Glossary
Common terms you'll encounter in the Nostr ecosystem.
A
Alby
A browser extension that manages your Nostr keys and Lightning wallet. Makes signing into web clients easy.
Amethyst
A popular Nostr client for Android devices.
B
Bech32
An encoding format for keys. Nostr uses bech32m with prefixes like npub and nsec.
C
Client
An application you use to access Nostr. Examples: Damus, Primal, Amethyst.
Content Warning (CW)
A way to mark posts that might be sensitive, allowing readers to choose whether to view them.
D
Damus
A popular Nostr client for iOS and macOS.
DM (Direct Message)
An encrypted private message between two users.
E
Event
The basic data unit in Nostr. Posts, reactions, profiles—everything is an event.
EOSE
"End of Stored Events" - A message from relays indicating they've sent all matching stored events.
F
Filter
A set of criteria used to request specific events from relays (by author, kind, time, etc.).
Follow / Following
Subscribing to see someone's posts in your feed.
Follow List
The list of people you follow, stored as a Nostr event.
G
Global Feed
A feed showing all public posts from connected relays.
H
Hex Key
The raw format of a Nostr key (64 hexadecimal characters). Often converted to npub/nsec for easier use.
K
Kind
A number that categorizes events. Kind 0 = profile, Kind 1 = note, etc.
Common kinds:
- 0 - Profile metadata
- 1 - Short text note
- 3 - Follow list
- 4 - Encrypted DM
- 7 - Reaction
- 30023 - Long-form content
L
Lightning Network
A Bitcoin payment layer that enables fast, cheap transactions. Used for zaps.
Lightning Address
An email-like address for receiving Lightning payments (e.g., you@wallet.com).
M
Mention
Tagging another user in a post using their public key.
Metadata
Profile information (name, picture, bio, etc.) stored in a kind 0 event.
N
NIP (Nostr Implementation Possibility)
A specification document describing how features should work. Like RFCs for Nostr.
Common NIPs:
- NIP-01 - Basic protocol
- NIP-05 - DNS-based verification
- NIP-19 - bech32-encoded entities
- NIP-57 - Zaps
- NIP-65 - Relay list metadata
Nostr
"Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays" - The protocol itself.
Note
A short text post (kind 1 event). The most common type of content.
npub
The public key in bech32 format. Starts with npub1. Share this freely.
nsec
The private key in bech32 format. Starts with nsec1. Never share this!
nprofile
A bech32-encoded public key that includes relay hints.
nevent
A bech32-encoded event ID with optional relay hints.
naddr
A bech32-encoded reference to a replaceable event.
O
Outbox Model
A strategy where clients check users' declared relays to find their content (NIP-65).
P
Primal
A Nostr client available on web, iOS, and Android with built-in wallet.
Private Key
Your secret key (nsec). Used to sign events and prove your identity. Never share!
Public Key
Your public identity (npub). Safe to share, used by others to find and verify you.
R
Reaction
A response to a post, usually a like (kind 7 event).
Relay
A server that receives, stores, and forwards Nostr events.
Repost
Sharing someone else's post to your followers.
REQ
A message sent to relays to request events matching specified filters.
S
Sats (Satoshis)
The smallest unit of Bitcoin (0.00000001 BTC). Used for zaps.
Schnorr Signature
The cryptographic signature scheme used in Nostr (BIP-340).
secp256k1
The elliptic curve used for Nostr's cryptography (same as Bitcoin).
Signer
An app that holds your private key and signs events on behalf of other apps.
Subscription
A request to a relay to receive events matching certain filters.
T
Tag
Metadata attached to events. Used for mentions, replies, hashtags, etc.
Thread
A conversation of replies to a post.
V
Verification
See NIP-05. Linking your Nostr identity to a domain name.
W
WebSocket
The communication protocol between clients and relays.
Well-Known
The .well-known directory path used for NIP-05 verification files.
Z
Zap
A Lightning payment sent to a Nostr user, usually as a tip for content.
Zap Receipt
A Nostr event proving a zap was sent.
Key Relationships
Private Key (nsec) ───generates───▶ Public Key (npub)
│
┌──────┴──────┐
▼ ▼
Your identity Signatures
on Nostr on posts
Client ◀───WebSocket───▶ Relay ◀───WebSocket───▶ Client
(publish, (store, (subscribe,
subscribe) forward) receive)
Quick Reference
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| npub | Your public identity |
| nsec | Your secret key |
| Kind | Event type number |
| Relay | Message server |
| Client | Your Nostr app |
| Zap | Bitcoin tip |
| NIP | Feature specification |