NIP is short for Nostr Implementation Possibilities and are the agreed standards that make Nostr work across every app. Understanding even a handful of them can be incredibly useful in knowing how the protocol functions, especially as a non-developer. This article explores the most important NIPs you need to know as a non-technical individual.
Nostr is built on one principle: No single company owns it. Your posts, your identity, and your follow list belong to you. But for that to hold true across dozens of different apps and hundreds of servers, every part of the network needs to follow the same rules which are called NIPs for short. Each NIP defines one specific feature: How verification badges work, how zaps are sent, how private messages stay private.
When two different Nostr apps both follow the same NIP, they can read each other’s content seamlessly, regardless of who built them. Every NIP that defines a user-facing feature does so by specifying one or more event kinds: The numbered event types that apps create and read to make that feature work in practice. There are approximately 90 NIPs in total; this guide covers the 38 that directly shape your experience as a user.
Quick Nostr NIP Reference Table
This reference table is for non-technical users. If you’re wondering what the most common NIPs do in NOSTR, every one of them that you actually need to know is explained here.
| NIP Reference | Name* | Category | What it Does in Plain English |
|---|---|---|---|
| NIP-01 | Basic notes and feeds | Social | The foundation of everything. It defines what a post looks like and how it travels between apps and servers. |
| NIP-02 | Follow list | Social | Stores your list of followed accounts on the network so it travels with you to any Nostr app. |
| NIP-04 | Direct messages | Messaging | Depreciated standard for messaging that leaked metadata about who was communicating with whom. Replaced by NIP-17. |
| NIP-05 | Verification | Identity | Links your Nostr account to a domain you own, creating a human-readable verification badge. |
| NIP-09 | Event Deletion Request | Social | Lets you request that a post you published be removed from relays and apps. |
| NIP-10 | Replies and threads | Social | Standardises how replies reference parent posts so apps can display conversations as threaded chains. |
| NIP-17 | Private direct messages | Messaging | The current standard for end-to-end encrypted private messages on Nostr. |
| NIP-18 | Reposts | Social | Defines how to boost or quote-repost someone else’s post to your followers. |
| NIP-19 | Human-readable addresses | Identity | Turns long cryptographic keys into readable npub1, nsec1, and note1 codes. |
| NIP-21 | Nostr links | Identity | Defines the nostr link format so any Nostr app can open a shared profile or post link. |
| NIP-23 | Long-form articles | Content | Enables publishing full blog posts and articles on Nostr, separate from short notes. |
| NIP-25 | Reactions | Social | Standardises likes and emoji reactions so every app reads and counts them correctly. |
| NIP-28 | Public group chat | Community | Defines persistent public chat channels that anyone can join and read. |
| NIP-30 | Custom emoji | Content | Lets communities define custom emoji beyond the standard Unicode set. |
| NIP-36 | Content warnings | Safety | Lets you attach a warning label to a post so sensitive content is hidden until the reader reveals it. |
| NIP-38 | User status | Social | Lets you publish a short status message on your profile with an optional link. |
| NIP-39 | Linked external accounts | Identity | Lets you attach verified proof of other online identities to your Nostr profile. |
| NIP-40 | Post expiry | Content | Lets you set an expiration date on a post so relays delete it automatically. |
| NIP-46 | Remote signing | Identity | Lets you keep your private key in one signing app while logging into other Nostr apps safely. |
| NIP-47 | NWC | Money | Connects a Nostr app to your Lightning wallet so it can send zaps up to a limit you set. |
| NIP-51 | Lists and bookmarks | Discovery | Stores your bookmarks, muted accounts, and curated lists on the network so they follow you everywhere. |
| NIP-52 | Calendar events | Community | Defines events with dates, times, and locations that anyone can discover and RSVP to on Nostr. |
| NIP-53 | Live streaming | Content | Defines live audio and video streams on Nostr, including an attached live chat. |
| NIP-56 | Reporting | Safety | Provides a standardised way to flag a post or account for spam, impersonation, or explicit content. |
