[^fn-btc]: [First Wave of Bitcoin Grants](https://opensats.org/blog/bitcoin-grants-july-2023)

[^fn-nostr]: [First Wave of Nostr Grants](https://opensats.org/blog/nostr-grants-july-2023)

- [BDK](#bdk)

- [LNbits](#lnbits)

- [Watchdescriptor](#watchdescriptor)

- [Stratum V2 Testing \& Benchmarking Tool](#stratum-v2-testing--benchmarking-tool)

- [Fedimint Modules and Resources](#fedimint-modules-and-resources)

- [Amber: Nostr Event Signer](#amber-nostr-event-signer)

- [Nostr UI/UX Development](#nostr-uiux-development)

- [Nostr Use-Case Exploration \& Education](#nostr-use-case-exploration--education)

The first five grants are sourced from our [General Fund][bitcoin-fund], the

last three—being nostr projects—from our [Nostr Fund][nostr-fund]. This brings

the total number of OpenSats grants to 41, adding to the grants we previously

announced in July.

Once again, let's take a closer look at each of the projects to see how they

align with the [OpenSats mission][mission].

---

### BDK

Bitcoin Development Kit (BDK) is a set of libraries and tools that allows you to

seamlessly build cross-platform on-chain bitcoin wallets without having to

re-implement standard bitcoin data structures, algorithms, and protocols. BDK is

built on top of the powerful rust-bitcoin and rust-miniscript libraries and adds

features for managing descriptor-based wallets, syncing wallets to the bitcoin

blockchain, viewing transaction histories, managing and selecting UTXOs to

create new transactions, signing, and more. The core BDK components are written

in Rust, but the team also maintains Kotlin and Swift language bindings for use

in mobile projects. There are also Python bindings, and React Native and Flutter

support is being actively developed.

Repository: [bitcoindevkit/bdk](https://github.com/bitcoindevkit/bdk)

License: Apache 2.0 / MIT

### LNbits

LNbits is used by a multitude of projects in the bitcoin space, especially as

part of their lightning payments stack. Being easy to build on through its

extension framework, LNbits has been pioneering various cutting-edge solutions

and experiments in the world of bitcoin, lightning, and nostr.

The project has a thriving maker community building various hardware devices

such as Lightning ATMs, point-of-sale devices, DIY hardware wallets, and nostr

signing devices. The modular design of LNbits makes it attractive to users and

tinkerers alike, as its plugin architecture makes it easy to extend and

understand.

Repository: [lnbits/lnbits](https://github.com/lnbits/lnbits)

License: MIT

### Watchdescriptor

`watchdescriptor` is a CLN plugin written in Rust that connects a business's

treasury wallet to its CLN node. It utilizes

[`cln-plugin`](https://docs.rs/cln-plugin/latest/cln_plugin/) and the BDK

library to track coin movements in registered wallets and report this

information to the `bookkeeper` plugin.

The plugin enables businesses to design a complete treasury using

[Miniscript](https://bitcoin.sipa.be/miniscript/) and import the resulting

descriptor into CLN. Since `bookkeeper` already accounts for all coin movements

internal to CLN, this plugin is the last piece businesses need in order to unify

all their bitcoin accounting in one place. This enables businesses to account

for all inflows and outflows from their operations, streamlining tax reporting

and financial analysis.

The `watchdescriptor` project is part of a broader vision to transform the

lightning node (particularly CLN) into a financial hub for businesses, enabling

them to conduct operations without reliance on any third parties.

Repository:

[chrisguida/watchdescriptor](https://github.com/chrisguida/watchdescriptor)

License: MIT

### Stratum V2 Testing & Benchmarking Tool

The Stratum V2 Testing & Benchmarking Tool allows the bitcoin mining industry to

test and benchmark Stratum V2 performance against Stratum V1. The tool supports

different mining scenarios to help miners make informed decisions and evaluate

their profitability. The goal of the project is to motivate miners to upgrade to

Stratum V2, increasing their individual profits and making the Bitcoin network

more resilient in the process.

