Nostr Glossary

64 terms and definitions to help you understand the Nostr protocol and ecosystem.

Identity

npub
Your Nostr public key, starting with 'npub1'. This is your public identity that others use to find and follow you. Safe to share publicly - like a username.
nsec
Your Nostr secret (private) key, starting with 'nsec1'. The master key to your identity - never share it. Anyone with your nsec controls your account completely.
nprofile
An encoded string containing both your public key and relay hints. Helps others find you by telling their client where to look for your data.
nevent
An encoded reference to a specific Nostr event, including relay hints. Used to link to specific posts in a way that clients can fetch.
naddr
An encoded reference to a replaceable event (like a profile or article). Includes the author's public key, event kind, and identifier.
note
An encoded reference to a single event by its ID. Starts with 'note1'. The simplest way to reference a post, but lacks relay hints.
NIP-05
A verification system linking your Nostr identity to a domain name, creating human-readable addresses like name@domain.com instead of long npubs.
Nostr Address
A human-readable identifier in email format (name@domain.com) created through NIP-05 verification. Easier to remember and share than an npub.
Key Pair
The combination of your public key (npub) and private key (nsec). Generated using elliptic curve cryptography (secp256k1).
Bech32
The encoding format used for npub, nsec, and other Nostr identifiers. Provides human-readable prefixes and error detection.

Protocol

Nostr
Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays. A simple, open protocol for decentralized social networking based on cryptographic identities and relay servers.
Event
The fundamental data unit in Nostr. Everything is an event: posts, profiles, follows, reactions. Each event is signed by the author's private key.
Kind
A number identifying the type of event. Kind 0 = profile, kind 1 = text note, kind 3 = contacts, kind 4 = DM, kind 7 = reaction, etc.
Tag
Metadata attached to events. Common tags: 'p' (pubkey reference), 'e' (event reference), 't' (hashtag), 'a' (addressable event reference).
NIP
Nostr Implementation Possibilities. Technical specifications defining how Nostr features work. Like RFCs for the internet, NIPs are the building blocks of the protocol.
Relay
A server that stores and forwards Nostr events. Clients connect to relays to publish and retrieve content. Anyone can run a relay.
Client
An application that connects to relays and provides a user interface for Nostr. Examples: Damus, Amethyst, Primal, Snort.
WebSocket
The communication protocol used between clients and relays. Provides real-time, bidirectional communication over a single connection.
Signature
Cryptographic proof that an event was created by a specific private key. Uses Schnorr signatures over secp256k1 curve. Cannot be forged.
secp256k1
The elliptic curve used for Nostr cryptography. Same curve used by Bitcoin, enabling key reuse and ecosystem compatibility.
Schnorr
The signature algorithm used in Nostr. More efficient than ECDSA, supports signature aggregation. Part of the secp256k1 cryptographic suite.

Relay

REQ
A subscription request sent to a relay. Specifies filters for what events you want to receive. Opens a subscription that stays active.
EVENT
A message type for publishing or receiving events. Clients send EVENTs to publish; relays send EVENTs to deliver subscribed content.
CLOSE
A message to end a subscription. Tells the relay to stop sending events for that subscription ID.
EOSE
End Of Stored Events. A relay message indicating all stored events matching your subscription have been sent. New events will follow in real-time.
Filter
Criteria for selecting events in a subscription. Can filter by author, kind, tags, time range, and more.
Subscription
An ongoing request for events from a relay. Receives both stored events and new events matching your filter until closed.
Public Relay
A relay open to all users without payment. May have spam issues but provides broad accessibility.