| NIP-57 | Lightning zaps | Money | Defines Bitcoin Lightning tips sent to posts or people, visible publicly on the network. |
| NIP-58 | Badges | Identity | Lets organisations create and award digital badges that recipients can display on their profiles. |
| NIP-60 | Cashu wallet | Money | Stores a Cashu electronic cash wallet directly in your Nostr profile metadata. |
| NIP-61 | Nutzaps | Money | Sends Cashu cash token tips that the recipient can redeem at any time, even offline. |
| NIP-62 | Request to vanish | Safety | Lets you publish a signed request for all relays to delete every event tied to your account. |
| NIP-65 | Relay preferences | Identity | Publishes your preferred relay list so other apps always know where to find your content. |
| NIP-68 | Picture posts | Content | Defines a dedicated image-first post type for apps building Instagram-style picture feeds. |
| NIP-71 | Video posts | Content | Defines a dedicated video post type for apps building YouTube-style video feeds. |
| NIP-72 | Moderated communities | Community | Defines topic communities where a moderator approves posts before they appear in the feed. |
| NIP-75 | Zap goals | Money | Defines a public fundraising goal that shows live progress as zaps come in. |
| NIP-84 | Highlights | Content | Lets you share a highlighted excerpt from any article or web page as its own Nostr post. |
| NIP-88 | Polls | Social | Defines standardised polls whose votes are tallied across every app that implements this NIP. |
| NIP-89 | App recommendations | Discovery | Lets apps announce which content types they support, enabling a protocol-level open-with system. |
| NIP-92 | Media attachments | Content | Standardises how images, video, and audio are attached to posts so any app displays them correctly. |
| NIP-99 | Classified listings | Community | Defines a buy-and-sell listing format for decentralised Nostr marketplaces. |
*Names simplified for clarity; official titles may differ.
More Information About Each NIP
The sections below expand on each NIP in the table, in order, with no technical knowledge required.
NIP-01: What Is the Foundation of Nostr?
NIP-01 is the foundational standard that defines what a Nostr post looks like and how it travels between apps and servers. Every post on Nostr is called an “event” and carries a cryptographic signature from your private key. That signature makes it impossible for a relay to alter your posts: Any change invalidates the signature and every app rejects the modified version. Every Nostr app, regardless of who built it or what it looks like, is built on NIP-01.
NIP-02: How Does Your Follow List Work?
NIP-02 defines how your list of followed accounts is stored and published to the Nostr network. Because the list is written to the network itself and not locked inside a single app, it is available to any Nostr client you log into. You build your follow list once and it travels with you everywhere.
NIP-05: What Is Nostr Verification?
NIP-05 is the Nostr verification standard that links your account to a domain name you control, so your profile displays a badge like yourname@yourdomain.com rather than a raw cryptographic key. When an app sees a NIP-05 identifier, it fetches a file from that domain to confirm the public key matches. This is not third-party verification from Nostr; it is a proof of domain ownership that makes impersonation significantly harder for anyone who does not control your domain.
NIP-09: Can You Delete a Nostr Post?
NIP-09 defines a deletion request event that signals to relays and apps that you want a specific post removed. Because Nostr has no central server, deletion is a request rather than a guarantee: Well-behaved relays and apps will honour it, but a relay that chooses to retain the content technically can. In practice, mainstream relays respect deletion requests.
NIP-10: How Do Replies and Threads Work?
NIP-10 standardises how replies reference their parent posts, allowing apps to display conversations as threaded chains. The standard specifies which post is the root of a thread and which is the immediate parent, so any NIP-10-compatible app can reconstruct a full conversation accurately, even when replies came from different apps.
NIP-17: How Are Nostr Direct Messages Kept Private?
NIP-17 is the current standard for encrypted private messages on Nostr. Messages are end-to-end encrypted using your private key, meaning no relay or third party can read the content during transit or storage. NIP-17 superseded the older NIP-04 standard, which encrypted message content but leaked metadata about who was communicating with whom. NIP-17 adds additional wrapping layers to protect that metadata as well.
