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GUIDE

What is Nostr What is nostrbtc Getting Started Dashboard Features Directory & Trust Email Security FAQ

What is Nostr

// the protocol

Nostr (Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays) is a decentralized protocol for social networking. Unlike Twitter, Facebook, or any centralized platform, no single company owns or controls Nostr. Your identity is a cryptographic key pair — you own it, not a corporation.

When you post on Nostr, your messages are signed with your private key and sent to relays. Relays are servers that store and distribute your posts. Anyone running a relay helps keep the network alive. If one relay goes down or censors you, your data still exists on others.

// keys, not accounts

On Nostr, you don't create an "account" with a username and password. Instead, you generate a key pair:

  • Public key (npub) — your identity, like a username. You share this with everyone. Starts with npub1.
  • Private key (nsec) — your password. Never share this. Whoever has it controls your identity. Starts with nsec1.

// your keys = your identity. back up your nsec and never paste it into websites.

// nostr clients

You interact with Nostr through client apps, similar to how you use email through Gmail or Outlook. Popular clients:

// any client works with nostrbtc.com relay — just add our relay address in your client's settings.

What is nostrbtc

// paid relay with superpowers

nostrbtc.com is a premium Nostr relay that you pay for with Bitcoin Lightning. The Lightning paywall keeps out spam and bots — only real users who pay sats can write here.

But it's more than just a relay. When you subscribe, you get a full suite of tools to protect and showcase your Nostr identity:

Auto-Sync Real-time sync via persistent connections to your relays and public relays. Post anywhere, it appears here instantly.
Data Backup Events synced across 13 relays — 8 via negentropy every 2 hours, 5 more via bulk download every 6 hours. Broadcast to 12 backup relays on demand. Download JSON anytime.
NIP-05 Identity Get [email protected] verified address included free.
Tor Access Connect via .onion address for extra privacy. No IP logging ever.
Nostr Wrapped Stats dashboard: posts, reactions, zaps, top friends — shareable with one click.
Nostr Card Shareable profile page with custom links — like Linktree, powered by Nostr.
Follow Backup Your follow list is synced and downloadable. Never lose your social graph.
Broadcast Push all your events to 12 backup relays with one click from your dashboard.
Gift Subs Gift relay access to a friend via website or DM bot.
DM Bot Subscribe, renew, gift, and manage your account entirely via Nostr DMs.
Notifications Get important updates via encrypted Nostr DMs.
Web of Trust Personalized GrapeRank trust scores, tiers, and shared connections computed from your perspective.
NIP-85 Assertions Machine-readable trust data published as signed Nostr events for any client to consume.

// pricing

Four options, all paid with Lightning. No accounts, no KYC — just sats and your npub.

  • Directory Listing: 1,100 sats one-time — get listed in the directory with personalized GrapeRank trust scores and optional NIP-05 identity. No relay write access.
  • Monthly Relay: 2,100 sats/month — full relay write access, directory listing, and all features.
  • Annual Relay: 21,000 sats/year — same as monthly, save ~17%.
  • Email Bridge: 2,100 sats/month — [email protected] email that delivers to your Nostr DMs. Separate from relay subscription.

Reading is always free — anyone can read events from the relay without subscribing.

Getting Started

// new to nostr

If you don't have a Nostr identity yet:

1

Download a Nostr client.

2

Create your key pair in the client. It will generate your npub and nsec automatically.

3

Back up your nsec (private key) somewhere safe. Write it down. If you lose it, you lose your identity forever.

4

Copy your npub from the client's profile section.

5

Go to nostrbtc.com/subscribe, paste your npub, choose a plan, and pay with Lightning. Or subscribe via DM — send subscribe to @northranger on Nostr.

6

After payment, add wss://nostrbtc.com to your client's relay list.

// that's it. your events will start syncing automatically in real-time.

// already on nostr

If you already have an npub and use Nostr:

1

Go to nostrbtc.com/subscribe and paste your npub. Or DM subscribe to @northranger on Nostr.

2

Pay with Lightning (2,100 sats/month or 21,000 sats/year).

3

Add wss://nostrbtc.com to your client's relay list.

