GM, Nostriches! The Nostr Review is a biweekly newsletter focused on protocol updates, exciting programs, the long-form content ecosystem, and key events happening in the Nostr-verse. If you’re interested, join me in covering updates from the Nostr ecosystem!
Quick review: In the past two weeks, daily active pubkeys rose to 117,532. New user growth increased, while profiles with bios decreased by over 39.88%. Events totaled 1.2 million and zap volume has decreased to 16.3 million sats. Additionally, 11 pull requests were submitted to the Nostr protocol, with 1 merged. A total of 100 Nostr projects were tracked, with 8 releasing product updates. During this period, 2 notable events took place, and 4 significant events are upcoming.
Nostr Statistics#
Based on user activity, the total daily active pubkeys reached 117,532, reflecting an increase of 2.80% compared to the previous period's 114,330. The highest daily activity was recorded on February 6th, 2026, with 9,709 active users, representing a 36.00% increase compared to the previous record of 7,139.
The number of new users overall showed mixed trends from the last period. In particular, the number of profiles with bios fell to 21,218, marking a decrease of about 39.88% compared to the previous record of 35,295. However, the number of new profiles with contact lists rose significantly to 120,478, a 594.88% increase from 17,338. Meanwhile, pubkeys writing events decreased to 57,472 within this period, representing an 88.37% drop from the previous 494,041.
In terms of content publishing, approximately 1,269,584 total events were published during this period, representing a decrease of about 81.05% compared to the 6.7 million from the previous cycle. Among them, Reposts reached a total of 42,595 within this period, marking an 87.43% decrease compared to the previous 338,970.
For zap activity, the total zap amount is about 16.3 million, showing a decrease of over 12.83% compared to the previous period.
Data source: https://npub.world/stats
NIPs#
Nip73: Add OSM tag kind DestBro
The PR introduces a standardized way to reference OpenStreetMap elements using the ["i", <identifier>] tag format defined in NIP-73.
Add NIP-AD: MCP Server and Skill Announcements pablof7z
Purpose: These events are intended to help AI agents and users discover MCP servers and tools across the Nostr network.
Implementation: The author mentioned that these events are already being used on TENEX to announce servers and skills.
Interoperability: The events are designed to work with NIP-22 (Comments/Discussions), allowing for public feedback or discussion on specific announced servers or skills.
NIP-XX: Responsive Image Variants (extending NIP-94) woikos
- This Pull Request proposes to enable bandwidth-efficient image delivery by allowing clients to select a resolution variant appropriate for their display size and pixel ratio, while maintaining content-addressed integrity via Blossom.
Stringify supported nips staab
This Pull Request proposes To update NIP-11 so that the supported_nips array can contain strings in addition to (or instead of) just integers. This is primarily motivated by the emergence of NIPs that use alphanumeric identifiers (e.g., NIP-9a).
Source: https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pulls
Notable Projects#
- Zapstore is an open, Nostr-powered social app store that enables app discovery, distribution, and updates through a decentralized social network. This release is the first stable release, finalizing all release candidate changes with a major UX refresh, a new background updates system with batch tracking, improved App Stacks and relay controls, a rewritten install and package flow for better reliability, enhanced download performance and security, and broad stability improvements across core features.
- Amber is a Nostr event signer for Android that securely manages keys and signs events for Nostr applications. Version 4.1.2 focuses on maintenance and reliability improvements, including fixes for missing relay trust scores in some screens, improved security by using full UUIDs for bunker secrets, a migration from LiveData to Flow in the account model, dependency cleanup, Gradle plugin upgrades, better code organization, and a fix for JSON parsing errors in non-event encrypt/decrypt requests.
- Mostro is a production-ready, censorship-resistant, non-custodial peer-to-peer exchange built on Nostr and the Lightning Network. This version focuses on stability and operational fixes, including improvements to dev fee handling to prevent duplicate or unnecessary Lightning queries, proper payment status checks, automatic dispute closure on cooperative cancellations, added rate limiting to a sensitive RPC endpoint, documentation and README updates (including client changes), and maintenance tasks such as a Rust toolchain upgrade. This was the latest release, and there was also the release of v0.16.1 last week.