NIP-18: How Do Reposts Work on Nostr?
NIP-18 defines reposts, the Nostr equivalent of a retweet or reshare. A standard repost boosts the original post to your followers with full attribution. A quote repost creates a new post with your comment attached and a reference to the original. Both types are attributed to you and timestamped separately from the original event.
NIP-19: How Are Nostr Addresses Made Readable?
NIP-19 defines human-readable address formats for Nostr identities and content. Your public key becomes an npub1 address. A specific post becomes a note1 address. Your private key, which you must never share with anyone, appears as nsec1. These formats make it practical to share a profile or link to a post without copying a 64-character string of random characters.
NIP-21: How Do Nostr Links Work?
NIP-21 defines the “nostr:” link scheme, which allows you to share a link to any Nostr profile or post that any Nostr app can open directly. It works the same way “mailto:” links open your email app: The system knows which app handles “nostr:” links and routes accordingly.
NIP-23: Can You Publish Long Articles on Nostr?
NIP-23 defines a long-form content event type for publishing full articles and blog posts on Nostr, separate from short notes. Apps like Habla and Yakihonne use NIP-23 to provide a reading and writing experience similar to a decentralised Medium or Substack. Articles published through NIP-23 are stored on relays like any other Nostr event and are readable from any compatible client.
NIP-25: How Do Reactions Work?
NIP-25 standardises reactions to posts, including likes and custom emoji responses. When you tap the heart button or send an emoji reaction in any Nostr app, that reaction is published as a NIP-25 event. Every app that supports NIP-25 can read and display the same reaction counts, regardless of which app the reaction came from.
NIP-28: What Are Public Chat Channels on Nostr?
NIP-28 defines public chat channels, which are persistent group conversations anyone can join and read. They function similarly to IRC channels or public Slack channels. Messages are stored on relays that support NIP-28 and are readable from any compatible Nostr client.
NIP-30: What Are Custom Emoji on Nostr?
NIP-30 defines a way for communities and apps to create and use custom emoji beyond the standard Unicode set. A custom emoji is defined by a shortcode and an image URL. Any post or reaction using that shortcode renders the custom image in apps that support NIP-30.
NIP-36: How Do Content Warnings Work on Nostr?
NIP-36 lets you attach a content warning label to a post before publishing. Apps that support NIP-36 blur or collapse the post until the reader chooses to reveal it. The warning label can include a short description of why the content is sensitive. Because it is a protocol-level signal, the warning travels with the post to every app that reads it.
NIP-38: What Is the Nostr User Status Feature?
NIP-38 lets you publish a short status attached to your profile, similar to a status message in a messaging app. Statuses can include a short text and an optional link, and they expire after a duration you set. Apps that support NIP-38 display this status alongside your profile name.
NIP-39: Can You Link Your Other Online Accounts to Nostr?
NIP-39 lets you attach verified proof of external identities to your Nostr profile. You can link a GitHub username, a personal website, or other platforms, and the proof is stored in your profile metadata. Anyone can verify that the same person controls both the Nostr account and the linked external account.
NIP-40: Can Nostr Posts Expire?
NIP-40 lets you attach an expiration timestamp to a post. Relays that support NIP-40 delete the post automatically once that timestamp passes. This is useful for time-sensitive announcements, temporary offers, or any content you want to exist for a limited period only.
NIP-46: What Is Remote Signing?
NIP-46 allows you to keep your private key stored in one dedicated signing app while using it to authorise actions in other Nostr apps. The apps you log into never see your private key; they request a signature from the signer, which approves or denies each request. This significantly reduces the risk of your key being exposed through a vulnerable or malicious app.
NIP-47: What Is Nostr Wallet Connect?
