The [mission] of OpenSats is to support and maintain a sustainable ecosystem of
funding for free and open-source projects that help Bitcoin flourish. Nostr is
such a project, which is why OpenSats introduced The Nostr Fund and [built a
team around the protocol's originator][startsmall] to help fund the growing nostr
ecosystem. As an open, interoperable, and censorship-resistant protocol, nostr
has the chance of doing social-native networking right.
After weeks of sorting through applications, we are excited to announce the
first round of grants from [The Nostr Fund][nostr-fund]. OpenSats is proud to
support over a dozen projects, from clients to relay implementations to adjacent
tools and design efforts.
In no particular order, here they are:
- NDK by [@pablof7z](nostr:npub1l2vyh47mk2p0qlsku7hg0vn29faehy9hy34ygaclpn66ukqp3afqutajft)
- Habla by [@verbiricha](nostr:npub107jk7htfv243u0x5ynn43scq9wrxtaasmrwwa8lfu2ydwag6cx2quqncxg)
- Coracle by [@hodlbod](nostr:npub1jlrs53pkdfjnts29kveljul2sm0actt6n8dxrrzqcersttvcuv3qdjynqn)
- Iris by [@mmalmi](nostr:npub1g53mukxnjkcmr94fhryzkqutdz2ukq4ks0gvy5af25rgmwsl4ngq43drvk)
- Damus by [@jb55](nostr:npub1xtscya34g58tk0z605fvr788k263gsu6cy9x0mhnm87echrgufzsevkk5s)
- rust-nostr & nostr-sdk by [@yukibtc](nostr:npub1drvpzev3syqt0kjrls50050uzf25gehpz9vgdw08hvex7e0vgfeq0eseet)
- Nostr Relay NestJS by [@CodyTseng](nostr:npub1syjmjy0dp62dhccq3g97fr87tngvpvzey08llyt6ul58m2zqpzps9wf6wl)
- Soapbox by [@alexgleason](nostr:npub108pv4cg5ag52nq082kd5leu9ffrn2gdg6g4xdwatn73y36uzplmq9uyev6)
- Code Collaboration over Nostr by [@DanConwayDev](nostr:npub15qydau2hjma6ngxkl2cyar74wzyjshvl65za5k5rl69264ar2exs5cyejr)
- Satellite by [@lovvtide](nostr:npub1lunaq893u4hmtpvqxpk8hfmtkqmm7ggutdtnc4hyuux2skr4ttcqr827lj)
- Amethyst by [@vitorpamplona](nostr:npub1gcxzte5zlkncx26j68ez60fzkvtkm9e0vrwdcvsjakxf9mu9qewqlfnj5z)
- Pinstr by [@sepehr-safari](nostr:npub18c556t7n8xa3df2q82rwxejfglw5przds7sqvefylzjh8tjne28qld0we7)
- nostr.build by [@nostr.build](nostr:npub1nxy4qpqnld6kmpphjykvx2lqwvxmuxluddwjamm4nc29ds3elyzsm5avr7)
- Gossip by [@mikedilger](nostr:npub1acg6thl5psv62405rljzkj8spesceyfz2c32udakc2ak0dmvfeyse9p35c)
- Nostr SDK iOS by [@bryanmontz](nostr:npub1lua3283nqq0jqy3akatp8tgu5rmsyu0yhpp2rramtxp82mdu7svq2y8wt8)
- Nostr Design by [@karnage](nostr:npub1r0rs5q2gk0e3dk3nlc7gnu378ec6cnlenqp8a3cjhyzu6f8k5sgs4sq9ac)
The projects above have received grants of various durations and sizes, and we
have more nostr-related applications in the pipeline. [Donate to The Nostr
Fund][nostr-fund] if you want to help fund the nostr ecosystem.
Without further ado, let's take a closer look at each project in turn.
---
### NDK
NDK is a nostr development kit that makes the experience of building
Nostr-related applications—whether they are relays, clients, or anything in
between—better, more reliable, and overall more enjoyable to work with than
existing solutions. The core goal of NDK is to improve the decentralization of
Nostr via intelligent conventions and data discovery features without depending
on any one central point of coordination, such as large relays or centralized
search providers.
