Skip to content

Nostr Integration

Nostr (Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays) is a decentralized protocol used for identity and optional data synchronization in Socratic Seminar.

Identity (npubs)

In Socratic Seminar, users are identified by their Nostr Public Key (npub).

  • No Passwords: Authentication is done via digital signatures. Users can use browser extensions like Alby or nos2x (NIP-07) to sign in without ever revealing their private key to the application.
  • Sovereignty: Your identity is a cryptographic key pair that you own. No central authority can "ban" your account or take away your access to the software.
  • Privacy: Socratic Seminar does not require an email address or any personal information. Your npub is your unique identifier.

CypherTap

The frontend uses the CypherTap component (a dedicated submodule) to manage Nostr keys and authentication.

NIPs Supported

  • NIP-01: Basic protocol support.
  • NIP-07: Browser extension integration.
  • NIP-49: Private key encryption for local storage.

Data Synchronization

While Socratic Seminar is primarily Local-First, Nostr can be used as a transport layer for syncing data across devices or sharing artifacts.

  • Relay-Based: Data is "published" to user-specified relays. Other instances of Socratic Seminar (signed in with the same key) can "subscribe" to these events to rebuild the local state.
  • Encrypted Content: Sensitive data can be encrypted (NIP-04 or NIP-44) so that only the user can read it, even if it's stored on a public relay.

Why Nostr?

Traditional web applications rely on a central database to store user accounts and data. This creates a "honeypot" for hackers and gives the platform owner total control over the users.

By using Nostr: 1. Users own their data: Even if our servers go down, you can still access your data from any other Nostr-compatible client. 2. Censorship resistance: No one can stop you from publishing your thoughts or accessing your research. 3. Interoperability: Your identity and work can eventually be used in other Nostr-powered intellectual tools.

CopyFuck

CopyFuck is the idea that information SHOULD be free. It is a moral statement about how one should live in Nature. Socratic Seminar is built to facilitate the free sharing and synthesis of knowledge, empowering individuals to think for themselves.

Local Storage & Persistence

Socratic Seminar is a local-first application. All user data—projects, threads, artifacts, and settings—is stored directly in the user's browser. This ensures maximum privacy, offline capability, and zero reliance on a central database.

IndexedDB

The primary storage engine is IndexedDB, a low-level API for client-side storage of significant amounts of structured data. We use a custom service wrapper in frontend/src/lib/services/indexeddb.ts to provide a clean, promise-based interface.

Schema Overview

The database (socratic-seminar) consists of several object stores:

  • projects: Metadata for high-level workspaces.
  • threads: Chat session metadata.
  • messages: Individual messages within threads, indexed by threadId.
  • artifacts: Document metadata and their full version history.
  • sources: Scraped web content and reference materials.
  • settings: User preferences and application state.

Persistence Strategy

1. Transparent Saving

Most stores (Projects, Threads, Sources) implement "Transparent Saving." When an action like createThread is called, the store updates its reactive state and immediately triggers an asynchronous, non-blocking save to IndexedDB.

2. Debounced Document Saving

Artifacts (documents) use a debounced strategy to avoid performance issues during rapid typing: - Live Map: As you type, changes are stored in a reactive liveContentMap in memory. - Auto-save: After 500ms of inactivity, the liveContentMap is flushed to IndexedDB. - Explicit Versions: New versions are only created when explicitly triggered or during significant workflow transitions.

3. Loading and Initialization

On application start, the init() sequence: 1. Connects to IndexedDB. 2. Loads all projects for the active Nostr public key. 3. Hydrates the stores with the initial data. 4. Subsequent data (like messages for a specific thread) is loaded on-demand as the user navigates.

Data Sovereignty

Because data is stored in the browser: - Privacy: Your research and writing never touch our servers. - Ownership: You can export your data at any time (as Markdown or JSON). - No Login: You don't need an account on our servers to use the app; your identity is your Nostr key, and your data is local.

Limitations and Sync

  • Browser Cleared: If you manually clear your browser's "Site Data," your local work will be lost.
  • Multi-Device: To use Socratic Seminar on multiple devices, users must sync their data via the Nostr Protocol (optional) or manual export/import.