Which version is current?
3.0 on iPhone, Mac and Android. It adds the mesh, which connects your own devices directly. These pages describe 3.0.
Is it free? Is it open source?
Yes to both. The app is free and the code is MIT licensed, on GitHub.
What is the vault?
Your vault is a personal Nostr relay and a media server, running on your phone. It keeps your notes, your messages and your photos on the device. Nobody on the network can connect to it, unless you share it with your own devices over the mesh.
Can I use my existing Nostr account?
Yes. Tap I already use Nostr instead of Create an account.
- iPhone and Mac: paste your nsec, an encrypted key (ncryptsec) or a bunker link, or Use a signer app and Sign in with Clave.
- Android: paste a key or bunker link, Use Amber, or Use a signer app.
- Web: Sign in with extension or Connect bunker. The web app never takes your nsec.
An npub or name@domain also works, read-only: you can look around but not post.
Do I need a Mac?
No. Your phone runs its own vault. A Mac is an optional extra: as Vault on Mac it can hold a full copy and serve your photos while it's on. A spare phone in Kiosk mode can do the same job.
Why does posting a photo still need a server?
Other people need to be able to see it, from any app, whether or not your phone is on. So a photo you post also goes to a public media server. The mesh is an extra, faster place to fetch it from, not a replacement. If posting fails.
Is my home IP public?
No. Once you add a device, only your own devices learn your phone's address. Anyone else gets your public photos and never your address, but the mesh's middle server does see it. You can change or turn off the middle server under the mesh's Advanced settings.
Who can see my photos over the mesh?
Your own devices get everything. Anyone else gets only photos that are in your posts, and only within limits: 1 MB/s in total, 1 GB per session and 256 MB per file. Nobody else can read your notes. Your posted photos are on public media servers too, so treat them as public.
What if I lose my phone?
On each of your other devices, open the lost phone under My Devices and tap Remove from my devices. The mesh restarts and the lost phone is cut off at once. The phone's mesh address is its own key, not your Nostr key.
Your Nostr account is your key. Keep a copy of it somewhere safe before you need it: Settings → Accounts & Keys → Reveal Key.
What can the web app do?
The web app at nostrvault.app/vault/ reads your feeds, posts, including photos, and has a WoT tab. It signs in only with a browser extension, a bunker or read-only. It keeps a copy of your notes in the browser, which the browser may clear; your phone's vault is the real one. It doesn't have Edit Feeds or the trust settings.