Payments

Zap
A Lightning payment to a Nostr user, typically as appreciation for content. Creates a public record on the network. Defined by NIP-57.
Lightning
Bitcoin's Layer 2 payment network. Enables instant, low-fee micropayments. Powers zaps and creator monetization on Nostr.
Satoshi (sat)
The smallest unit of Bitcoin (0.00000001 BTC). Zaps are denominated in sats. 100,000,000 sats = 1 Bitcoin.
LNURL
A protocol for simplifying Lightning payments. Enables Lightning Addresses and easier payment flows. Used for receiving zaps.
Lightning Address
An email-like address for receiving Lightning payments (e.g., you@wallet.com). Set in your Nostr profile to receive zaps.
Value-for-Value
A content model where creators give freely and audiences pay what they think it's worth. No paywalls or subscriptions - direct support via zaps.
NWC
Nostr Wallet Connect (NIP-47). Allows Nostr apps to connect to your Lightning wallet for seamless payments without manual invoice handling.
Custodial Wallet
A Lightning wallet where a third party holds your funds. Easier to use but requires trust. Examples: Wallet of Satoshi, Alby.
Self-Custodial Wallet
A Lightning wallet where you control the private keys. More secure but requires more technical knowledge. Examples: Phoenix, Mutiny.

Features

DM
Direct Message. Private encrypted messages between users. Uses NIP-04 (legacy) or NIP-44 (modern) encryption.
Long-form Content
Articles and blog posts on Nostr (NIP-23). Supports markdown formatting, allows editing. Clients like Habla and YakiHonne specialize in this.
Communities
Topic-based groups on Nostr (NIP-28/NIP-72). Allow moderated discussions around specific subjects. Similar to Reddit communities.
Lists
Curated collections of users or content (NIP-51). Can be public or private. Used for organizing follows, bookmarks, mute lists, etc.
Reaction
A response to a post, typically a like or emoji (kind 7). Different from reposts or replies. Shows appreciation without adding content.
Repost
Sharing someone else's post to your followers (kind 6). Like retweeting. The original author and content are preserved.
Thread
A series of connected replies. Uses 'e' tags to reference parent events. Enables conversation view in clients.
Hashtag
A topic tag in posts, marked with # prefix. Stored in 't' tags. Enables content discovery by topic.
Mention
Referencing another user in a post. Uses 'p' tags. Notifies the mentioned user in most clients.
Badge
Achievement or recognition tokens (NIP-58). Can be awarded by anyone and displayed on profiles. Like Reddit awards.

Security

NIP-04
The original encrypted DM specification. Uses shared secret encryption. Has known weaknesses; being replaced by NIP-44.
NIP-44
The modern encryption standard for Nostr. Provides better security properties than NIP-04. Recommended for new implementations.
NIP-46
Nostr Connect. Allows remote signing where your private key stays on a secure device (bunker) while using Nostr from other devices.
Bunker
A secure signing device or service for NIP-46. Holds your private key and signs events remotely. Never exposes the key to clients.
Signer
An application that manages your private key and signs events. Can be a browser extension (nos2x, Alby) or mobile app (Amber).
nos2x
A browser extension for secure key storage and signing. Prevents exposing your nsec to web applications directly.
Mute
Hiding content from specific users or containing certain words. Stored in lists (NIP-51). Client-side filtering.
Block
Preventing interaction with specific users. Stronger than mute. Implementation varies by client.
WoT
Web of Trust. Using social graph (who follows whom) to filter content and reduce spam. Your trusted contacts vouch for others.

Advanced

DVM
Data Vending Machine (NIP-90). Services that perform tasks for Lightning payment. AI processing, translation, image generation, etc.
Replaceable Event
An event that can be updated by publishing a new version. Profiles (kind 0) and contact lists (kind 3) are replaceable.
Parameterized Replaceable Event
A replaceable event with an additional identifier. Allows multiple updatable items per kind. Long-form articles use this.
Ephemeral Event
An event that relays should not store permanently. Used for typing indicators, presence, and other temporary data.
Outbox Model
A relay usage pattern where you publish to your own relays and read from others'. Improves efficiency and reduces relay load.
Blossom
A media hosting protocol for Nostr. Provides decentralized file storage using content-addressed hosting.
Cashu
An ecash protocol that can be integrated with Nostr for private payments. Provides better privacy than standard Lightning.