Is #nostr-based email possible?
🤔
#asknostr
Discussion
Yeah
Yes, I'm sure it already exists. Just need communication from an smtp or imap server.
It already existed but the service went down and hasn't been replicated
I think it was at nip05.social
Not exactly. You can have an email address that's the same as a nip05, you can run a relay and email server on the same machine. But they're different technologies.
Technically, you don’t even need to run an email server or a relay. Just get a domain and connect it to Google Workspace to get custom email. And create a NIP-05 on the same domain
If you wanna get kyc'ed and pay Google to read your emails, that is.
I use Mailcow dockerized on an Ubuntu server VM on my local network.
I also use MXRoute.com for a few domains. $50/year for unlimited domains and email addresses, but only 50gb storage shared.
I think, a SMTP and IMAP forward emails to your Nostr PM and from your PM, works as a bridge. I think it must be a protected event and you can read the email from a single/couple relay(s)
Emails are notes based on well-established and defined decentralized protocols. People have chose to centralize it in big techs by exchange privacy for cheap comfort. You can use self-hosted email server for full decentralization and email forwarding server for enhanced privacy.
The most direct benefit for email could be providing a decentralized login alternative option with npubs.