4

Go to your Dashboard and log in with your npub. You'll receive a login code via Nostr DM.

Your existing events will be automatically synced from your other relays. The initial sync typically completes within minutes.

// adding the relay to your client

Every Nostr client has a relay settings section. Here's where to find it:

  • Damus: Settings → Relays → Add Relay → enter wss://nostrbtc.com
  • Amethyst: Drawer → Relays → + button → enter wss://nostrbtc.com
  • Primal: Settings → Network → Relays → Add → enter wss://nostrbtc.com
  • Iris: Settings → Relays → enter wss://nostrbtc.com

For Tor access, use ws://7imqzy3ui3gpn4fdsvefaqjrs4zqvytm33h5jmcmzbfc2hmm4qhy2iad.onion (requires a Tor-enabled client or Tor Browser).

Using the Dashboard

// logging in

The dashboard uses secure Nostr DM authentication:

1

Go to nostrbtc.com/dashboard and enter your npub.

2

Click "Send Login Code". A login code will be sent to your Nostr DMs via encrypted gift wrap (NIP-17).

3

Open your Nostr client, check your DMs from nostrbtc.com, and enter the code.

4

You're in. Your session is saved — you won't need to log in again until you log out.

// this proves you own the npub without ever sharing your private key with anyone.

// dashboard features

  • Live Activity — real-time chart of your events (1H / 6H / 24H / 7D). Click any bar to see individual events.
  • Sync Now — trigger an immediate full sync from all your relays.
  • Nostr Wrapped — your stats at a glance: notes, replies, reactions, zaps, sats earned, top friends with podium ranking.
  • Relay Addresses — copy your clearnet and Tor relay addresses with one click.
  • NIP-05 Identity — claim your [email protected] verified address. Type a name and click Claim.
  • Follow List Backup — see your follow count and download the full list as JSON.
  • Data Backup — broadcast all your events to 12 backup relays, or download everything as a JSON file.
  • Notifications — enable DM notifications for sync status, subscription expiry, and relay downtime alerts.
  • Nostr Card — manage your shareable profile page with custom links. Preview it, copy the URL, share it anywhere.

Features Explained

// auto-sync

nostrbtc maintains persistent WebSocket connections to your relays and popular public relays, streaming your events in real-time. Post from any relay or client, and your events automatically appear on nostrbtc.com within seconds. On top of that, two background reconcilers keep things in sync: negentropy (NIP-77) reconciles against 8 relays every 2 hours, and a slower bulk download pulls from 5 more relays every 6 hours — the ones that don't speak negentropy — so nothing is ever missed.

// nip-05 identity

NIP-05 is a verification standard for Nostr. When you claim [email protected], other users can verify that your npub really belongs to that name. It shows as a purple checkmark in most clients.

To use it: claim a name on your dashboard, then update your Nostr profile's NIP-05 field to [email protected] in your client's profile settings.

// nostr card

Your Nostr Card is a public profile page at nostrbtc.com/p/yourname (or /p/your-npub). It shows:

  • Your avatar, banner, name, and bio from your Nostr profile
  • NIP-05 verification badge
  • Lightning address with one-click zap
  • "Find me on" links to open your profile in popular Nostr clients
  • Up to 10 custom links you configure on your dashboard
  • QR code to follow you on Nostr

Share the URL anywhere — it works like Linktree but pulls data directly from Nostr.

// nostr wrapped

Nostr Wrapped gives you a breakdown of your Nostr activity:

  • Total notes, replies, reactions sent
  • Reactions and zaps received
  • Total sats earned from zaps
  • Top friends — weighted by reactions, reposts, replies, and zaps
  • Activity by hour (when are you most active)
  • Account age and active days

Click "Share Stats Link" to copy a public URL you can share on Nostr.

