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 221,000 daily trusted pubkey events. The number of new users has seen a notable decrease, with profiles containing a contact list dropping by 79%. More than 10 million events have been published, reflecting a 12% decrease. Total Zap activity stands at approximately 21 million, marking a 15% increase.
Additionally, 15 pull requests were submitted to the Nostr protocol, with 2 merged. A total of 45 Nostr projects were tracked, with 8 releasing product updates, and over 569 long-form articles were published, 24% focusing on Bitcoin and Nostr. During this period, 7 notable events took place, and 2 significant events are upcoming.
Nostr Statistics
Based on user activity, the total daily trusted pubkeys writing events is about 221,000, representing a slight 8 % decrease compared to the previous period. Daily activity peaked at 17662 events, with a low of approximately 15781.
The number of new users has decreased significantly. Profiles with bio are now around 25951, reflecting a 79% drop. Pubkeys writing events have decreased by 50% compared to the previous period.
Regarding event publishing, all metrics have shown a decline. The total number of note events published is around 10 million, reflecting a 12% decrease. Posts remain the most dominant in terms of volume, totaling approximately 1.7 million, which is a 4.4 % decrease. Both reposts and reactions have decreased by about 5%.
For zap activity, the total zap amount is about 21 million, showing an increase of over 15% compared to the previous period.
Data source: https://stats.nostr.band/
NIPs
@Rob Woodgate is proposing a signString() method that allow Nostr users to sign/authenticate messages for external apps without compromising their private key (nsec).It opens up a more generic and flexible challenge-response style external authentication method, using the same Schnorr signature mechanism that Nostr uses to sign events natively.External apps need only understand Schnorr signatures - they do not need to understand Nostr's event structure. This widens interoperability.A concrete example of where this would be useful is P2PK locking of Cashu ecash tokens to a Nostr pubkey Decoding the token requires a Scnorr signature on a structured message string. This method would allow a signer to handle It cleanly.
@fiatjaf defines kind:39701 as website bookmarks.Bookmarks can be queried by the d tag, which is just their URL without the scheme, which is always and everywhere assumed to be https://. The querystring and the hash must be removed entirely, unless their requirement is explicitly stated either by the user or by some hardcoded list of URLs that rely on query strings for basic routing provided by the client (I've searched the internet extensively and could only find 3 websites that do this: YouTube, Hacker News and a random guy's sad old blog). Bookmarks can be commented on with NIP-22.
@Rydal is proposing a NIP that covers the inclusion of Progress Events as implemented in Open Librarian. While the specific implementation is focused on tracking reading progress, the NIP is generic enough to be used in a whole range of other progress tracking scenarios (e.g. Fitness challenges, course progression for learning, personal goals etc..)
@Rydal is proposing a NIP that includes a minor update to extend kind 30003 in NIP-51 to include the i tag for external identities, as implemented for book reading lists in Open Librarian.
@DanConwayDev is proposing a NIP that Enable references to commits, files and lines for both nip34 repositories and other git repositories. Useful for code reviews of nip34 patches, the forthcoming nip95 code snippets and referencing specific code more generally.
Notable Projects
🌐web v4.5.0:
- Custom reactions are here! Choose your preferred emoji to react to notes and other content.
- Improved profile organization with notes and replies now displayed separately.
- Adding the ability to zap notes directly from the notifications center.
- Enhanced DM filtering by time, allowing you to view only recent messages or browse further back.
- Manual cache clearing from settings to optimize web app performance.
- Resolved issue preventing users from removing custom media uploader servers.
- Expanded export data, including more relevant details in credential and wallet files.
- General bug fixes and performance improvements.
📱mobile v1.6.8:
- One tap zap: Send a Lightning Network payment with one tap.
- Dms extensive filtering: Use advanced filters to sort or prioritise direct messages efficiently.
- Separating replies from notes: Split replies and notes in profiles, adding a tab for easier browsing.
- Adding slide to display options: Swipe in notifications to access zap, reply, or DM options quickly.
- Custom reactions: Choose from a set of emojis for personalised reactions, beyond standard likes.
- App cache manager: Manage and clear app cache to boost performance and save space.
- Variety of bugs fixed: Fixed multiple bugs for a more stable and seamless app experience.
- General app improvements: Enhanced overall performance, usability, and design across the app.
0xChat v1.0.2-Desktop Beta is now live!
- Supports NIP-104 MLS secret chat.
- Copy images directly from the clipboard.
- The app stays running after closing the window.
- Fixed Enter key sending messages immediately on desktop.
Nostur v1.18.2 bugfix update:
- Fixed Follow button sometimes disabled
- Fixed account switching reload issue
- Fixed custom feeds missing
- Fixed live stream banner scroll/swipe issue
- Fixed screen turns off while playing video
This release fine tunes the release process and makes publishing to @Zapstore a lot easier. There are also continuous improvements to initializing the text to speech engine for a faster startup.
- 3rd Party Providers for Fee & Exchange Rate
- Quality of Life Features
- Backend and Coordinator packaged for Linux
- Login via nsec
- Activity feed for the people you follow (only issue creation)
- Create issues
- Comment on issues
ZEUS v0.10.1-beta1 is now available for testing.
