#nostr
33 items · 33 articles
Articles
The Instrument Returns: An Introduction to Bitcredit
Bitcredit is the concrete protocol reconstructing bills of exchange on Bitcoin, closing the credit layer gap that prior posts have diagnosed.
Two Roads to a Network Without Permission: Reticulum and FIPS
Reticulum and FIPS both build permissionless encrypted meshes, but they differ radically in routing, crypto primitives, and their relationship to IP.
The Hard Part of Multi-Device Messaging
MIP-06 proposes the protocol basis for White Noise multi-device group membership, letting each device securely join as its own MLS leaf.
Inside Marmot: Six Specs That Make Private Group Messaging Work
Six protocol specs define how the Marmot Protocol delivers fully encrypted group messaging on Nostr without centralized servers or metadata leaks.
The Problem They Said Could Not Be Solved
The builders of the best encrypted messengers declared decentralized group encryption impossible. The Marmot protocol proved them wrong.
Your Nostr Key Is Your Network Address
FIPS makes your Nostr npub a routable network address, unifying identity across social and infrastructure layers in a single self-sovereign keypair.
Your Software Runs on Enemy Infrastructure
Freedom tech projects build censorship-resistant tools on censorship-susceptible platforms. The Nostr stack offers a coherent migration path for sovereign development infrastructure.
Verify Anyone on Any Channel
A simple challenge-response app can verify Nostr identities across any anonymous channel by querying the follow graph users already built.
Programmable Magic Internet Money: How Nostr Apps Can Monetize Ethically and Profitably
Bitcoin plus Nostr creates programmable money that solves software monetization through micropayments respecting user sovereignty.
The Non-Computational Nature of Agency
Vervaeke proves agency emerges from non-algorithmic relevance realization, explaining why Bitcoin and Nostr preserve human autonomy while algorithmic systems destroy it.
The Right to Walk Away: Angor and the Future of Bitcoin Crowdfunding
Angor gives investors what ICOs and crowdfunding never could: the cryptographic ability to recover their funds if projects fail to deliver.
Algorithms as Identities: Why NIP-85 Matters
NIP-85 makes each algorithm a Nostr identity. Users follow algorithm-keys, see their outputs, and switch freely.
The Praxeology of Privacy ~ Chapter 17: Decentralized Social Infrastructure
Nostr solves identity capture through cryptographic keys users control. Relays compete, moderation is market-driven, and the protocol extends beyond social posts.
Trust Without Ceremonies: How Nostr Fixed the Web of Trust
PGP's web of trust failed because it demanded explicit rituals. Nostr succeeds by extracting trust from ordinary social behavior.
Own Your Outbox: Running Haven as Your Personal Nostr Relay
Your relay, your rules. Haven bundles four relay functions into one binary, easily deployable on a cheap VPS in an afternoon.
The Trust Shift: Secure Enclaves for Private Nostr Relays
TEE relays shift trust from operators to chip manufacturers. For most threats, that trade is worth making, with eyes open.
The Gap Between PIR and Nostr: Open Problems in Private Relay Queries
Can PIR hide Nostr queries from relays? Compound filters and subscriptions don't map to existing schemes. Here are the open problems.
Know Your Enemy, Name Your Defenses
Good security engineering means naming your enemies. Marmot's threat model specifies exactly which adversaries it defeats and how it defeats them.
Your Phone Without Permission Slips: The GrapheneOS Nostr Stack
GrapheneOS plus Zapstore, Amber, Citrine, Amethyst, and White Noise creates the first phone free from corporate control over your digital life.
The Case for Custodial Nostr: Why Teams Should Stop Fighting the Lost War
Organizations already delegate key custody internally. A server-side Nostr client with permission management would be faster, stabler, and more honest than relay-dependent remote signing hacks.
No Papers Required: How Zapstore Breaks the App Store Checkpoint
Developer KYC creates chokepoints that authoritarian governments ruthlessly exploit. Zapstore restores permissionless software distribution using cryptographic identity instead of government papers.
The Great Decentralization Swindle: How Every Protocol But One Betrays Its Promise
The decentralized social landscape is littered with protocols that centralize through the back door. Nostr alone eliminates trusted third parties entirely, making it the only protocol where your identity truly belongs to you.
The Protocol Rothbard Would Have Built
Nostr implements Rothbard's anarcho-capitalist vision: cryptographic property rights, voluntary relay markets, and censorship-resistant communication without state-corporate gatekeepers.
Nostr-Native Distributed Storage System
The latest iteration of Garland, a privacy-preserving distributed storage system built on Nostr and Blossom, using erasure coding for durability and single-key recovery.
When Math Catches Your Typos
Bech32's BCH code detects up to 4 typos with 100% certainty, locates up to 2 error positions, but deliberately refuses to auto-correct to prevent catastrophic mistakes.
Proving You Belong Without Saying Who You Are
Zero-knowledge proofs let Nostr users prove they're trusted without revealing their identity, enabling anonymous rate-limiting and reputation-gated relay access.
Garland: Exploring the Architecture
We're exploring an architecture for Garland: Cryptomator for encryption, Blossom for blob storage, Nostr for state. Your nsec becomes your Cryptomator password. We think this works - but we'd love your feedback before we commit.
Sifting Through the Archive: Private Set Membership for Blossom
Binary Fuse filters let Blossom clients privately check which files exist on a server - download a compact filter once, query locally with zero server load, and use delta lists for real-time accuracy.
Garland: Your Keys, Your Files, No Trusted Third Party
Garland turns Blossom blob storage into a virtual drive on your device. Your Nostr key is your password. No accounts, no cloud lock-in.
Curated Feeds: A Simpler Alternative to DVM Feeds
Replace DVM request/response overhead with simple replaceable events. Publishers maintain feed lists, clients just subscribe. No round trips, no privacy leakage
Private Relay Connections: Zero-Knowledge Solutions for Nostr
Nostr relays see everything - who connects, what they fetch, how often they post. Zero-knowledge cryptography can fix all three problems: Semaphore-based authentication hides which whitelisted user is connecting, private information retrieval hides which notes you're fetching, and Privacy Pass enables rate limiting without identity linkage.
Owned by No One: Solving Nostr's Key Rotation Problem
Nostr's greatest strength - that you own your identity through cryptographic keys - becomes its greatest weakness when keys are lost or stolen. This post introduces two simple, social solutions that let users mark compromised keys and rotate to new ones through community verification, without complex cryptography or pre-planning.
The Gossip Vulnerability: Why NIP-17's "Deniable" Messages Aren't
NIP-17 promises deniable messaging with its three-layer design: an unsigned "rumor," a signed "seal," and an ephemeral "gift wrap." However, this setup has a hidden vulnerability. The signed seal allows recipients to prove that a message was sent by the claimed author, even without revealing the content. This creates a perfect scenario for gossip attacks, where the mere proof of communication can damage reputations. As we explore NIP-17, we find that the rumor, despite being unsigned, is not as deniable as it seems, making it a potential risk for exposure.