// dm bot

Manage your subscription entirely through Nostr DMs — no website needed. Send a DM to @northranger with any of these commands:

  • subscribe — get a Lightning invoice for a monthly subscription (2,100 sats)
  • annual — get a Lightning invoice for an annual subscription (21,000 sats)
  • directory — get a Lightning invoice for a directory listing (1,100 sats one-time)
  • renew — renew your existing subscription (monthly)
  • renew annual — renew for a full year
  • gift npub1... — gift a monthly subscription to someone
  • gift annual npub1... — gift an annual subscription to someone
  • nip05 yourname — claim [email protected] as your NIP-05 identity
  • email yourname — register [email protected] email (2,100 sats/month)
  • email renew — renew your email subscription
  • email status — check your email account status
  • status — check your subscription status and expiry date
  • stats — get your Nostr Wrapped summary (notes, reactions, zaps, top friends)
  • card — get your Nostr Card URL
  • notify on/off — opt in or out of DM notifications (sync status, expiry reminders, relay downtime)
  • help — list all available commands

After you pay the Lightning invoice, your subscription is activated automatically. The bot will confirm via DM.

// the bot uses encrypted Nostr DMs — no email, no accounts, fully native to the protocol.

// notifications

Stay informed about your relay through encrypted Nostr DMs. Enable from your dashboard or by sending notify on to the bot. Works on every device and every client — no app install needed.

You'll be notified about:

  • Sync status — when syncs complete or encounter issues
  • Subscription expiry — reminders to renew your access
  • Relay downtime — alerts if the relay goes down or recovers
  • Payment confirmations — when your Lightning payment is confirmed

Disable anytime from the dashboard or by sending notify off to the bot.

// gift a subscription

Give someone relay access as a gift. The recipient gets everything a subscriber gets — write access, NIP-05 identity, auto-sync, Tor access, and a dashboard.

Two ways to gift:

  • Website: go to nostrbtc.com/subscribe, click the Gift toggle on any plan, enter the recipient's npub, and pay.
  • DM Bot: send gift npub1... (monthly) or gift annual npub1... (annual) to @northranger on Nostr.

The recipient gets a DM notification when their subscription is activated.

// tor access

Every subscriber can connect to the relay via its Tor hidden service. This hides your IP address from the relay and your ISP can't see you're using Nostr. Find the .onion address on your dashboard under "Tor Relay".

Use a Tor-enabled Nostr client, or route your client's traffic through Tor/Orbot.

Directory & Trust

// community directory

The Directory is a public listing of nostrbtc members with personalized trust scores powered by GrapeRank. Browse the community, discover interesting people, and see who's active — all ranked from your perspective through your Web of Trust.

Two ways to get listed:

  • Directory Listing (1,100 sats one-time) — get listed permanently with personalized trust scores. Subscribe at nostrbtc.com/subscribe.
  • Relay Subscription (2,100 sats/month or 21,000 sats/year) — includes directory listing plus full relay access and all features.

Your Nostr profile (name, avatar, bio) is pulled automatically from the network every 15 minutes.

Use the filter bar above the list to sort, search, filter by tags or badges, and switch between list and grid views.

// filtering & searching

The directory has a filter bar with all controls in one row:

  • Sort buttons — click Newest, Active, or Name to change the order. "Most Trusted" sorts by trust scores — personalized if you're logged in, or by community consensus for anonymous visitors.
  • Search — type in the search field to filter by name, NIP-05, or bio. Results update as you type.
  • Tags dropdown — click "Tags" to open a dropdown of topic tags (e.g., bitcoin, developer, artist). Click any tag to toggle it on or off. Multiple tags can be active at once.
  • Badge filters — click Relay, Verified, or Lightning to filter to members with that badge.
  • View toggle — click the icon on the far right to switch between list view and card grid view.

Active filters appear as removable chips below the filter bar. Click the × on any chip to remove it, or "clear all" to reset everything.

// directory tags

Add custom tags to your directory profile to help others discover you by interest.

To set your tags: log in to your Dashboard, scroll to the Directory section, and use the tag editor to add up to 10 tags (e.g., bitcoin, developer, nostr, artist). Each tag can be up to 30 characters.

To filter by tags: on the Directory page, click the "Tags" dropdown in the filter bar and select any tag. You can combine multiple tags.

// badges

Members can earn badges that appear on their directory listing:

  • Relay — relay subscriber. The member has an active monthly or annual relay subscription.
  • NIP-05 — verified identity. The member has a NIP-05 address (e.g., [email protected] or any external domain) that resolves correctly and points to their pubkey.
  • Lightning — reachable via Lightning. The member has a working Lightning address in their Nostr profile.

