Lightning Zaps on Nostr: Complete Guide

Introduction

Nostr + Bitcoin Lightning = revolutionary combination. Zaps are instant Bitcoin micropayments integrated directly into the Nostr social experience.

This guide explains what zaps are, why they matter, how to set them up, and how they’re changing the creator economy on Nostr.

What Are Zaps?

The Simple Explanation

A zap is a Bitcoin payment sent over the Lightning Network to a Nostr user, attached to a specific post or profile.

How It Looks:

• You see a post you like
• Click the ⚡ (zap) button
• Choose amount (e.g., 100 sats)
• Payment sent instantly
• Author receives Bitcoin
• Zap publicly displayed on the post

It’s like:

• Twitter “Super Follows” but decentralized
• Patreon tips but instant and on-protocol
• Upvotes but with actual value

Why It’s Special: Money flows on the same protocol as content. No third-party payment processor, no platform taking a cut.

The Technical Flow (Simplified)

Step 1: Author adds Lightning address to Nostr profile

• Example: alice@getalby.com
• Stored in kind:0 event (profile metadata)

Step 2: Reader zaps a post

• Click zap button in client
• Choose amount (sats)
• Client requests invoice from author’s Lightning address

Step 3: Lightning payment

• Reader’s wallet pays invoice
• Funds sent via Lightning Network
• Instant settlement

Step 4: Zap receipt (kind:9735 event)

• Payment proof published to Nostr
• Links to original post
• Shows amount and sender (if not anonymous)
• Publicly visible

Result: Value transferred + social signal.

Why Zaps Matter

1. Direct Creator Support

Traditional Model:

Reader → Platform subscription → Platform takes cut → Creator gets remainder

• Platform controls payment
• Platform takes 30-50%
• Creator at platform’s mercy
• Delayed payments

Zap Model:

Reader → Lightning → Creator

• Direct payment (peer-to-peer)
• No platform cut (just Lightning fees: <1%)
• Instant settlement
• No intermediary

Example:

• Reader zaps 1,000 sats (£0.50)
• Creator receives ~999 sats
• Platform receives: 0 sats

2. Value-for-Value Model

Concept: Instead of paywalls or ads, creators are supported voluntarily by those who find value.

How It Works:

• Content free for everyone
• If you find value, you zap
• Amount reflects perceived value
• Creator incentivized to create valuable content

Advantages:

• No paywall (content accessible to all)
• No ads (reader-supported)
• Direct feedback (zap amount signals quality)
• Fair distribution (popular content gets more zaps)

Philosophy: Value flows from readers to creators based on actual value delivered, not platform algorithms or advertiser interests.

3. Micropayments Enabled

Lightning makes tiny payments viable:

Traditional Payment:

• Credit card fees: £0.30 + 2.9%
• Minimum viable payment: ~£1.00
• Micropayments impractical

Lightning:

• Fees: <1 sat (fractions of a penny)
• Minimum payment: 1 sat (£0.0004)
• Micropayments practical

Impact:

• Zap 21 sats (£0.01) → viable
• Zap 1,000 sats (£0.50) → meaningful
• Aggregate many small zaps → income

Use Cases:

• Tip great posts (10-100 sats)
• Support creators (1,000-10,000 sats)
• Pay for content (paywall via zap requirement)
• Reward contributions (bounties, contests)

4. Social Signal

Zaps are both payment and feedback.

What Zaps Show:

• This post is valuable (more zaps = higher perceived value)
• Community support (who’s getting zapped)
• Quality signal (better than likes—skin in the game)

Impact on Content:

• High-zap posts are high-quality (usually)
• Zap counts show community appreciation
• Incentivizes quality over quantity
• Economic feedback loop

Better than likes: Likes cost nothing (easy to manipulate). Zaps cost sats (harder to fake, actual value).

