You can also get some for free or maybe just a few sats from nostr:npub18kpw3akvdsyk239lx0jgwksr74sq4nlha3r8u9g2rnrhztfpfhysy469c4
> If I go the non-custodial way with zeus, does that still require me to host my own node?
None of the options I listed require hosting your own node.
> Also, once I make my lightning address, do I always need to open a new channel?
If you're going the custodial route, this is all done in the background so you don't have to worry about it. For Zeus, the suggested workflow is:
1. Open Zeus wallet, go to lightning > receive and put in an amount like $5.00. You will be warned that setting up a channel incurs a on-chain tx fee (around 50c). If it asks if you want to use the zeus LSP, say yes.
2. You will now have a channel open w/ Zeus with $4.50 in it. It has no inbound liquidity (you have no room to receive payments). To get that, you need to spend some over lightning. You can zap others or use a service like boltz.exchange (non-custodial) who will take your BTC in lightning and return it to you on-chain.
3. Go to settings in Zeus and go to lightning address. It will give you an address like yourname@zeuspay.com. You can then plug that into your nostr client.
Channels can be a bit to wrap your head around at first. The way I think of it is this: when you buy a lightning channel, it's like buying a bucket. The size of the bucket is determined by how much you spent buying it. The bucket it the channel, water in the bucket is sats/BTC. When you first get the bucket, it's totally full, you can't put any more in in, but as you empty it, you make room to add more to it. You can empty and re-fill it infinite times.
If you get things setup, feel free to reply to my comment and I'll send a test zap
For custodial options (somebody else holds the sats/private key, you can withdraw at your leisure), coinos is great https://coinos.io/
For non-custodial option (you hold the keys, slightly more complex), I suggest Zeus wallet. Works fantastic.
Both options will get you an address in the format yourname@provider.com that you can use to receive zaps.
Just zapped ya, looks like it's working!
Your lightning address should look something like makeasnek@coinos.io, except with your name. You should be able to add that into whatever app you are browsing nostr with.
Your zap icon is greyed out for me. Did you copy the lightning address from coinos into whatever nostr client you're using?
Once signed in to coinos, go to hand icon (top right) to get your lightning address. You can add that in the settings for your nostr client. Lmk when you get setup I'll send you a test zap. Because coinos is custodial, don't keep significant funds there, you should withdraw occasionally to reduce risk in case coinos disappears one day.
Also suggest using an "nsec bunker" extension to login. For firefox and chrome
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/nos2x-fox/
https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/nos2x/kpgefcfmnafjgpblomihpgmejjdanjjp?hl=en-US
Coinos is a great custodial wallet (they hold the keys), great way to get started
As requested by nostr:npub1rcr8h76csgzhdhea4a7tq5w5gydcpg9clgf0cffu6z45rnc6yp5sj7cfuzas well as a redo my #introduction Hello my name is Clay. I have a newly launched outdoor sporting goods online store. If you are looking for quality outdoor gear from camping to emergency supplies and everything inbetween, check out the link in my bio. #NatureisCalling #GearUp
Welcome Clay! You may want to check out #shopstr -- it's an app you can login to with your noster ID, functions just like facebook market place for selling goods via nostr. If you have any questions about how to get started used the asknostr hashtag. My advice is to just start following everybody you are mildly interested in, it will keep your feed full of interesting content. You can always slim down your feed later if the signal to noise ratio isn't right.
Can get get an ad directly targeted at content creators that explains why nostr is valuable to them and links to an easy "1-2-3" guide to publishing on nostr, receiving zaps, etc. I would contribute to a bounty for such a resource if one doesn't exist yet.
You login to it with your nostr identity. You'll need a "nsec bunker" which is a browser plugin. Here's one for firefox: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/nos2x-fox/ and chrome https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/nos2x/kpgefcfmnafjgpblomihpgmejjdanjjp?hl=en-US
You add your "nsec" (private key) to the extension, then you can click "login" at the top right at zap.stream and login with it.
Sounds like a thing opensats would sponsor if such a project exists.
I just found out about this abandoned #Amethyst fork that incorporates Monero into Nostr as a tipping feature similar to zaps. What do you guys think about contributing to it? #AskNostr https://github.com/retrnull/garnet/
Monero doesn't have an L2, so your tips will incur on-chain fees, take longer, and be stored on-chain forever. Not ideal for tipping. Lightning zaps are instant, don't take up chain space, have fees <1%, and aren't limited by blockspace.
I see it too!
Welcome! More content creators need to know about nostr. It is the ONLY platform where you can share your content and get paid DIRECTLY with no middleman and no platform fees. No YouTube algorithm, every one of your followers will see what you post. It's a total paradigm shift. Hope you find a good home here :)
Use Zeus. Fantastic self-custody wallet. Gives you a lightning address you can use with nostr. If you prefer a custodial wallet, Strike is great.
Bitcoin lightning adoption is about to explode. Here's why:
Do you think a corporation would do anything to get an extra 1% return on their next quarterly report? Would they do things that hurt them in the long-term just so this quarter looked good? Make their products worse for a quick buck? Fuck over their long-term employees they spent years training? Skimp on quality and safety? Yes. They absolutely would. Corporations pay 3-5% on credit card fees and wait weeks for settlement. Lightning is <1% and it's instant. It's that simple. That's why #Bitcoin #lightning is going to win in the long run.
It's the same reason the food cart down the street takes venmo: because, at one time, venmo was free. It's not free now though, because it couldn't be sustainably free, because nothing is free, and because venmo has every incentive to suck every dollar of profit out of those transactions it can. They have a captive audience. Lightning doesn't work that way. Liquidity providers, nodes, etc they all have to compete for your payment, so over time, fees get lower, not higher. Venmo isn't growing in adoption any more among merchants, lightning is.
The savings on fees is so significant that merchants can offer a discount to customers equivalent to the customer's normal credit card cash back and the merchant can still save money compared to credit cards. Last time Bitcoin got real hyped and lots of merchant adoption, fees and transaction confirmation times became a limiting factor. That factor is gone now. Cash App, in the US, has 25% market penetration. That's a lightning wallet. When customers realize they can get a 3% discount everywhere just by using it? Game over for credit cards.
If you haven't tried lightning, it's awesome. Instant confirmation, fees <1%, and very decentralized. There were some growing pains, but it's pretty robust now, I use it on a daily basis. It's where the majority of Bitcoin transactions occur, and nostr users alone are using it to send millions of transactions a month.
#bitcoin #lightning