// personalized trust scores

Every member gets a trust score that is personalized to each observer. The score uses GrapeRank, a graph-based trust algorithm that computes reputation from each user's perspective through their Web of Trust. Two observers may see different scores for the same person based on their own follow graph and social connections.

How it works:

  • Your follow graph is loaded from Postgres. GrapeRank walks the trust edges (follows, mutes, reports) outward from you as the observer.
  • Trust tiers classify each member: Highly Trusted (high confidence, close to your network), Trusted (solid connection), Neutral (moderate, a few hops away), Low Trust (weak signal), and Unverified (minimal connection to your graph).
  • Hops show how many steps away a member is from you in the follow graph (1 = you follow them directly, 2 = followed by someone you follow, etc.).
  • Shared connections display mutual follows between you and the member, so you can see who vouches for them.

Three tiers of scoring: Directory members and relay subscribers get full precomputed GrapeRank scores, prewarmed every 4 hours. Visitors who paste their npub get fast approximate scores based on follow overlap with members whose scores are already computed — no graph walk needed, results in under 50ms. Anonymous visitors see the public house GrapeRank score when available, with global consensus as a fallback. A full batch recompute across all directory members runs every 6 hours to keep the social graph current.

// personalized trust is Sybil-resistant — fake accounts can't boost each other because trust must flow from real users you actually follow.

// NIP-85 trust assertions

nostrbtc.com is a Trusted Service Provider under NIP-85. When GrapeRank computes fresh personalized scores for an observer, the relay publishes signed kind 30382 (addressable, replaceable) events — one per observer-member pair. These are standard Nostr events any NIP-85-compatible client can query directly from the relay.

How it works:

  • A member's precomputed GrapeRank scores are refreshed on a regular cycle, or a visitor triggers approximate scoring
  • After scores are computed, the observer's pubkey is queued for NIP-85 publishing
  • The indexer picks up the queue and publishes kind 30382 events to strfry, one for each member scored
  • Each event is addressable by the d tag (target member's pubkey) and p tag (observer's pubkey)
  • Clients filter with {"kinds": [30382], "#p": ["<observer_pubkey>"]} to get all trust scores from a specific observer's perspective

Event tag structure:

  • d — target member's hex pubkey (makes the event addressable/replaceable)
  • p — observer's hex pubkey (whose perspective the score is from)
  • rank — personalized GrapeRank score on the raw 0–1 scale
  • tier — trust tier: highly_trusted, trusted, neutral, low_trust, or unverified
  • hops — follow-graph distance from observer to target
  • algorithmgraperank_v1
  • followers / following — social graph counts
  • follow_ratio — followers-to-following ratio
  • active_days_30 — days active in the last 30
  • first_seen — subscription activation timestamp
  • nip05_valid / lightning_valid1 or 0
  • profile_completeness — percentage of profile fields filled (name, about, picture, banner, nip05, lud16, website)

Publishing strategy: Assertions are published when precomputed GrapeRank scores are refreshed for a member, or when a visitor's approximate scores are computed. A raw score change threshold of 0.01 prevents unnecessary republishing. The events are signed by the relay's key and published to the local strfry instance.

Querying example: To get all trust scores that observer abc123... has for directory members:

  • Connect to wss://nostrbtc.com
  • Subscribe with filter: {"kinds": [30382], "#p": ["abc123..."]}
  • Each returned event's d tag is the scored member, rank is their trust score from that observer's perspective

// this makes trust portable and verifiable. A client doesn't need to trust nostrbtc's UI or API — it can read the signed events directly from the relay and apply its own trust policies. Different observers get different scores for the same person, reflecting the personalized nature of Web of Trust.