Repository: [stratum-mining/stratum](https://github.com/stratum-mining/stratum)

[@GitGab19](https://github.com/GitGab19)

License: Apache 2.0 / MIT

### Fedimint Modules and Resources

Fedimint is a federated Chaumian e-cash mint backed by sats with deposits and

withdrawals that can occur on-chain or via lightning. It can be understood as a

scaling and privacy layer as well as an adoption accelerator for Bitcoin.

The goal of this particular project is to improve the Fedimint UI and develop

free and open resources for developers and "Guardians" to enable more people to

run and develop on Fedimint.

Repository: [fedimint/ui](https://github.com/fedimint/ui)

[@EthnTuttle](https://github.com/EthnTuttle)

License: MIT

### Amber: Nostr Event Signer

Amber is a nostr event signer for Android. It allows users to keep their `nsec`

segregated in a single, dedicated app. The goal of Amber is to have your

smartphone act as a

[NIP-46](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/blob/master/46.md) signing

device without any need for servers or additional hardware. "Private keys should

be exposed to as few systems as possible as each system adds to the attack

surface," as the rationale of said NIP states. In addition to native apps, Amber

aims to support all current nostr web applications without requiring any

extensions or web servers.

Repository: [greenart7c3/Amber](https://github.com/greenart7c3/Amber)

License: MIT

### Nostr UI/UX Development

The goal of this project is to help improve the UI/UX of major nostr clients,

starting with

[Gossip](https://www.figma.com/file/JJQwKYImD2lyzWR81fxo7w/Nostr?type=design&node-id=0-1&mode=design)

and Coracle, emphasizing the onboarding process as well as usability and

accessibility. One part of onboarding is solving the discoverability problem

that nostr has in the first place. Solving the problem of jumping in and out of

the nostr world is what motivated the development of

[`njump`](https://github.com/fiatjaf/njump), which was redesigned as part of

these efforts and is now live at

[nostr.com](nostr:npub10pensatlcfwktnvjjw2dtem38n6rvw8g6fv73h84cuacxn4c28eqyfn34f).

In addition to client-specific improvements, generic design modules and

learnings will be incorporated into the [Nostr

Design](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1r75wMCSBteQjXKGXELrNdu3wwns5fsgMPwSBIQY1sPU/edit#heading=h.k4vues73209h)

project for others to use.

Activity: [github.com/dtonon](https://github.com/dtonon)

[@dtonon](nostr:npub10000003zmk89narqpczy4ff6rnuht2wu05na7kpnh3mak7z2tqzsv8vwqk)

License: MIT

### Nostr Use-Case Exploration & Education

As of today, most nostr clients implement social media applications on top of

the nostr protocol. However, nostr allows for various use cases, many of which

go beyond social media. Two examples are [Listr](https://listr.lol/) and

[Ostrich](https://ostrich.work/), a list management tool and job board,

respectively.

In addition to use-case exploration, this project will continue to educate users

and developers alike, be it via [Nostr How](https://nostr.how/) or various video

series, e.g., explaining how to build upon

[NDK](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWCXpceoxeCKDo73t6VmtbfE_RjSRxs9p).

Activity: [github.com/erskingardner](https://github.com/erskingardner)

[@jeffg](nostr:npub1zuuajd7u3sx8xu92yav9jwxpr839cs0kc3q6t56vd5u9q033xmhsk6c2uc)

License: MIT / GPL-3.0 / CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

---

We have more grants in the pipeline and will provide funding for many more

projects in the future. Note that we can only fund those projects which reach

out and apply. If you are an open-source developer who is aligned with our

mission, don't hesitate to [apply for funding][apply].

[apply]: https://opensats.org/apply

[nostr-fund]: https://opensats.org/projects/nostr

[bitcoin-fund]: https://opensats.org/projects/general_fund

[mission]: https://opensats.org/mission