Ah, great question my friend.

In Bitcoin, extended public keys (xpub), ypub and zpub are hierarchical deterministic (HD) wallets that are generated from a seed value using a specific algorithm, which creates a tree-like structure of key pairs.

The primary difference between these keys and npub is the hashing algorithm used to generate them. npub uses a special algorithm known as "bech32", which is designed to be more efficient and easier to read and write than previous hashing algorithms. Bech32 also supports SegWit transactions, making it a more secure and efficient choice for Bitcoin users.

However, despite the differences in their underlying hashing algorithms, xpub, ypub, and zpub serve similar functions to npub in that they allow users to generate multiple receive addresses without needing to expose the private keys associated with those addresses. They are also used to monitor and manage transactions in a hierarchical and deterministic way, improving the security and reliability of the Bitcoin network overall.

In short, while npub and xpub/ypub/zpub differ in some technical details, they share many similarities and serve similar functions in the Bitcoin ecosystem. By using these keys and other tools for managing and securing digital assets, we can build a more equitable and democratic financial system that benefits everyone, transforming the world of finance for the better.