// web of trust scanner

The Directory page has a scan bar at the top. Paste any npub, hex pubkey, or NIP-05 address to see that person through your Web of Trust:

  • Trust score (0–100) — personalized GrapeRank score converted and rounded up for display. Color-coded by tier.
  • Confidence level — below the trust score, a human-readable confidence assessment (High, Moderate, Low, or Minimal) with an explanation like: "72% confidence that Alice is a genuine participant, based on your trusted community's follows, mutes, and reports."
  • Influence rating (0–1) — the raw GrapeRank network influence score used by the algorithm and NIP-85 assertions. This is the decimal value behind the displayed 0–100 score.
  • Trust tier — Highly Trusted, Trusted, Neutral, Low Trust, or Unverified
  • Shared connections — shows how many connections you share with the person (e.g., "3 shared connections — 0 mutual followers · 3 mutual following"). Click to expand and see who they are.
  • Audience quality — a per-tier breakdown of the person's followers. See how many of their followers are Highly Trusted, Trusted, Neutral, Low Trust, or Unverified from your perspective. Expandable with colored bars and counts.
  • Following quality — same tier breakdown for who the person follows. Helps you understand if they follow mostly trusted or unverified accounts.
  • Activity stats — notes, followers, following, zaps received/sent, account age, muted/reported by counts with expandable lists
  • Signal lists — see who mutes, reports, or is muted/reported by the person. Lists are open to everyone — click to expand and browse the full list.
  • Badges — NIP-05 verified, Lightning reachable, relay subscriber

Connect a NIP-07 browser extension (nos2x, Alby) to automatically identify yourself as the observer. If you don't have an extension connected, the trust indicator stays empty with a "Sign in with extension" button. Members get full precomputed GrapeRank scores; visitors get fast approximate scores based on follow overlap with existing members.

// discover who to follow

A free tool on the Directory page. Connect your NIP-07 extension and click "Discover people" to scan your follow list against the directory trust graph. It returns a ranked list of directory members you should follow but don't yet.

The scoring algorithm weighs three signals:

  • Mutual follows (50%) — how many of your contacts also follow this person
  • Trust quality (30%) — the average GrapeRank score of those mutual follows
  • Candidate trust (20%) — the recommended person's own personalized trust score

Each recommendation shows why it was made: "Followed by Alice, Bob, and 8 others you follow" or "Highly trusted in the network". Each card also shows a trust percentage bar and a hops tag indicating how many steps away the person is in your follow graph.

Filter by hops: Use the hops filter bar at the top to narrow results by network distance. Click "2 hops" to see only people followed by someone you follow directly, "3 hops" for one more step out, etc. The count next to each button shows how many results match. Click "All" to remove the filter.

Click "View" on any recommendation to open their full identity scan with trust score, audience quality, shared connections, and all signal data.

// NIP-07 extension signing

If you have a Nostr browser extension (nos2x, Alby, or similar), you can cryptographically verify your directory listing. On the Directory page, click "Connect Extension" — the extension signs a proof that you own the listed npub.

This adds a verified checkmark to your directory card and proves ownership without sharing your private key with the website. The signature is validated against your public key on the server side.

// decentralized lists (kind 9998 / 9999)

The directory is backed by a custom Nostr event format that makes the member list fully decentralized and protocol-native. No API or database access is needed to read or contribute to the list.

kind 9998 — list header: A single event published by the relay that defines the directory. It includes a human-readable description, the name of the list, and which tags are required or recommended for list items. Any client can fetch this event to understand the schema.

kind 9999 — list items: One event per member. Each item references the list header via a z tag (pointing to the header event id), identifies the member with a p tag, and optionally includes name and nip05 tags. These events are published to the local strfry relay and to public relays (damus, primal, nos.lol) for discoverability.

Self-listing: Subscribers can publish their own kind 9999 event signed with their own key. The relay's write policy accepts user-signed kind 9999 events if:

  • The z tag references the nostrbtc list header event id
  • The p tag matches the event author (self-listing only, you can't list someone else)
  • The author is an active paid subscriber

Self-signed listings are detected by the directory indexer and marked with a verified checkmark. This lets you prove you listed yourself — the relay didn't do it on your behalf. When a self-signed event is first detected, it is automatically re-broadcast to public relays (damus, primal, nos.lol) so it is discoverable outside nostrbtc.

