Nostr Biweekly Review (23 Dec 2024-5 Jan 2025)

· 9 min read
Nostr Biweekly Review (23 Dec 2024-5 Jan 2025)

GM, Nostriches!
The Nostr Review is a biweekly newsletter focused on Nostr statistics, protocol updates, exciting programs, the long-form content ecosystem, and key events happening in the Nostr-verse. If you’re interested, join me in covering updates from the Nostr ecosystem!

Quick review:
In the past two weeks, Nostr statistics indicate over 224,000 daily trusted pubkey events.The number of new users has seen a significant increase. Profiles with contact list amount is four times the amount from the same period. Public writing events have reflected a 50% increase. More than 9 million events have been published, with posts leading in volume at around 1.3 million, representing a significant 32% decrease. Total Zap activity stands at approximately 9 million, marking a 20% decline.

Additionally, 16 pull requests were submitted to the Nostr protocol, with 8 merged. A total of 22 Nostr projects were tracked, with 93 releasing product updates, and over 337 long-form articles were published, 34% focusing on Bitcoin and Nostr. During this period, 1 notable event took place, and 3 significant events are upcoming.

Nostr Statistics

Based on user activity, the total daily trusted pubkeys writing events is about 224,000, representing a slight 5.5% decrease compared to the previous period (8-22 Dec). Daily activity peaked at 18053 events, with a low of approximately 16276.

The number of new users has seen a significant increase. Profiles with contact list amount to approximately 18,340, which is four times the amount from the same period. Pubkeys writing events total around 80,000, reflecting a 50% increase compared to the same period.

Regarding event publishing, the total number of note events published is about 9 million, marking an increase of above 20%.Posts remain the most dominant in terms of volume, totaling approximately 1.3 million, reflecting a notable decrease of 32%. Reposts stand at around 327,000, showing a decline of approximately 8.5%, while reactions have experienced a significant increase, rising by 18% to reach 635,012.

For zap activity, the total zap amount is about 9 million, showing a decrease of over 20% compared to the previous period.

In terms of relay usage, the top five relays by user count are: wss://bostr.bitcointxoko.com/, wss://feeds.nostr.band/, wss://relays.diggoo.com/, wss://bostr.azzamo.net/, wss://bostr.lightningspore.com/

Data source: https://stats.nostr.band/

NIPs

Asset prices
Vitor Pamplona defines event kinds to host asset prices.Kind 31892 stores the latest conversion price. The d tag contains the commonly used ticket conversion symbol for the pair. The value tag contains the amount, parseable to a Decimal. n tags separate the pair into the two ticket symbols. The event's created_at field MUST be used as the date/time of the conversion value.Kind 10041 lists the user's authorized providers for pricing services. It contains s tags with the provider's pubkey and the relay where those events are stored.

nip-38: chained stories.
Kehiy defines a new status type which lets users share a chain of stories.This NIP enables a way for users to share live statuses such as what music they are listening to, as well as what they are currently doing: work, play, out of office, etc. A special event with kind:30315 “User Status” is defined as an optionally expiring addressable event, where the d tag represents the status type.The status MAY include an r, p, location, e or a tag linking to a URL, profile, location, note, or addressable event. The content MAY include emoji(s), or NIP-30 custom emoji(s). If the content is an empty string then the client should clear the status.Clients MAY display this next to the username on posts or profiles to provide live user status information.

adding x tag to nip56
Kehiy is proposing that with the growth of clients like zap stream, olas, chat apps, or music clients we have more stuff that may need to be reported. here we can support blobs. When Nostr grows in using media based clients, like zap.stream or olas or music clients, then the event itself is not too important and the media is more important. by reporting events, the media is still accessible. We can support reports ol medias like this.

NIP-91: Extension Negotiation
Semisol is proposing that NIP-91 adds an extension negotiation scheme for clients and relays to negotiate new protocols. The intended goal is to replace NIP-11 for the discovery of relay supported features. An extension feature negotiation scheme is also included.

Trusting rumors by entirely trusted relay list
nanikamado has decided to require Nostr users to register their pubkeys to access the bridge after discussions with some Fediverse users. Unregistered users will be denied both read and write access, operating similarly to a paid relay. In addition, measures will be implemented to prevent events within the bridge relay from being broadcast to other relays, even if it compromises compatibility. The "-" tag alone is insufficient for this requirement. This NIP has already been implemented on the relay: nanikamado/rockstr@f968149. There are also plans to fork a web client and implement this NIP there.