5. Censorship-Resistant Payments

Traditional Platforms:

• Can demonetize creators
• Can freeze accounts
• Can block payments
• PayPal/Stripe can be pressured

Lightning + Nostr:

• No platform to demonetize you
• No account to freeze (non-custodial wallets)
• Peer-to-peer payments
• Permissionless

Example:

• YouTube demonetizes controversial creator → No ad revenue
• Nostr creator with zaps → Revenue continues (readers pay directly)

This is financial sovereignty.

Setting Up Zaps

Prerequisites

To receive zaps, you need:

1. Lightning wallet
2. Lightning address (or LNURL)
3. Add address to Nostr profile

Step 1: Choose a Lightning Wallet

Options:

Custodial Wallets (Easiest for Beginners):

Alby (Recommended for Nostr users):

• Browser extension
• Lightning address: yourname@getalby.com
• Nostr integration (NIP-07 signing + wallet)
• Web interface
• Free tier available

Wallet of Satoshi (Mobile, Simplest):

• iOS/Android app
• Lightning address built-in
• Extremely simple
• Free
• Custodial (they hold your Bitcoin)

Strike (Fiat-friendly):

• iOS/Android
• Lightning address
• Can convert to/from USD/GBP
• Easy on/off ramp

Self-Custodial Wallets (More Advanced, More Control):

Phoenix (Mobile, Excellent UX):

• iOS/Android
• Non-custodial (you control keys)
• Automatic channel management
• Slightly more complex

Breez (Mobile, Full Node):

• iOS/Android
• Non-custodial
• Runs Lightning node on your phone
• More advanced

Zeus (Mobile, Power Users):

• Connect to your own Lightning node
• Full control
• Advanced features

Recommendation for Beginners: Alby (if web/desktop) or Wallet of Satoshi (if mobile-only)

Step 2: Set Up Your Wallet

Example: Alby

1. Install Extension:

   • Visit getalby.com
   • Install browser extension (Chrome, Firefox, Safari)

2. Create Account:

   • Sign up (email)
   • Create password
   • Write down recovery phrase (important!)

3. Get Lightning Address:

   • You’ll receive: yourname@getalby.com
   • This is your Lightning address

4. Fund Wallet (to send zaps):

   • Receive Bitcoin to your Alby Lightning address
   • Or: buy Bitcoin in Alby (via MoonPay, varies by region)
   • Or: send from another wallet

Example: Wallet of Satoshi

1. Install App: iOS/Android app store
2. Open App: No signup required
3. Get Address: Tap “Receive” → Copy Lightning address
4. Fund Wallet: Receive Bitcoin or buy in-app

Step 3: Add Lightning Address to Nostr Profile

In Your Nostr Client:

1. Edit Profile
2. Find “Lightning Address” or “LN Address” or “LNURL” field
3. Enter your address: yourname@getalby.com
4. Save profile

Clients with Zap Support: Damus, Amethyst, Primal, Snort, Iris (most major clients)

Verification: Some clients show ⚡ icon when Lightning address is set.

Step 4: Test Receiving a Zap

Ask a friend to zap you:

1. Friend views your profile or a post
2. Friend clicks ⚡ button
3. Friend enters amount and confirms
4. You receive payment in wallet

Check wallet: Payment should appear within seconds.

Congratulations! You can now receive zaps.

Sending Zaps

How to Zap Someone

Step 1: Fund Your Wallet

• You need sats in your Lightning wallet
• Buy Bitcoin or receive from another wallet

Step 2: Find Content to Zap

• Someone’s post you like
• Someone’s profile (general support)

Step 3: Click Zap Button (⚡)

• Most clients have zap button on posts

Step 4: Choose Amount

• Presets (e.g., 21, 100, 1000 sats)
• Or custom amount

Step 5: Add Comment (Optional)

• Some clients allow zap comment/note
• Publicly visible with zap

Step 6: Confirm Payment

• Wallet prompts for confirmation
• Approve payment

Step 7: Payment Sent

• Instant (Lightning speed)
• Zap receipt published to Nostr

Result: Author receives sats, zap appears on post.

How Much to Zap?

