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.
Paid Relay: A relay requiring payment for access. Reduces spam, often offers better performance and reliability. May use Lightning for micropayments.
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.