Notable Projects

Amethyst v0.94.3
Amethyst

  • Adds iMeta tags to GIF urls
  • Adds iMeta tags to GIF urls to optimize GIF previews
  • Fixes the extra empty kind 20 post when uploading videos on the media tab
  • Fix: Only close the upload screen if the video upload is a success on the Media tab
  • Maintains note reaction visibility when scrolling by Giovanni

Flotilla 0.2.1
hodlbod

  • Improve performance, as well as scrolling and loading
  • Integrate
  • Improve NIP 29 compatibility
  • Fix incorrect connection errors
  • Refine notifications
  • Add room menu to space homepage
  • Fix storage bugs
  • Add join space CTA

Primal for Android build 2.0.34
primal
They now support the full highlighting feature set for long form notes: highlight display, select any text & highlight, comment on highlights, share highlights in your main feed. They also added btc/usd conversions in the wallet, as well as other small fixes and improvements.

0xchat App v1.4.5 & Desktop v1.0.1
0xchat

  • Added support for NIP46 login.
  • Adapted UI for tablet devices.
  • Introduced connection ping status.
  • Implemented search functionality for Moments.
  • Set default relays for first login.
  • Added default reaction emojis.
  • Fixed an issue where messages couldn't be sent after joining a relay group.
  • Resolved occasional UI flipping issues.
  • Fixed an issue preventing images from being moved after zooming.
  • Addressed a bug causing voice messages to get stuck in a loading state.
  • Fixed file encryption and decryption issues.
  • Corrected some typos.
  • Fixed an issue with Nostr.build uploads.

Yakihonne Latest Update (iOS/Android/Web/Zap.Store)
YakiHonne

Web:

  • Yakihonne is now multilingual! Enjoy the app in English and Chinese, with more languages coming soon, including Spanish, Portuguese, Thai, Arabic, Japanese, and Italian.
  • Added support for translating notes and articles into the app's selected language.
  • Copy-paste images to upload seamlessly across the app.
  • Resolved issues with secure DMs when logging in using a private key.
  • General bug fixes and improvements.
  • Article drafts now can be cleared directly or the published one will no more be existed

Mobile:

  • App languages: Yakihonne is now multilingual! Enjoy the app in English and Chinese, with more languages coming soon, including Spanish, Portuguese, Thai, Arabic, Japanese, and Italian.
  • Translation: Added support for translating notes and articles into the app's selected language.
  • Wallet balance: Fix issue where wallet balance is N/A.
  • Account initialization: Fix issue when initializing account.
  • Paying invoice: Fix issue sending sats using invoices.

Olas 0.1.7.1
PABLOF7z

  • Works with remote signers like Amber (on nsecbunker mode).
  • The video tab now plays short videos with sound on and stops playing when you swipe out
  • Yet even more performance improvements
  • Fixed a bug where Android wasn't calculating blurhashes
  • Always adds image dimensions when posting so @Vitor Pamplona is happier.
  • “Some” fixes on NWC wallets, but it's still quite buggy, will investigate more -- if you've received zaps on your Olas posts today, that was probably me zapping via NWC + remote signing those zaps.

Wherostr v1.3.3
Wherostr

  • File Upload Error: Resolved the “404 Not Found” issue during file uploads.
  • Increased Geohash Precision: Enhanced location accuracy by increasing geohash precision from 9 to 11.

DEG Mods
DEG Mods

  • A small update went live:
  • A “try again” button appears on mods that error out. (99% of the time this fixes the issue).
  • The blog tab in a user's profile now loads correctly (doesn't get stuck anymore for new users)
  • Text now appears if a game isn't found in the search
  • Looking into fixing one newly discovered issue related to old mods
  • Easier media uploads (drag and drop basically. No need to go find other sites to upload images to anymore)

AlbyHub 1.11.4
Alby

  • You can use all the features of Alby Hub in self-custody with LND on Raspiblitz, now available in WebUI.

Zapstore 0.2.0
Zapstore

  • 0.2.0 is out with support for signing in with Amber (NIP-55) and zaps via Nostr Wallet Connect.

Narr release v0.3.2
fiatjaf

  • New Narr release v0.3.2 fixes all the problems with articles updating, insufficiently-rendered Markdown, Nostr usernames not loading, and makes everything better.
  • It supports all sorts of RSS feed discovery from HTTP URLs and renders them beautifully in a simple straightforward interface, you can also paste nostr:... URIs, including nip05, npub and nprofile codes (they should also work without the nostr: prefix).