No rules, but common conventions:

Tiny Zap (10-100 sats = £0.004-0.04):

• “I like this”
• Small appreciation
• Common for casual zaps

Medium Zap (100-1,000 sats = £0.04-0.40):

• “This is valuable”
• Meaningful support
• Common for quality content

Large Zap (1,000-10,000 sats = £0.40-4.00):

• “This is excellent”
• Strong support
• High-value content

Mega Zap (10,000+ sats = £4.00+):

• Major support
• Exceptional content
• Patronage

Cultural Norm: 21 sats is common minimum (Bitcoin reference to 21 million max supply).

Zap what feels right for the value you received.

Zap Etiquette and Culture

When to Zap

Situations to Consider Zapping:

• Post taught you something valuable
• Post made you laugh
• Creator you want to support
• Exceptional content
• Helpful reply/assistance
• Community contribution

Don’t Feel Obligated:

• Zapping is voluntary
• If you can’t afford, don’t
• Likes/comments still appreciated

Zap Comments

Some clients support zap comments (message attached to zap):

Good Uses:

• “Thanks for this insight!”
• “Love your work”
• Specific feedback

Etiquette:

• Keep positive (you’re paying them!)
• Don’t use zap as platform for criticism (contradictory)

Anonymous Zaps

Some wallets support anonymous zaps:

• Amount visible
• Sender hidden

Use When:

• Want to support without revealing identity
• Privacy preference

How: Depends on wallet (check documentation)

Zap Begging

Generally Frowned Upon:

• Asking for zaps repeatedly
• “Zap me if you agree” posts
• Manipulative zap requests

Better Approach:

• Create valuable content
• Let community decide to zap
• Mention wallet occasionally (not constantly)

Exception: Specific requests (fundraisers, bounties) are acceptable if clearly stated.

Economics of Zaps

For Creators

Realistic Expectations:

Small Account (100-500 followers):

• Zaps: £1-10/month
• Sporadic
• Not income, but appreciation

Medium Account (1,000-5,000 followers):

• Zaps: £10-100/month
• More consistent
• Supplementary income

Large Account (10,000+ followers):

• Zaps: £100-1,000+/month
• Viable income for some
• Quality content required

Mega Account (50,000+ followers):

• Zaps: £500-5,000+/month
• Full-time income possible
• Rare

Variables:

• Content quality
• Niche (Bitcoin/Nostr content tends to zap more)
• Community engagement
• Posting frequency

Don’t expect riches immediately, but meaningful support is possible.

Compared to Traditional Platforms

Twitter/X:

• Ads: $1-5 CPM (per 1,000 views)
• Requires huge audience
• Platform takes cut
• Limited monetization options

YouTube:

• Ads: $1-3 CPM
• Platform takes 45%
• Demonetization risk

Patreon:

• Platform fee: 5-12%
• Monthly subscription (friction)
• Platform can ban you

Nostr Zaps:

• No platform cut
• Instant payments
• Micropayment-friendly
• Censorship resistant

For quality content with engaged audience: Zaps can outperform traditional monetization.

Advanced: How Zaps Work (NIP-57)

For those curious about the technical details.

The Protocol (NIP-57 - Zaps)

Step 1: Lightning Address in Profile

Author’s profile (kind:0):

{
  "lud16": "alice@getalby.com"
}

Step 2: Reader Initiates Zap

Client fetches https://getalby.com/.well-known/lnurlp/alice

Response includes callback URL.

Step 3: Request Invoice

Client requests Lightning invoice from callback with:

• Amount
• Nostr event ID (what’s being zapped)
• Sender pubkey (if not anonymous)

Step 4: Payment

Reader’s wallet pays invoice.

Step 5: Zap Receipt (kind:9735)

Lightning provider (or author) publishes kind:9735 event:

• Proves payment occurred
• Links to original event
• Shows amount
• Shows sender (if not anonymous)

Result: Public, verifiable payment record on Nostr.