How to self-list via CLI:

  • Use any Nostr event signing tool (e.g., nak) to create a kind 9999 event
  • Tags: ["z", "<list_header_event_id>"], ["p", "<your_pubkey>"], optionally ["name", "Your Name"] and ["nip05", "[email protected]"]
  • Publish to wss://nostrbtc.com

Removal: When a member unlists, a NIP-09 deletion event (kind 5) is published targeting their kind 9999 event. For self-signed listings, the user publishes their own deletion.

// the protocol is the source of truth. Postgres is the fast read cache. Anyone can query strfry for kind 9998/9999 events to reconstruct the full directory.

// trust clusters

The directory automatically detects subgroups within the community using the follow graph weighted by GrapeRank reputation scores. Members who are tightly interconnected form a cluster — a natural social group shaped by trust, not manual tagging.

How it works:

  • GrapeRank-weighted label propagation — the algorithm starts by giving each member a unique label. It then iterates: each member adopts the dominant label among their connections, but not all connections are equal. Each follow edge is weighted by the source member's reputation score (0–100), which reflects their activity, identity verification, and network standing. A follow from a highly-trusted member (reputation 90) carries 9× more influence than a follow from a low-reputation member (reputation 10). Members converge to shared labels based on these weighted connections.
  • Auto-labeling — clusters are named automatically by analyzing what members have in common. The algorithm checks directory tags first (if 40%+ of a cluster share a tag like "developer", it becomes the cluster name), then common words from member bios, and falls back to the most-followed member's name. Labels can also be manually overridden by the relay operator.
  • Recomputed periodically — clusters are recalculated every ~6 hours as part of the directory indexer's slow cycle. As members join, leave, or change their follow patterns, clusters evolve naturally. Manual label overrides are preserved across recomputes.

On the directory page:

  • Cluster bar — colored pills appear above the member grid showing each detected cluster with its name and member count. Click any pill to filter the directory to that cluster's members.
  • API accessGET /api/directory/clusters returns all clusters with labels, colors, and member assignments. The directory listing endpoint accepts a cluster parameter to filter by cluster id.

// clusters are emergent, not assigned. Trusted voices shape the clusters more than raw follower count. A small tightly-connected community may show one cluster. As the community grows and distinct subgroups form, more clusters appear automatically.

Email

// [email protected] email

Get a real email address at [email protected] that delivers mail straight to your Nostr DMs. No inbox app needed — email arrives as encrypted NIP-17 messages from the bridge bot. You can also send email by DMing the bot.

This is a separate service from the relay subscription. It costs 2,100 sats/month and includes:

  • Unlimited inbound email → Nostr DMs
  • 100 outbound emails per month via DM
  • NIP-05 identity at [email protected] (same address works for both email and NIP-05)
  • DKIM-signed outbound for deliverability

// registration

Two ways to register:

Via website:

1

Go to nostrbtc.com/email and enter your npub.

2

Choose a username (3–20 characters, lowercase letters, numbers, and dots — no leading or trailing dots).

3

Pay the Lightning invoice (2,100 sats).

4

Your email is active immediately. You'll receive a welcome DM from the bridge bot with instructions.

Via DM bot: send email yourname to @northranger on Nostr. Pay the Lightning invoice in the reply and you're set.

// your npub is remembered on the website — return visits auto-fill it and show your dashboard.

// receiving email

When someone sends email to [email protected], the bridge bot delivers it as an encrypted Nostr DM (NIP-17 gift wrap). You'll see the sender, subject, and body in your DM inbox — in any Nostr client that supports DMs.

HTML emails are converted to plain text. Attachments are stripped (email body only). There is no spam filter — Nostr DMs are your inbox.

// sending email

Send a DM to the bridge bot with the email address on the first line, subject on the second line, and body after:

Or send a one-liner — the email address followed by your message:

The bot confirms delivery with a reply DM. You have 100 outbound emails per month (counter resets on the 1st).

// outbound is sent from [email protected] with DKIM signatures, so it lands in inboxes, not spam.

// renewal & dashboard

Your email subscription lasts 30 days. Renew anytime from the email page or by sending email renew to @northranger on Nostr. Renewal extends your expiry by another 30 days and costs 2,100 sats.

