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jb55 | 2 years ago

There is no "zaps balance". Zaps are just receipts of lightning payments.

The basic idea is that a lightning node will detect when the invoice with a nostr note inside is paid, and then send the receipt to nostr as a nostr note, with the original bolt11 invoice inside with the signature from the user who sent the zap.

It's all described by NIP-57, a spec I put together to support this:

https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/blob/master/57.md

I was working on c-lightning at the time and I thought it would be really cool to replace the "like" button with an instant bitcoin micro-payment. I think it worked out quite well! There are many sites utilizing zaps in all aspects of the protocol, such as a decentralized market for AI job requests (data vending machines), zapgoals and zap fundraisers. All built on this note type. protocol synergy!

discuss

order

evbogue|2 years ago

I read NIP-57 just now.

I guess what confused me is I've used Nostr clients where everyone has a Zap button. Who is holding onto those lighting receive addresses until they specify where they want the funds to go?

Like if someone Zaps me right now, I haven't specified a place for those Zaps to go. Do I call the Damus staff and they send the total of the micropayments Zapped to me over Nostr to a Bitcoin receive address? I don't think anyone has Zapped me, I'm just trying to wrap my mind around how it works since I was wrong earlier.

Maybe I need to set aside an afternoon and read about how Lighting works, perhaps I just don't get that protocol.

supertestnet|2 years ago

> if someone Zaps me right now, I haven't specified a place for those Zaps to go

then you can't be zapped

you can only be zapped if your profile has a tag in it that tells people where to send your zaps to

without that, a zap button shouldn't show up, and if it does show up, it shouldn't do anything

clarkmoody|2 years ago

Lightning is an online protocol, so your wallet must be available to complete the transaction. No online wallet, no zaps.