Zap Receipts

What They Contain:

• Amount paid
• Recipient pubkey
• Sender pubkey (if not anonymous)
• Zapped event ID
• Payment proof

Why Public:

• Social signal (shows support)
• Prevents fake zaps
• Transparency

Privacy Note: Amount and sender visible (unless anonymous zap).

Troubleshooting

”Can’t Zap This User”

Causes:

• User hasn’t set Lightning address
• Lightning address invalid/expired
• Wallet not reachable

Solution: Check user has ⚡ in profile. If not, they haven’t set up zaps.

”Zap Failed”

Causes:

• Insufficient balance
• Lightning route failure
• Wallet offline

Solutions:

• Check wallet balance
• Try smaller amount
• Try again (Lightning routes can vary)

“Zap Sent But Not Showing”

Causes:

• Zap receipt not published yet
• Client hasn’t fetched zap receipts
• Network delay

Solutions:

• Wait a few minutes
• Refresh client
• Check wallet (payment likely succeeded)

UK Users: Buying Bitcoin for Zaps

Regulated Exchanges (Easiest)

Kraken (kraken.com):

• FCA-registered
• GBP deposits/withdrawals
• Low fees
• Send Bitcoin to Lightning wallet

Coinbase (coinbase.com):

• User-friendly
• Higher fees
• GBP support
• Transfer to Lightning wallet

Process:

1. Sign up, verify identity (KYC)
2. Deposit GBP (bank transfer)
3. Buy Bitcoin
4. Withdraw to your Lightning wallet

Peer-to-Peer (More Private)

Bisq (bisq.network):

• Decentralized exchange
• More private (less KYC)
• Steeper learning curve

Lightning-Specific

Strike (strike.me):

• Buy Bitcoin directly to Lightning
• GBP support (check availability)
• Simple process

Amount Recommendations

Starting Out: £10-50 worth of Bitcoin

• Enough for hundreds of small zaps
• Low risk while learning

The Future of Zaps

Emerging Use Cases

Paywalled Content:

• Pay-to-view posts/articles
• Unlock with zap (experimental)

Bounties:

• “Zap 10,000 sats for solution to this problem”
• Community-funded development

Tipping Bots:

• Automated zaps for certain behaviors
• Community rewards

Subscription Models:

• Regular zaps to favorite creators
• Automated monthly support

Integration Possibilities

E-commerce on Nostr:

• Marketplaces with zap payments
• Direct product purchases

Service Payments:

• Pay for relay access
• Pay for AI queries
• Pay for media hosting

Cross-Platform:

• Zap from Nostr to podcasters (Podcasting 2.0 integration)
• Value flow across apps

The sky’s the limit with programmable money on open protocol.

Conclusion

Zaps represent the marriage of money and social media on an open, decentralized protocol. They enable direct creator support, micropayments, and a value-for-value economy.

Key Takeaways:

1. What: Instant Bitcoin micropayments integrated into Nostr
2. Why: Direct creator support, no platform cut, censorship-resistant
3. How: Lightning wallet + Lightning address in profile
4. Getting Started: Set up Alby or Wallet of Satoshi, add to profile
5. Culture: Zap valuable content, common amounts (21, 100, 1,000 sats)
6. Economics: Viable creator income possible with quality content

Setup Summary:

1. Get Lightning wallet (Alby/Wallet of Satoshi)
2. Get Lightning address (you@provider.com)
3. Add to Nostr profile
4. Receive zaps!

For Readers: Zapping is voting with your sats. It shows appreciation and directly supports creators you value.

For Creators: Zaps are direct patronage. Create value, and your community can support you without platform intermediaries.

Nostr + Lightning = The future of creator economy.

Further Resources

• Getting Started with Nostr - New user guide
• Profile Verification (NIP-05) - Enhance your profile
• Alby Wallet - Recommended Lightning wallet for Nostr
• Wallet of Satoshi - Simple mobile Lightning wallet
• NIP-57 Specification - Technical details on zaps

Remember: With great zap power comes great responsibility. Support creators who provide value, and if you create, provide value worth zapping! ⚡