ZEUS v0.9.4
ZEUS

  • Embedded Node: LND v0.18.4
  • Speed up tx UX improvements
  • CLNRest: display of destination addresses on txs
  • Display keysend messages in Activity + Payment views
  • Open Channel view: Connect Peer UI tabs
  • CLNRest: paste connection strings
  • Channels: sort by Close Height
  • Optimizations + bug fixes

Citrine 0.6.0
Citrine

  • Update dependencies
  • Show notifications when importing, exporting, downloading events
  • Change database functions to be suspending functions

Long-Form Content Eco

In the past two weeks, more than 337 long-form articles have been published, including over 93 articles on Bitcoin and more than 22 related to Nostr, accounting for 34% of the total content.

These articles about Nostr mainly explore its diverse applications and potential impacts across various domains. Topics range from technical guides like creating custom emojis and automating workflows, to cultural and social aspects, such as the Nostr Bread Festival and the role of Nostr in enhancing free speech. There are reflections on the past year's developments, predictions for 2025, and discussions on integrating Nostr with other platforms like Bluesky. The content also delves into personal experiences, community interactions, and broader societal issues, highlighting Nostr's growing influence and the creative ways users are engaging with this decentralized network.

The Bitcoin articles discuss a wide range of topics, from technological innovations to socio-economic impacts. They cover the speed advantages of the Lightning Network, the economic model policies of Bitcoin, and the outlook for Bitcoin's development in 2024. Some articles analyze the relationship between Bitcoin and traditional financial markets like the Nikkei 225, highlighting the potential of a decentralized future and the spread of Bitcoin education. Additionally, they explore the possibility of Bitcoin as a legal tender, its connection to religious and spiritual dimensions, and the mystery surrounding Satoshi Nakamoto's identity. Reflections on Bitcoin's milestones, such as the release of the genesis block, emphasize its challenge and revolution to the modern financial system. Overall, these articles showcase Bitcoin's profound global impact and its continually evolving ecosystem.

Thankyou, TheWildHustle, asyncmind, Nightmare Harazono, Ksenia, Crypto Airdrops , Ambadi John, Bitcoin Txoko, Shigeru Minami,
and others, for your work. Enriching Nostr’s long-form content ecosystem is crucial.

Nostriches Global Meet Ups

Recently, a Nostr event have been hosted.

  • The Bitcoin Meetup took place on December 29, 2024, at the “Accra City Pub” in Jamestown. The event featured the “Orange Pilling” session at 3:00 PM, followed by the GH Bitcoin NYTZ meetup at 7:00 PM. Participants also had the chance to win a free Trezor Safe 3 hardware wallet, and the event was free to attend.

Here are the upcoming Nostr events in November that you might want to check out.

  • The Bitcoin City Team Hackathon will take place online (via Discord) from January 10 to January 31, 2025. This event aims to develop a fun and interactive visualization of live Bitcoin and Lightning transactions. Participating teams will have the opportunity to win a total prize of 10,000,000 IDR.
    Bitcoin Indonesia 🇮🇩

  • The inaugural Bitcoin Circular Economy Summit will be held from January 27th to 29th in El Zonte, El Salvador! This three-day event includes leadership training, Bitcoin education, and exchanges with over 15 global Bitcoin circular economies. It offers a unique opportunity for global leaders in Bitcoin adoption and economic development to connect, learn, and collaborate. This summit precedes the PlanB Forum, taking place on January 30th-31st in San Salvador, making it an excellent chance to network with Bitcoin users worldwide.

  • The Bitcoin Freedom Festival will take place from February 20 to 24, 2025, at the Awakening Center in Uvita, Costa Rica. In collaboration with the Awake Earth Festival, this event blends a music festival with Bitcoin seminars and lectures. From February 20 to 23, the focus will be on music, healing workshops, ceremonies, and educational talks, featuring internationally renowned artists and captivating discussions. February 24 will be a special day dedicated to Bitcoin, with all activities centered around it.
    Bitcoin Jungle

Additionally, We warmly invite event organizers who have held recent activities to reach out to us so we can work together to promote the prosperity and development of the Nostr ecosystem.

Thanks for reading! If there’s anything I missed, feel free to reach out and help improve the completeness and accuracy of my coverage.