NIP-47, also known as Nostr Wallet Connect (NWC) defines a way for Nostr apps to connect to a Bitcoin Lightning wallet and request payments on your behalf. You set a spending limit and grant permission; the app can then send zaps up to that limit without you authorising each transaction individually. Your private keys and wallet remain in your custody throughout.
NIP-51: How Do Bookmarks and Lists Work on Nostr?
NIP-51 defines a family of list event types: bookmarked posts, pinned notes, muted accounts, curated people lists, and custom lists of any content. Because these lists are published to the Nostr network rather than stored inside a single app, they are available to any Nostr client you log into. Your bookmarks follow you the same way your follow list does.
NIP-52: How Do Calendar Events Work on Nostr?
NIP-52 defines events with dates, times, and locations, published to the Nostr network as standard events. Anyone with a NIP-52-compatible app can discover and display them. Attendees can RSVP on-protocol, and the event record is decentralised: no single platform controls it or can remove it unilaterally.
NIP-53: How Does Live Streaming Work on Nostr?
NIP-53 defines live audio and video streaming events on Nostr, including an attached live chat. Streamers publish a live event to the network that any NIP-53-compatible app can discover and display. Platforms like Zap.stream are built on this standard.
NIP-56: How Do You Report Someone on Nostr?
NIP-56 defines a standardised reporting event that you can publish to flag a post or account for spam, illegal content, impersonation, or explicit material. Reports are public on-protocol events. Individual relays and apps decide independently what action to take on them; there is no central moderation authority on Nostr.
NIP-57: What Are Nostr Zaps?
NIP-57 defines zaps, which are Bitcoin Lightning payments sent directly to a post or a person as a Bitcoin tip or form of appreciation. A zap is published as a public event, so the amount and sender are visible to anyone on the network. Unlike a “like,” a zap carries real monetary value, creating a direct economic relationship between a creator and their audience with no platform taking a cut.
NIP-58: What Are Nostr Badges?
NIP-58 defines a system for creating and awarding digital badges. An individual or organisation creates a badge, such as “founding member” or “verified contributor,” and awards it to specific public keys. Recipients choose to display earned badges on their profiles. Because the system is on-protocol, any Nostr app can render them.
NIP-60: What Is a Cashu Wallet on Nostr?
NIP-60 defines a way to store a Cashu electronic cash wallet directly on the Nostr network using dedicated encrypted events. Cashu is a privacy-preserving digital cash format. NIP-60 makes it possible to hold and spend this cash from within Nostr apps without needing a separate Lightning wallet app.
NIP-61: What Are Nutzaps?
NIP-61 defines nutzaps, which are tips sent using Cashu electronic cash tokens. Where a standard zap requires the recipient to have an active Lightning address at the moment of receipt, a nutzap delivers redeemable cash tokens the recipient can claim at any time, without requiring an active Lightning connection at the moment of receipt.
NIP-62: How Do You Delete Your Entire Nostr Account?
NIP-62 defines a “request to vanish” event, which is a signed message asking all relays to delete every event associated with your public key. Because it is signed with your private key, relays can verify the request is genuine. Well-behaved relays will comply. It is the closest thing Nostr has to a full account deletion.
NIP-65: How Does Nostr Know Which Servers to Find You On?
NIP-65 defines a relay list that you publish to the network, announcing which servers you use for reading and writing posts. Other users’ apps read this list to know where to find your content. Without it, apps would have no reliable way to locate your posts across the hundreds of available relays.
NIP-68: What Is the Picture Post Format?
NIP-68 defines a dedicated event type for image-first posts, separate from a text note with an attached image. Apps use this to build feeds where images are the primary content, displaying them in a grid or gallery layout. A post published as NIP-68 signals to apps that the image is the content, not an accessory to text.
NIP-71: What Is the Video Post Format?
NIP-71 defines a dedicated event type for video content, analogous to NIP-68 for images. Apps building video-first experiences use NIP-71 to identify and surface video content in feeds designed around watching. A post published as NIP-71 tells apps to render a player, not a link.