- Aegis is a simple, cross-platform Nostr signer that supports multiple connection methods for securely signing events. Version 0.3.8 adds multilingual settings and introduces an update mechanism for Nostr web apps, improving accessibility and ease of use across platforms.
- Flotilla is a Discord-like Nostr client that organizes relays as groups, providing real-time messaging and community features. This release improves the interface with cleaned-up modals, popovers, and notifications, adds push notifications via NIP-9a, optimizes relay synchronization, enhances error handling and activity pages, introduces wallet receive flow and classified listings, supports space URLs and safe area insets on mobile, fixes Safari image uploads and calendar details, and includes room muting and other usability refinements.
- Shosho is a mobile live-streaming app with Nostr integration that broadcasts via RTMP to zap.stream and announces streams to the Nostr network. Version 0.12.0 adds support for video Clips with in-player replies, custom emoji integration, thread protection to block indirect mention spam, QR profile sharing, improved streamer profiles, and a landscape playback experience similar to Twitch; it also updates the browse screen to feature creator clips and includes minor bug fixes.
Mostro Mobile Client - v1.1.1+1
- Mostro Mobile Client is a secure mobile app for accessing the Mostro peer-to-peer Bitcoin trading platform over Nostr. This release introduces major multi-node support with a trusted node registry, custom node management, metadata display, and automatic fallback, along with improved order creation through better validation, editable pricing controls, and expanded payment options; the release also enhances chat reliability with restore fixes, better error handling, and keyboard behavior, plus additional stability improvements such as pubkey normalization and metadata handling.
- Ridestr is a decentralized ridesharing app built on Nostr that uses Cashu for payments. This version improves onboarding with a simplified one-tap wallet setup, a redesigned key backup screen, added branding in onboarding, and clearer payment requirements for drivers, along with bug fixes for incomplete logout cleanup and wallet setup failures due to connection issues. This is the latest release and there was also the release of “v0.2.4 RoadFlare Edition, Hotfix 4” last week.
Long-Form Content Eco#
In the past two weeks, approximately 19,000 kind 30023 events have been tracked (long-form articles), with over 42% being Bitcoin related articles and 58% related to Nostr and other topics across the Nostr Ecosystem.
The core discussion around decentralized technologies continues to weave itself into the fabric of our daily human existence. We are witnessing a landscape where the mechanics of digital protocols intersect directly with global politics, shaping how individuals perceive their rights and their future. This is no longer just about building alternative infrastructure; it is about securing a sovereign foothold in a world where centralized narratives increasingly dictate the terms of everyday life.
The Bitcoin Price Shift vs. Gold's Resilience: The recent Bitcoin price shift has forced a reevaluation of the "digital gold" narrative. As physical gold surges past the $5,000 mark to historic highs driven by institutional demand and macroeconomic stress, Bitcoin has experienced notable drawdowns, temporarily decoupling from gold's safe-haven trajectory. While critics point to this volatility as a failure, proponents argue that Bitcoin's value proposition remains rooted in its technological independence and long-term scarcity rather than short-term price parity with precious metals.
The State of the Protocol: Adoption and Infrastructure The ecosystem surrounding decentralized communication has quietly shifted from experimental proofs-of-concept to foundational global infrastructure.
Is Nostr Still Alive? A Network Expanding Quietly: Despite the fading of initial mainstream hype, the question of whether Nostr is still alive is answered by its robust underlying metrics. With hundreds of relays online globally and a rapidly expanding roster of clients, the protocol is thriving. Development has broadened to include everything from long-form content platforms to social networks built specifically for autonomous AI agents, proving that the ecosystem's heartbeat is stronger than ever.
Software Built on Nostr & The Relay Structure: The true power of this persistent growth lies in the architecture of the software built on Nostr. Unlike siloed corporate servers, the network relies on a Relay Structure independent, stateless servers acting as decentralized post offices. Clients send and request events via simple WebSocket connections, allowing users to seamlessly switch applications without losing their digital identity or social graph. If one relay goes dark or censors a user, the data simply flows through another, creating a highly resilient web of information.
