8dxrrzqcersttvcuv3qdjynqn
This release mostly contains bug fixes, particularly missing/wrong e-tags on nested replies.
- Fixed zap developer button
- Hidden muted replies for improved user experience
- Optimized mobile interface to conserve space
- Added “mark as read” button on mobile
- Resolved issues with reposts to communities
- Fixed note tag inheritance
- Addressed over-eager list encryption issue
**The New Damus App Store version ** @npub1xtscya34g58tk0z605fvr788k263gsu6cy9x0mhnm87echrgufzsevkk5s
- Support for viewing Highlights and a way to create highlights in the Safari share sheet
- Push notifications powered by our new nostr push notification server (notepush)
- More obvious friend filter for reducing spam in notifications and DMs
- Improved reconnection speed
- Support for AlbyHub zaps
** YakiHonne 1.4.1 **
@npub1yzvxlwp7wawed5vgefwfmugvumtp8c8t0etk3g8sky4n0ndvyxesnxrf8q
YakiHonne 1.4.1 is now available on iOS and Android.
- Outbox model support
- A complete new core with enhanced features that ensures a better performance and lightning speed while browsing
- Notes media has been enhanced
- Notes threads are now efficiently displayed
- Accounts switching enhancements
- Private messaging optimization
- Numerous bugs have been fixed
**New version of Iris **
@npub1g53mukxnjkcmr94fhryzkqutdz2ukq4ks0gvy5af25rgmwsl4ngq43drvk
- Zero-configuration zaps for new users: comes with a [npub]@npub.cash lightning address and an integrated Cashu wallet (cashu.me)
- ReplyGuy-free experience: automatically hides content by users not in your social graph
- “Unseen“ feed. Click “home” or switch tabs to refresh.
- “Adventure” feed. Shows content from everyone in your social graph.
- Social graph based fast user search
- Better scroll position retention on back navigation
**Primal for iOS build 1.9.90 **
@npub12vkcxr0luzwp8e673v29eqjhrr7p9vqq8asav85swaepclllj09sylpugg
This update addresses the performance and connectivity issues that many iOS users have recently encountered.
**0xchat v1.3.4-beta **
@npub1tm99pgz2lth724jeld6gzz6zv48zy6xp4n9xu5uqrwvx9km54qaqkkxn72
- Added message jump feature for replies, search, and paginated message loading
- Added encryption for audio and videos in DMs/private groups before uploading
- Added support for custom Blossom servers, and removed the default 0xChat file server
- Added the ability to preload group messages before joining
Additionally, bug fixes and user experience improvements included
**Gossip Release 0.12.0 **
@npub189j8y280mhezlp98ecmdzydn0r8970g4hpqpx3u9tcztynywfczqqr3tg8
Gossip is a desktop client for Nostr, and its latest release brings significant updates to enhance user experience.
- Bookmarks support (including private bookmarks)
- Global feed and per-Relay feeds (with volatile storage, erased when you quit)
- Friends-of-friends scores shown in avatar
- Improved spam filtering script with more inputs to make decisions on
**Nostur v1.16.0 **
@npub1n0stur7q092gyverzc2wfc00e8egkrdnnqq3alhv7p072u89m5es5mk6h0
Nostur v1.16.0 is now available.
- Nostr Nests integration
- Live video streams and chats
- Relay Autopilot improvements
- VPN detection toggle: only connect to additional relays if VPN is detected
- Relay Connection stats improvements
- Rewrite of feed loading. Faster & more efficient
- Possible imposter label also added on new follower notification and quoted posts
- Improved profile card rendering/animation
- Improved quoted post and inline naddr1 rendering
- Optimized profile gallery loading
- Exclude reposts for new posts notifier
- UI tweaks, more compact, less clutter
- Full width images now go to screen edge
- Reduced data usage for new follower notifications
- Many many bug fixes and other optimizations
**Nos.social update **
@npub1pu3vqm4vzqpxsnhuc684dp2qaq6z69sf65yte4p39spcucv5lzmqswtfch
In the latest Nos 0.2.2 release, several enhancements have been made to improve your experience.