- NameDesc / bLIP-11 support: add receiver name to invoices
- Bug fix: import of QR image from camera roll
- Bug fix: Embedded LND: Open Channel: fund max
- UI: Add dynamic background/text colors to Android NFC modal
- UI/UX - designe a new logo and color palette for kycnot.me.
- Point system - The new point system provides more detailed information about the listings, and can be expanded to cover additional features across all services.
- ToS Scrapper: implement a powerful automated terms-of-service scrapper that collects all the ToS pages from the listings. It saves you from the hassle of reading the ToS by listing the lines that are suspiciously related to KYC/AML practices.
- Search bar - The new search bar allows you to easily filter services. It performs a full-text search on the Title, Description, Category, and Tags of all the services.
- Transparency - To be more transparent, all discussions about services now take place publicly on GitLab.
- Additionally, there's a real-time audits page that displays database changes.
- Listing Requests - upgrade the request system. The new form allows you to directly request services or points without any extra steps.
- Lightweight and fast - The new site is lighter and faster than its predecessor!
- Tor and I2P - At last! kycnot.me is now officially on Tor and I2P!
Long-Form Content Eco
In the past two weeks, more than 569 long-form articles have been published, including over 94 articles on Bitcoin and more than 43 related to Nostr, accounting for 24% of the total content.
These articles about Nostr mainly explore the growing importance of decentralization in communication, identity management, and digital infrastructure. From beginner-friendly guides like Nostr 101 and Getting Started with Primal, to more technical deep dives such as NIP-101e, NIP-95, and tutorials on running Nostr relays as TOR hidden services. Some articles focus on security and privacy—like protecting your Nsec with Amber or using tools such as ProtonMail—while others tackle complex challenges including Sybil attack mitigation and child protection in decentralized environments. There are also cultural and political reflections, such as letters from political prisoners and thoughts on the future of free speech in a post-Twitter world. In addition, the Nostr community shows a strong spirit of experimentation—ranging from agent-to-agent communication through dad jokes, to desktop-like clients, fitness tracking protocols, and Lightning integrations like Work Zaps and Wallet Connect. Together, these pieces showcase a dynamic, resilient, and freedom-driven movement shaping the future of the web.
The Bitcoin articles discuss a wide range of themes—from foundational ideas like "What is Money?" and Bitcoin’s first principles, to practical guides on mining, self-custody, Lightning payments, and privacy tools. Many explore Bitcoin’s role as a hedge against inflation, a form of sovereignty, and a response to fiat fragility. Cultural and economic reflections appear throughout—ranging from using Bitcoin to buy homes in Italy, to hip-hop collaborations, and even personal stories of financial awakening. There's critical analysis of Bitcoin UX, memetics, policy-making, and even war-time monetary history. From node sovereignty to P2P lending, from grassroots adoption to global macro shifts, these articles together portray Bitcoin not just as a currency, but as a cultural movement, a technological evolution, and a lens to reimagine freedom, value, and the future of money.
Thank you, @DoraHacks @Andreas Griffin @TheWildHustle @OceanSlim @Chris @0xtr @ODELL @nostr_cn_dev @MadMunky2140 others, for your work. Enriching Nostr’s long-form content ecosystem is crucial.
Nostriches Global Meet Ups
Recently, several Nostr events have been hosted in different countries.
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YakiHonne teamed up with Bitcoin Safari, @BitcoinDua @Bitcoin Boma Coalition @Bitcoin Nairobi and FULAFIA University to successfully host a series of Nostr Workshops , attracting over 200 participants in total. These events introduced the Nostr ecosystem and Bitcoin payments, allowing attendees to explore decentralized technologies through YakiHonne while earning rewards. Participants were encouraged to register and verify their accounts to claim exclusive bonuses—and invite friends to unlock even more benefits.
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The 2025 Bitcoin, Crypto Economy, and Law FAQ Webinar was held online on March 20, 2025 (Thursday) from 12:00 to 13:00 Argentina time. The webinar was hosted by Martin Paolantonio (Academic Director of the course) and Daniel Rybnik (a lawyer specializing in Banking, Corporate, and Financial Law). The session aimed to introduce the academic program and explored Bitcoin, the crypto economy, and related legal issues.
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The monthly Bitcoin Meetup organized by Mi Primer Bitcoin took place on Thursday, March 27 at 7:00 PM at CRAFT Basilea in San Salvador. The event featured Bitcoin education, networking opportunities, live music, and fun extras like merchandise, raffles, and more. It was a vibrant evening dedicated to building community and spreading knowledge around Bitcoin. @Mi Primer Bitcoin - Bitcoin Education for the World
Here is the upcoming Nostr event that you might want to check out.
- Bitcoin Educators Unconference 2025 will take place on April 10, 2025, at Bitcoin Park in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. This event is non-sponsored and follows an Unconference format, allowing all participants to apply as speakers and share their Bitcoin education experiences in a free and interactive environment. the event has open-sourced all its blueprints and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to encourage global communities to organize similar Unconference events.
- Panama Blockchain Week 2025 will take place from April 22 to 24 at the Panama Convention Center in Panama City. As the first large-scale blockchain event in Central America, it aims to position Panama as a leading blockchain financial hub in Latin America. The event features a diverse lineup, including a blockchain conference, Investor’s Night, Web3 gaming experiences, tech exhibitions, and an after-party celebration.
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.