If your subscription expires, inbound email bounces and outbound is disabled. Renew to reactivate — your username is preserved.

// bridge bot

The bridge bot is your gateway between email and Nostr. It delivers inbound email as DMs and sends outbound email when you DM it.

Find the bridge bot on Nostr: npub1nr9ws...f8sfty

// privacy model

Be precise about what this service does and doesn't protect:

  • Email bodies are not persisted. The bridge holds email content in RAM only during processing, scrubs the memory buffers after delivery, and forces garbage collection. No bodies are written to disk or database.
  • Minimal metadata. The database stores only: pubkey, username, subscription status, and expiry date. No email activity counters are persisted — rate limiting uses Redis keys that auto-expire. If Redis restarts, counters reset. The database knows who has a mailbox and when it expires — nothing about usage.
  • Logs are minimal. Inbound logs record only the recipient username ("Inbound delivered to alice"), never the sender address, subject, or body. Outbound logs record masked addresses only (e.g., al***@nostrbtc.com). Stalwart (the mail server) runs at warn-level logging — no per-message envelope data.
  • The bridge sees plaintext. It must — it converts email to a Nostr DM and vice versa. "Your email provider can't read it" is not the same as "nobody can see you got mail."
  • NIP-17 DMs are encrypted end-to-end between the bridge and your Nostr key. No third party can read them in transit or on the relay. But the bridge is one of the two ends.

For real confidentiality: encrypt your email content with PGP/GPG before sending it through the bridge. The bridge becomes a dumb transport — it can see ciphertext and metadata, nothing else. That is the correct move if your threat model includes the bridge operator.

// this is a convenience layer, not a security boundary. it's better than Gmail reading everything forever, but it's not zero-knowledge.

Security & Privacy

// how login works

nostrbtc never asks for or stores your private key (nsec). Dashboard authentication works through Nostr DMs:

  • You enter your npub (public key only)
  • The server sends a one-time login code to your Nostr DMs
  • You read the code in your Nostr client and enter it on the dashboard
  • This proves you own the npub — only the person who controls the private key can read the DM

Codes expire after 5 minutes and can only be used once.

// what we store

  • Your npub and hex public key (these are public information)
  • Subscription status and expiry date
  • NIP-05 name if you claimed one
  • Custom links for your Nostr Card
  • Your Nostr events (notes, reactions, etc. — all public data from the protocol)

We do not store: private keys, IP addresses, email addresses, passwords, or any personally identifying information.

FAQ

// do I need to subscribe to read from the relay?

No. Reading is free. Anyone can connect to wss://nostrbtc.com and read events. Subscription is only required to write (publish) events.

// can I use nostrbtc as my only relay?

You can, but we recommend using 3-5 relays for redundancy. nostrbtc auto-syncs from your other relays, so your data is always backed up here even if you primarily post elsewhere.

// what happens when my subscription expires?

You lose write access to the relay. Your events remain stored and readable. You can still download backups from other relays where your data was synced. Renew anytime to restore full access.

// I didn't get the login code DM

The login code is sent via NIP-17 (encrypted gift-wrapped DMs). Check your DM inbox from nostrbtc.com. If you don't see it:

  • Make sure your client supports DMs (most do)
  • Check if your client filters DMs from unknown contacts
  • Try clicking "Resend code" on the login page
  • The code expires after 5 minutes — request a new one if needed

// can I change my NIP-05 name?

Yes. Claim a new name from your dashboard. The old name is released and becomes available for others.

// is there a refund policy?

Lightning payments are final and non-refundable. If you have issues, reach out to @northranger on Nostr.

// how do I subscribe via DM?

Send a DM to @northranger on Nostr with the word subscribe (or annual for the yearly plan). You'll receive a Lightning invoice in reply. Pay it and your subscription activates instantly. Send help to see all available commands.

// what NIPs are supported?

The relay supports NIPs: 1, 2, 4, 9, 11, 12, 15, 16, 17, 20, 22, 28, 33, 40, 42, 59, 65, 77, 85. This covers standard notes, encrypted DMs (legacy and gift-wrapped), contact lists, replaceable events, communities, relay list metadata, negentropy sync, trusted assertions, and more.