- Updated the media viewer that displays images, videos, and web pages inside of notes
- Removed image and video link text from notes. Now only the images and videos will appear, without the link
- Added new translations for the app so you can use it in Korean, Chinese Simplified, Swedish, and more
**Fountain version 1.1.3 **
@npub1v5ufyh4lkeslgxxcclg8f0hzazhaw7rsrhvfquxzm2fk64c72hps45n0v5
Fountain version 1.1.3 is now available on both iOS and Android platforms.
- Improve login connection error handling
- Fix boosting without a message
- Fix queue skipping
- Fix saving a show from a custom RSS feed with only one item
- Fix bug with wiping Nostr banner image on update profile
- Fix occasional playback issues from high CPU load
- Fix for various Nostr connection errors
- Handle Android remote Nostr signing without having to briefly switch apps We are currently working on a new library architecture and redesign, which will bring about a number of performance improvements and resolve issues regarding playback that some of you have been experiencing.
**Wherostr v1.2.2: Map Improvement **
@npub16elg3wf8nffkymylw9kfwecc45j9c30lufrrzx2zf5vmxjlcgkkq3xc6d7
- Geotagging support: Users can manually tag posts with locations extracted from image metadata
- Video upload support: Users can now upload videos in their posts
- Map markers: Replaced crosshair with map markers for better clarity and user experience
- Show location in Google Maps: Added a button to open shared locations directly in Google Maps
- Notification categories: Customize the types of notifications you receive for different activities (e.g., zaps, comments, reposts)
- Highest order zaps: View the highest zaps received directly in post activity for better engagement tracking
- Faster feed load speed: Improved the speed at which feeds are loaded for a more responsive experience
Additionally, fixed the iOS login loop and feed sorting issues to ensure correct post order and complete data loading.
zap.store cli 0.1.0 @npub10r8xl2njyepcw2zwv3a6dyufj4e4ajx86hz6v4ehu4gnpupxxp7stjt2p8
In this update, developers can now easily pass icons and images for their applications. Additionally, the "artifacts" YAML attribute is no longer required if you are not pulling from GitHub and using the -a argument. The identifier is also no longer necessary. Furthermore, the documentation in the repository README has been updated for better clarity and guidance.
3. Long-Form Content Eco
Since the beginning of October, more than 250 long-form articles have been published, including over 80 articles on Bitcoin and more than 30 related to Nostr, accounting for 44% of the total content.
The Bitcoin articles mainly explore its economic impact, technological innovations, and global adoption, addressing financial issues such as sovereign debt and banking crises, as well as blockchain technology, privacy protection, and open-source projects. They also examine Bitcoin's role in politics, environmental concerns, and social change, along with challenges and opportunities in wallet security, payment privacy, and future development.
The Nostr articles focus on its technical implementation, decentralized characteristics, and use cases, covering topics like client design, payment setup, and personalized public key generation. They also discuss Nostr's applications and challenges in marketing and social media interactions, addressing issues like censorship resistance, privacy protection, community culture, and future development directions, including scalability and node management responsibilities.
Thank you, @npub1r0d8u8mnj6769500nypnm28a9hpk9qg8jr0ehe30tygr3wuhcnvs4rfsft, @npub19mq9swna4dkhlm3jaux4yhgv5kjj556lkfhv3qnjtyh0kcljph6s88e295, @npub1fw5wsmfdj7ykmjfn0sl9qp533y7hx96h9lvplz6pmhd9mzwn9hjqvq2rfr, @npub10npj3gydmv40m70ehemmal6vsdyfl7tewgvz043g54p0x23y0s8qzztl5h, @npub1u6qhg5ucu3xza4nlz94q90y720tr6l09avnq8y3yfp5qrv9v8sus3tnd7t,
@npub15qfdeq3me7qdt6klfdngxq6kxj7ypuds554etqnck6aujezc5uxsjfhz8m, and others,for your work. Enriching Nostr’s long-form content ecosystem is crucial.
4. Nostriches Global Meet Ups
Recently, several Nostr events have been hosted in different countries.
