cmd | ||
config | ||
exit | ||
netstr | ||
protocol | ||
proxy | ||
socks5 | ||
.gitignore | ||
docker-compose.yaml | ||
go.mod | ||
go.sum | ||
LICENSE | ||
nws.png | ||
README.md |
Nostr Web Services (NWS)
NWS replaces the IP layer in TCP transport using Nostr, enabling a secure connection between clients and backend services.
Exit nodes are reachable through their nprofiles, which are combinations of a Nostr public key and multiple relays.
Prerequisites
- A list of Nostr relays that the exit node is connected to.
- The Nostr private key of the exit node.
The exit node utilizes the private key and relay list to generate an nprofile, which is printed in the console on startup.
Overview
NWS main components
- Entry node: It forwards tcp packets to the exit node using a SOCKS proxy and creates encrypted events for the public key of the exit node.
- Exit node: It is a TCP reverse proxy that listens for incoming Nostr subscriptions and forwards the payload to the designated backend service.
Quickstart
Running NWS using Docker is recommended. For instructions on running NWS on your local machine, refer to the Build from source section.
Using Docker Compose
To set up using Docker Compose, run the following command:
docker compose up -d --build
This will start an example setup, including the entry node, exit node, and a backend service.
Sending Requests to the Entry node
You can use the following command to send a request to the nprofile:
curl -v -x socks5h://localhost:8882 http://nprofile1qqsp98rnlp7sn4xuf7meyec48njp2qyfch0jktwvfuqx8vdqgexkg8gpz4mhxw309ahx7um5wgkhyetvv9un5wps8qcqggauk8/v1/info --insecure
If the nprofile supports TLS, you can choose to connect using https scheme
curl -v -x socks5h://localhost:8882 https://nprofile1qqstw2nc544vkl4760yeq9xt2yd0gthl4trm6ruvpukdthx9fy5xqjcpz4mhxw309ahx7um5wgkhyetvv9un5wps8qcqcelsf6/v1/info --insecure
When using https, the entry node can be used as a service, since the operator will not be able to see the request data.
Build from source
The exit node must be set up to make the services reachable via Nostr.
Configuration
Configuration can be completed using environment variables.
Alternatively, you can create a .env
file in the current working directory with the following content:
NOSTR_RELAYS = 'ws://localhost:6666;wss://relay.damus.io'
NOSTR_PRIVATE_KEY = "EXITPRIVATEHEX"
BACKEND_HOST = 'localhost:3338'
NOSTR_RELAYS
: A list of nostr relays to publish events to. Will only be used if there was no nprofile in the request.NOSTR_PRIVATE_KEY
: The private key to sign the eventsBACKEND_HOST
: The host of the backend to forward requests to
To start the exit node, use this command:
go run cmd/exit/main.go
If your backend services support TLS, your service can now start using TLS encryption through a publicly available entry node.
To run an entry node for accessing NWS services behind exit nodes, use the following command:
go run cmd/proxy/main.go
Entry node Configuration
If you used environment variables, no further configuration is needed.
For .env
file configurations, do so in the current working directory with the following content:
NOSTR_RELAYS = 'ws://localhost:6666;wss://relay.damus.io'
Here, NOSTR_RELAYS is a list of nostr relays to publish events to and will only be used if there was no nprofile in the request.