Repository: [nostr-dev-kit/ndk](https://github.com/nostr-dev-kit/ndk)
License: MIT
### Habla
[Habla](https://habla.news/) is a website for reading, writing, curating,
and monetizing long-form content on nostr. It uses NIP-23 to allow
markdown-formatted articles and embedded nostr content such as notes, profiles,
lists, relays, badges, and more. The goal of Habla is to give everyone an
alternative to centralized publishing platforms such as Medium or Substack,
which are by their very nature prone to censorship and deplatforming.
Repository: [verbiricha/habla.news](https://github.com/verbiricha/habla.news)
License: GNU GPL v3.0
### Coracle
[Coracle](https://coracle.social/) is a nostr web client focusing on user
experience, performance, and scaling of the nostr network beyond the "twitter
clone" use-case. The end goal is to build marketplaces, groups, chat, and more
on top of an emergent web of trust. Coracle is already one of the most mature
and accessible clients for new users while also providing some novel features
for more advanced nostriches.
Repository: [coracle-social/coracle](https://github.com/coracle-social/coracle)
License: MIT
### Iris
[Iris](https://iris.to/) is a multi-platform nostr client that is available for
web, mobile, and desktop. Iris' design goals are speed, reliability, and ease of
use. The client features public as well as private messaging, customizable
feeds, an offline mode, and speedy account creation.
Repository: [irislib/iris-messenger](https://github.com/irislib/iris-messenger)
License: MIT
### Damus
[Damus](https://damus.io/) is a cutting-edge nostr client for iOS. The goal of
Damus is to integrate bitcoin with social media and to show the power,
censorship resistance, and scalability of nostr in general. Damus includes
picture and video uploading, is fully translated into 24 languages, supports
automatic translation of notes, and includes all of the features you would
expect from a Twitter-like client.
Repository: [damus-io/damus](https://github.com/damus-io/damus)
License: GNU GPL v3.0
### rust-nostr & nostr-sdk
Rust-nostr is a Rust implementation of the nostr protocol. It is a high-level
client library with the explicit goal to help developers build nostr apps for
desktop, web, and mobile that are both fast and secure. Rust crates can be
easily embedded inside other development environments like Swift, Kotlin,
Python, and JavaScript, making rust-nostr a versatile base to build upon. While
the project is in the early stages of development, [over 35
NIPs](https://github.com/rust-nostr/nostr/tree/master/crates/nostr#supported-nips)
are already supported, with more to come.
Repository: [rust-nostr/nostr](https://github.com/rust-nostr/nostr)
License: MIT
### Nostr Relay NestJS
Nostr-relay-nestjs is a Nostr relay with a clear structure that is easy to
customize to your needs. This relay implementation is based on the NestJS
framework and focuses on reliability and high test coverage.
Repository: [CodyTseng/nostr-relay-nestjs](https://github.com/CodyTseng/nostr-relay-nestjs)
License: MIT
### Soapbox
[Soapbox](https://soapbox.pub/) started out as an alternative to Mastodon but
has grown to encompass ActivityPub and nostr while being interoperable with
both. In February 2023, the team launched the "Mostr" bridge, seamlessly
connecting nostr to the ActivityPub Fediverse and enabling bidirectional
communication between both protocols. This bridge exposes over 9.4M potential
users in nostr's target audience to nostr, many of whom have already left the
Fediverse completely in favor of nostr.
Repository: [gitlab.com/soapbox-pub](https://gitlab.com/soapbox-pub)
License: GNU Affero General Public License v3.0
### Code Collaboration over Nostr
This project is a proof-of-concept for a much-needed, often discussed, and
permissionless, nostr-based GitHub alternative. The goal is to replace the
traditional interactions using a centralized server or service with a
nostr-based alternative centered around nostr events. Commits, branches, pull
requests, and other actions are all modeled as nostr events, with permissions
managed through groups so that multiple maintainers can manage a repository.
This model reduces the barriers for clients to support repository collaboration
and allows for interoperability between repository management tools.
Repository: [DanConwayDev/ngit-cli](https://github.com/DanConwayDev/ngit-cli)
License: MIT
### Satellite
[satellite.earth](https://satellite.earth/) is a web client for nostr that has a
community focus and presents conversations as threaded comments, borrowing from
the traditional Reddit interface.