The Nostr session took place at the Global Bitcoin Summit on October 3rd at Bitcoin Park, NV, USA, hosted by the Human Rights Foundation. During this session, prominent speakers including @npub1qny3tkh0acurzla8x3zy4nhrjz5zd8l9sy9jys09umwng00manysew95gx , @npub1gcxzte5zlkncx26j68ez60fzkvtkm9e0vrwdcvsjakxf9mu9qewqlfnj5z , @npub1xtscya34g58tk0z605fvr788k263gsu6cy9x0mhnm87echrgufzsevkk5s , @npub1xtwy7fvu8f7wdtgnpm68wyrf6uxshf49tn5kp7kyusu6872amn8qh06rus , @npub16c0nh3dnadzqpm76uctf5hqhe2lny344zsmpm6feee9p5rdxaa9q586nvr , @npub1l2vyh47mk2p0qlsku7hg0vn29faehy9hy34ygaclpn66ukqp3afqutajft , @npub1zu5tdnq7w63fgmsfz85te7e6zeg7y2lt8q8r9jp5zcg68jfy73jqraqtgz , and @npub18ams6ewn5aj2n3wt2qawzglx9mr4nzksxhvrdc4gzrecw7n5tvjqctp424 shared insights on the progress and adoption of Nostr.
The third edition of Nostrdam took place successfully on October 8, 2024, at Westerpark Braai, featuring engaging talks from speakers like @npub1xtscya34g58tk0z605fvr788k263gsu6cy9x0mhnm87echrgufzsevkk5s , @npub147whqsr5vsj86x0ays70r0hgreklre3ey97uvcmxhum65skst56s30selt , etc, panel discussions, and a prize hackathon, making it the perfect kickoff for Bitcoin Amsterdam Week.
At the Bitcoin Amsterdam conference on October 9-10, 2024, at Westergas, the discussions “NOSTR: How & Why It Works” and “NOSTR: Freedom of Algorithmic Choice” explored the potential of Nostr and Bitcoin. Speakers like @npub147whqsr5vsj86x0ays70r0hgreklre3ey97uvcmxhum65skst56s30selt , @npub1j8y6tcdfw3q3f3h794s6un0gyc5742s0k5h5s2yqj0r70cpklqeqjavrvg , @npub1xtscya34g58tk0z605fvr788k263gsu6cy9x0mhnm87echrgufzsevkk5s , 2npub1g53mukxnjkcmr94fhryzkqutdz2ukq4ks0gvy5af25rgmwsl4ngq43drvk and others highlighted how these technologies serve as decentralized, censorship-resistant tools to safeguard free speech and algorithmic choice.
The Nostr Valley took place on October 12, 2024, located at Penn State University. @npub10hj9rg5gds5x2gk0z0s2jlqnq04jg7g30aj2t5pqzdaaztfactgsnze5ny The event featured several speakers who shared insights on decentralized social communication and Bitcoin, and new Nostr badges were awarded on-site.
Here are the upcoming Nostr events in October that you might want to check out.
Freedom of Tech, Bussines, and Art meetup on October 22, 2024, co-hosted by @npub188rvs46l0q8d3h4y7lpu5glyhh7r709x3rce8z93xs5lgsmkaf9q4wjckp and Yakihonne , will focus on the business sector and discuss how to integrate new technologies like NOSTR and Bitcoin protocols into business processes.
The Bitcoin Culture Festival 2024, @npub1hmqvn57wfm7qcygkt4et3qffhvdwyer9mkz0lyzjwr29438fe55s4r0s33 featuring the Ours (Yours) festival, will take place in London from October 29 to November 3, 2024. Organized by the 2140 Collective and CypherpunkHouse, it celebrates Bitcoin culture.
The Traveling Nostr Booth - Bringing Nostr to LatAm is touring 3 countries with major booths at key conferences, plus satellite events, workshops, and local content. @npub1hz5alqscpp8yjrvgsdp2n4ygkl8slvstrgvmjca7e45w6644ew7sewtysa Kicking off at BTC Prague, where the first booth became the event’s most visited spot!
For Artists By Artists will take place on October 18th at The Cowan, located at 500 Cowan St. @npub13qrrw2h4z52m7jh0spefrwtysl4psfkfv6j4j672se5hkhvtyw7qu0almy It will be streamed live globally, allowing participants to join through tunestr or Fountain.
Thanks for reading! If there’s anything I missed, feel free to reach out and help improve the completeness and accuracy of my coverage.