By the way this is an interesting option for Nostr apps to integrate bitcoin payments/wallet functionality.
Different risk profile than ecash, less private out the box.
nostr:note1r8z7xkpp2yv3lv4r2lkajx7dzve0usu3psza9m5cxptpm3dwwvks2x85dw
Discussion
Are there any wallets available for testing yet? What timeframe are we looking at see a Nostr integration? Can you ELI5 the differences between Ark, LN, and ecash?
Our testnet proof of concept wallet Arkade will be made public very soon.
Not sure what Nostr integration you have in mind but we do use Nostr in some capacity. More on that to follow.
Ark is a technique to batch offchain transactions into a single onchain output using taproot. Nested into that output are what we call virtual UTXOs which can be transferred offchain using an Ark server as the trustless intermediary.
It’s simpler than Lightning and can be used for a variety of use cases beyond payment but also does not have other properties of Lightning like instant finality.
Unlike ecash, Ark is noncustodial. Though it doesn’t boast as good privacy.