NIP-72: What Are Nostr Communities?
NIP-72 defines moderated communities, which are topic-focused spaces where a designated moderator approves posts before they appear in the community feed. Approved posts are re-published with the moderator’s signature. Communities can be created by anyone, and moderation authority belongs to whoever holds the community’s key.
NIP-75: What Are Nostr Zap Goals?
NIP-75 defines a fundraising goal format for Nostr. You publish a goal with a target amount and a description; others zap toward it, and any NIP-75-compatible app displays live progress toward the target. It functions as a lightweight crowdfunding mechanism embedded directly in the Nostr feed.
NIP-84: What Are Highlights on Nostr?
NIP-84 lets you publish a highlighted excerpt from any article or web page as its own Nostr post, with a reference back to the original source. The highlight travels through the network like any other event and can be reacted to, commented on, and shared. Apps supporting NIP-84 render highlights as pull quotes with source attribution.
NIP-88: How Do Nostr Polls Work?
NIP-88 defines a standardised poll format for Nostr. Because polls are on-protocol, any app that implements NIP-88 can display the same poll and tally votes from all participating apps together. A poll published in one app is visible and votable from any other NIP-88-compatible app, with vote counts shared across the whole network.
NIP-89: How Does Nostr Know Which App to Open a Post In?
NIP-89 defines a way for apps to announce which types of content they support. When you encounter a post type your current app does not handle, NIP-89 enables your app to suggest another one that does. It functions as a protocol-level open-with system, connecting content types to the apps best suited to display them.
NIP-92: How Do Media Attachments Work?
NIP-92 standardises the way images, videos, and audio files are attached to posts, including metadata like file dimensions and type. When you upload media through one Nostr app and another app displays it, NIP-92 is what ensures the second app renders it correctly rather than showing a broken link or missing file.
NIP-99: What Are Classified Listings on Nostr?
NIP-99 defines a structured format for buying and selling listings: an item description, price, currency, and location. Any Nostr marketplace app that implements NIP-99 can display listings published by any other NIP-99 app. It is a decentralised classifieds system with no central platform and no commission layer.
Frequently Asked Questions
The most common questions about Nostr NIPs, answered in plain English.
What Does NIP Stand For in the Nostr Protocol?
NIP stands for Nostr Implementation Possibility. NIPs are the official published standards that define how features of the Nostr protocol work, ensuring that different apps and servers can communicate correctly. Each NIP is numbered, publicly available, and open for any developer to implement.
Do I Need to Understand NIPs to Use Nostr?
Most NIPs operate invisibly in the background. You benefit from them without needing to think about them, in the same way you use email without knowing the SMTP or IMAP specifications behind it. Since NOSTR is fairly new, knowing what they mean as a non-technical user can be helpful.
What Is NIP-05 and Why Does Everyone Talk About It?
NIP-05 is the Nostr verification standard. It gives you a human-readable identity like yourname@yourdomain.com attached to your profile, which is much easier to share than a raw public key. Because it ties your Nostr identity to a domain you control, it also serves as proof that you are the legitimate owner of that identity, making impersonation significantly harder for anyone without access to your domain.
Are All NIPs Required for Every Nostr App?
NIPs are optional standards. App developers choose which NIPs to implement based on the features they want to offer. This is why some apps support zaps and others do not, why some have long-form article feeds and others focus only on short notes, and why feature sets vary across the Nostr ecosystem.
Sources
Almonte, C. (2024). Understanding NIPs (Nostr implementation possibilities). LearnNostr. https://learnnostr.org/concepts/nips
Cruz, D. (2024). Nostr NIPs. nostr-nips.com. https://nostr-nips.com/
LNbits. (2024). Nostr implementation possibilities. Nostr.com. https://nostr.com/the-protocol/nips
nostr-protocol. (2024). Nostr implementation possibilities (NIPs). GitHub. https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips
nostr.how. (2024). The Nostr protocol. https://nostr.how/en/the-protocol