Decentralized Media Hosting via Blossom: To handle the complex demands of modern social software, the network has embraced Blossom as a critical standard for media hosting. Because standard relays are optimized for lightweight text events, Blossom steps in to handle the heavy lifting by storing files addressable by their SHA-256 hashes. This ensures that images, videos, and documents remain censorship-resistant and cryptographically verifiable, perfectly complementing Nostr's text-based relay architecture. Freedom, Politics, and Human Existence As the technical foundation solidifies, the cultural implications of these tools are bleeding into the physical world, altering how we interact with authority and each other.
The Pursuit of Digital Freedom: The fundamental drive behind these technologies is an unyielding demand for Freedom. In an era where digital town squares are monopolized by a handful of corporations, the ability to speak, transact, and connect without a centralized gatekeeper has become a modern civil right. Protocols like Nostr provide the cryptographic assurance that one's voice cannot be algorithmically muted or de-platformed.
Politics and the Decentralized Exit: This technological freedom inevitably clashes with traditional politics. As governments and state actors attempt to tighten their grip on financial flows and public discourse, decentralized networks offer a peaceful "exit" from political overreach. The conversation has moved from partisan debates to systemic architecture, where code itself is deployed as a defense mechanism against creeping authoritarianism and censorship.
Other Topics Touching Life: Meaning in the Digital Age: Beyond economics and politics, these shifts touch the core of human life. The restoration of digital ownership brings a renewed sense of agency to everyday interactions. From how creators monetize their art via micro-transactions to how communities form without geographic borders, the decentralized ethos is fundamentally reshaping the human experience, proving that technology can still serve the individual rather than the machine.
Conclusion: Philosophy Meets Reality: Broader topics continue to connect technology with deep philosophical questions. The desire for autonomy is now backed by the reality of active relays, Blossom servers, and censorship resistance. We are seeing a convergence where Cryptography acts as the shield for Liberty, and protocols like Nostr provide the voice for those silenced by politics, seamlessly blending the digital frontier with the realities of human life.
Thank you,
Mohamed GigaChadMohamed@primal.net
Laeserinlaeserin@cordn.net
Maxmax@towardsliberty.com- npub17l2zf…v5xu
Plebeian Marketnpub1marke…p7hd
White Noisenpub1whtn0…r3ec
Bitfestbitfest.uk
and others, for your work. Enriching Nostr’s long-form content ecosystem is crucial.
Nostriches Global Meet Ups#
Recently, five (2) Notable Nostr and Bitcoin events have been hosted.
Digital Freedom with Nostr & Bitcoin - 1st Febuary 2026 Took place at Jives Coffee Lounge where Nostr and Bitcoin will be discussed. Also, attendees will be helped to set up your free Nostr account, free Bitcoin Lightning wallet, etc.
Nostr Nights #1 - 2nd February 2026 Nostr Nights is a quarterly meetup for anyone passionate about building, growing, and exploring the future of decentralized social technology. Whether you're brand-new to Nostr or already building on it, this event is designed to help you learn, connect, and go deeper. Each session features conversations with people building real projects on Nostr, hands-on onboarding for newcomers, educational deep dives into how the protocol works, and open discussions about emerging tools, use cases, and best practices. It’s an opportunity to ask questions, share what you're working on, and collaborate with others pushing the ecosystem forward. Some of the organizers include:
Derek Rossderekross@nostr4.social
Shawnshawnyeager.com
OpenMikeopenmike@grownostr.org
ajdav21andrew@bitcoinpark.com
Here are the upcoming Nostr and Bitcoin events that you might want to check out.
- February 18, 2026: Nostr Atlanta #10 - Lunch & Learn (Atlanta, GA) - A decentralized web tech meetup focusing on Nostr, organized by Club Orange at 684 John Wesley Dobbs Ave NE.
- February 21, 2026: Nostr Live Talk Radio (Online) - Second session for the month, hosted by Corny Chat.
February 24, 2026: Nostr Devs Meetup: Own your social network! (San Francisco, CA) - A developer-focused event at 38 Keyes Ave, organized by Club Orange.
March 1, 2026: Digital Freedom with Nostr & Bitcoin (Colorado Springs, CO) - A meetup at Jives Coffee Lounge (16 Colbrunn Ct) focused on Bitcoin, Lightning, and Nostr.
Thanks for reading! If there’s anything I missed, feel free to reach out and help improve the completeness and accuracy of my coverage.
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