Nostr Web of Trust
What It Is
Nostr Web of Trust is infrastructure for trust and identity on the Nostr protocol. It answers one question: how do you know if someone is worth listening to on a decentralized network where anyone can create an account?
The answer isn't verification badges controlled by a company. It's social distance — how many hops separate you from another user in the follow graph. If your friends follow someone, that person is closer to your trust circle than a random account. Simple, decentralized, and impossible to buy.
Why This Matters
Spam is the existential threat to every open network. Email almost died from it. Nostr will face the same challenge. The traditional solution is centralized moderation — which defeats the purpose of decentralization. Web of Trust is the alternative: trust computed from your own social graph, not dictated by a platform.
Reputation on the open web shouldn't be owned by anyone. That's the core principle.
What It Includes
Browser Extension A full NIP-07 signer and encryption tool. Sign events, encrypt messages (NIP-04 & NIP-44), manage multiple accounts with HD key derivation, watch-only mode, and NIP-46 remote signer compatibility. It's your identity provider for Nostr — no custodial service needed.
Built-in Lightning Wallet Send and receive zaps directly from the extension. Connect your own wallet via Nostr Wallet Connect, LNbits, or use the quick setup. No third-party payment processor.
Trust System Color-coded trust badges based on social distance. See at a glance whether someone is in your network, adjacent to it, or completely unknown. The scoring happens locally or through the Oracle — your choice.
Privacy Architecture Two modes: local-only (all computation on your device, maximum privacy) or remote Oracle mode (faster, handles 10,000+ queries per second, but requires trusting the Oracle operator). You can self-host the Oracle.
Developer Integration
Three layers:
- Browser Extension API — for any web app
1window.nostr.wot - JavaScript SDK — TypeScript support, React hooks, plug-and-play
- Self-hostable Oracle — backend service for high-throughput WoT queries
Everything is MIT licensed. Use it, fork it, build on it. No permission needed.
The Incentive Model
Centralized trust systems have a problem: whoever controls the verification process controls who gets heard. Twitter's blue checkmark, Google's search ranking, Apple's App Store review — they're all gatekeeping mechanisms disguised as quality filters.
Web of Trust flips this. Your trust scores are computed from your own relationships. Nobody can sell you a higher ranking. Nobody can revoke your reputation because you said something unpopular. The incentive is to build genuine relationships, not to game a centralized algorithm.