Repository: [lovvtide/satellite-web](https://github.com/lovvtide/satellite-web)
License: MIT
### Amethyst
Amethyst is one of the most popular nostr clients for Android. Amethyst comes
with expected features such as account management, feeds, profiles, and direct
messages. Amethyst also offers native image uploads, public chat groups, link
previews, one-tap zaps, public and private bookmarks, as well as the ability to
follow hashtags, and other novel features. You can install
[releases](https://github.com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/releases/) of Amethyst via
[F-Droid](https://f-droid.org/packages/com.vitorpamplona.amethyst/) or [Google
Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.vitorpamplona.amethyst).
Repository: [vitorpamplona/amethyst](https://github.com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/)
License: MIT
### Pinstr
[Pinstr](https://pinstr.app/) allows users to easily organize and discover new
ideas by creating public boards of pins. Users can star, comment, and zap other
users' boards. Users can find curated boards of other users and create boards
themselves. Default boards include users' bookmarked content, among other lists.
Repository: [sepehr-safari/pinstr](https://github.com/sepehr-safari/pinstr)
License: MIT
### nostr.build
[Nostr.build](https://nostr.build/) is a free-to-use media hosting service that
allows users to upload images, gifs, videos, and audio files to share them as
nostr events. The team recently released their code under an MIT License so that
anyone might use the software to offer a similar service.
Repository: [nostrbuild/nostr.build](https://github.com/nostrbuild/nostr.build)
License: MIT
### Gossip
Gossip is a fast and stable desktop nostr client focused on the Twitter-like
micro-blogging aspect of nostr. Gossip follows people by downloading their
events from whichever relays they post to (rather than relays you configure) and
was the impetus for NIP-65. It does not use complex web technologies such as
JavaScript or HTML rendering and stores your private key only in an encrypted
format. Consequently, Gossip is considered more secure than other clients by
some. The client is packaged and
[released](https://github.com/mikedilger/gossip/releases) for Linux, Windows,
and MacOS.
Repository: [mikedilger/gossip](https://github.com/mikedilger/gossip)
License: MIT
### Nostr SDK iOS
The nostr SDK for iOS is a native Swift library that will enable developers to
quickly and easily build nostr-based apps for Apple devices. The library plans
to implement all approved NIPs and will follow Apple's API patterns, so that iOS
developers feel comfortable using it from the start. The SDK aims to be simple
in its public interface, abstracting away as much complexity as possible so that
developers can focus on what makes their specific application unique.
Repository: [nostr-sdk/nostr-sdk-ios](https://github.com/nostr-sdk/nostr-sdk-ios)
License: MIT
### Nostr Design
Nostr Design will be a comprehensive resource for designers and developers to
build successful nostr products. Nostr introduces several new concepts that most
people are not familiar with. Given its nature, the protocol presents some
unique design challenges for developers and users alike. The Nostr Design
efforts are led by [Karnage](https://karnage.webflow.io/), who has done stellar
product design work around nostr in the past. We believe that this project has
the potential to impact the entire nostr space, as it can act as a go-to source
for developing quality products, addressing user needs, as well as providing
concrete examples and building blocks for product designers and developers
alike.
License: Public Domain, Creative Commons
---
We have received hundreds of applications in the last couple of weeks, many
related to or exclusively focused on nostr. Most projects that applied focus on
bitcoin and lightning. We will announce another wave of grants for these soon.
To all the nostr projects that applied and didn't make the cut this time around:
don't be discouraged. Please [apply for funding][apply] again in the future. We
will announce new grants and funding opportunities quarterly, and there is
always the possibility of being listed on the OpenSats website to receive
pass-through donations for your project.
We are excited to support the projects above in building the tools we bitcoiners
care so deeply about. The future is bright; we just have a lot of building to
do.
[apply]: https://opensats.org/apply
[nostr-fund]: https://opensats.org/projects/nostr
[mission]: https://opensats.org/mission
[startsmall]: https://opensats.org/blog/opensats-receives-additional-funding-of-dollar10m-from-startsmall
