The Nostr protocol, natively in Zig
A native Nostr ecosystem in Zig, a foundational protocol library, utility libraries built on it, and fast native apps that keep your keys on hardware you control.
One core, many surfaces
Core library
The foundation, keys, events, transport, the outbox model, and a local-first store. It builds on macOS, Linux and Windows, and it is actively growing toward full Nostr coverage, milestone after milestone.
Utility libraries
Focused building blocks layered on the core, so every app shares one audited, well-tested base instead of reinventing crypto and storage.
What the core gives you
Credible crypto core
secp256k1 keys and BIP-340 Schnorr signatures via bitcoin-core’s libsecp256k1, passing the full official test-vector suite.
Local-first store
A zero-copy, memory-mapped LMDB event store with a bounded, newest-first query planner, sub-millisecond feeds that stay flat as the store grows.
Native remote signer
Notary is a NIP-46 bunker that signs for any client while your nsec never leaves the daemon unless you ask for it. A downloadable app for macOS and Linux.
Outbox model
NIP-65 relay lists with read/write routing and zero hardcoded relays, events go where they belong.
Encrypted payloads
NIP-44 v2 authenticated encryption (ChaCha20 + HMAC-SHA256), verified against the official vectors, the basis for private messaging.
Portable keys
NIP-06 mnemonic derivation and NIP-49 ncryptsec encryption at rest, NFKC-normalized for cross-app interop.
Native apps
Notary
ShippedA native NIP-46 signer for macOS and Linux: Zig, no Electron. Your nsec stays in a local daemon, and nothing gets signed quietly. On macOS it waits in the menu bar until a request needs you.
Learn more →Plaza
ShippedA fast, local-first client: read without an account, post in four clicks, with the feed rendered from disk. It reads long-form articles, finds people by name and adds pictures from a file. A downloadable app for macOS and Linux.
Learn more →deed
ShippedThe nostr command line: sign, verify, encode, encrypt, query relays and publish, with a local store that answers without a network. One small binary for macOS, Linux and Windows.
Learn more →What comes next, and what is deliberately not being built, is on the roadmap.
Install the core
Add the library to your Zig project:
zig fetch --save https://github.com/zig-nostr/nostr/archive/refs/tags/v0.14.9.tar.gzconst nostr = b.dependency("nostr", .{ .target = target, .optimize = optimize });
your_module.addImport("nostr", nostr.module("nostr"));zig-nostr is early and MIT-licensed: a library, plus two native apps you can download today, all on one core. Explore the docs →