Derek Ross

Building an Armada: Our Voyage to Encrypted Communities on Nostr

NIP-04, NIP-17, NIP-29, Marmot, and now Concord. A personal account of every wall we hit trying to build encrypted communities on Nostr, and why we kept going.

How Soapbox Ships So Fast: Our Stack, Our Tools, Our Workflow

People keep asking how a small team ships so many Nostr apps so fast. The honest answer: there's no secret. It's all open source, and it's all in our Toolbox. Here's the whole playbook.

Banning Fable 5 Only Accelerated the Open-Weight Future

How to Disappear From the Surveillance Internet

The UK's under-16 social media ban means age-checks for everyone. Here's how to opt out with Nostr, Bitcoin, NostrVPN &amp

Building Zuka: A Voice That Can't Be Killed

We built an AI persona platform for activists in 48 hours at HRF's second AI Hack for Freedom. It protects the humans behind the voice — and makes the voice impossible to silence.

Soapbox at Bitcoin 2026: Nostr Became Infrastructure

How Bitcoin Conference Week 2026 played out for Soapbox: five panels, NosVegas 2.0, V4V music payouts, and Nostr finally landing as infrastructure.

The Chameleon Method: Three Skills That Future-Proof You in the Age of AI

The three C's: Critical Thinking, Creativity, Communication, are durable in a way that technical skills aren't. They transfer across tools, industries, roles, and eras. They're what made humans valuable before AI, and they're what will make humans valuable after AI becomes ubiquitous.

Small Business Owners Don't Fear AI -- They're Hungry for It

What I learned teaching a two-part AI seminar to local entrepreneurs.

Coding Doesn't Die. It Evolves.

Elon Musk says coding dies by December. He's right about the direction. He's wrong about the conclusion. The future belongs to people who can think.

Building Onyx: Why I'm Creating an Open Source Alternative to Big Tech's AI Productivity Tools

Big Tech wants to lock your productivity into their AI platforms and mine your data. I'm building the alternative. Onyx: encrypted notes, Nostr sync, open source, AI skills library. Your data stays yours.

Vibe Coding at One: From Meme to Movement

One year ago, Andrej Karpathy coined 'vibe coding.' It became a dictionary word. At Soapbox, we've spent that year building the tools to make it work—not just for throwaway projects, but for real applications that matter.

Building Pathos: From Hackathon to Real-World Activism

We built a censorship-resistant platform for activists in 48 hours. Within hours, Venezuelan activists were using it to organize against authoritarianism.

AI-First Development on Mobile: Shakespeare Changes the Game

Unlike dedicated mobile coding apps that have failed to gain traction, Shakespeare is a Progressive Web App that delivers a full development experience on mobile with Nostr Git sync.

Announcing the Shakespeare Community: Connect and Learn

Join the Shakespeare Community to connect with builders, attend workshops and events, become an ambassador, and get help with your AI-powered web development projects.

Inkwell: A Writing App Born in Walmart

I built a Nostr blog publishing tool while waiting for new tires. When existing apps failed me, Shakespeare helped me solve my own problem for about $3.

Nostr Predictions for 2026: The Year Everything Clicks

2026 is the year Nostr clicks—“Other Stuff” goes mainstream, diVine brings in millions, Shakespeare turns conversations into apps, and NIP-17 finally fixes DMs. Zapstore and ngit mature for the open source ecosystem, and as Nostr gains wider attention, the focus shifts toward privacy-forward messaging—setting the stage for 2027 as the year of WhiteNoise and NIP-EE.

MKStack: Vibe Coding for Everyone

A comprehensive guide to building Nostr apps without coding experience using Stacks, MKStack, and AI-powered vibe coding with Dork.

Revive Your Legacy Website with MKStack

Transform your old website from a static archive into a dynamic, Nostr-powered hub. Breathe new life into legacy content with AI-powered modernization and live decentralized feeds.

How to Prompt Better Projects

A comprehensive guide to prompting AI effectively in Shakespeare. Learn the techniques to build better projects through clear, purposeful prompts.

Debugging in Shakespeare

Learn systematic debugging approaches for Shakespeare that go beyond basic prompting. Identify issues, gather evidence, and communicate problems effectively.

How to Export Your Nostr Keys from diVine

Learn how to export your Nostr private key from diVine mobile app and diVine Login to use with other Nostr applications and signers.

Which AI Model Should I Use with Shakespeare?

Choosing the right AI model can transform your development experience in Shakespeare. With access to 40+ models across multiple providers, you have the flexibility to match the perfect AI to your project type.

How to Configure AI Providers in Shakespeare

Shakespeare's flexible AI provider system gives you maximum flexibility to choose from dozens of AI providers. With support for 40+ models across cloud providers, local installations, and custom APIs, you're never locked into a single vendor.

How to Use Local AI Models with Shakespeare

Want complete control over your AI-powered website building? Local AI models offer enhanced privacy, faster responses, and dramatically reduced costs in your development workflow.

Announcing Soapbox Signer: A NIP-07 Browser Extension for Nostr

A browser extension that keeps your Nostr keys secure while letting you use any Nostr application seamlessly. Available now for Chrome and Firefox.

AI-First Development on Mobile: Shakespeare Changes the Game

Unlike dedicated mobile coding apps that have failed to gain traction, Shakespeare is a Progressive Web App that delivers a full development experience on mobile with Nostr Git sync.

Three Years of Building And What Comes Next

After three years of building apps, running services, and growing the Nostr community, Derek is reflecting on the journey, and what comes next. From founding NostrPlebs and NostrNests to launching the Grow Nostr Initiative and bringing Nostr Booths to conferences worldwide, it's been a wild ride. Now, a major change is on the horizon. This article is a milestone grounded in gratitude and a belief that we have to build the future we want to live in.

Announcing the Shakespeare Community: Connect and Learn

Join the Shakespeare Community to connect with builders, attend workshops and events, become an ambassador, and get help with your AI-powered web development projects.

Nostr Web App UX Testing Script

As Nostr adoption grows and more web applications integrate decentralized identity, payments, and social functionality, it's critical to ensure a seamless and reliable user experience across platforms, devices, and authentication methods. This UX testing script was created to validate core functionality, such as login via popular signing tools (Alby, nos2x, Amber, NAK), zapping on both mobile and desktop, and contact list management, while also ensuring consistency across browsers and operating systems. The goal is to catch usability issues early, maintain trust in decentralized apps, and support a smoother on-boarding experience for new and existing Nostr users.

I’m Derek Ross, cofounder of the GNI and I focus on growing Nostr. AMA!

Your Guide to All Things Nostr at Bitcoin 2025 Las Vegas

Welcome to fabulous Nos Vegas! From purple pills to rooftop parties and more. Here’s the full schedule you don’t want to miss!

Launch Lancaster 2025 Post Mortem

At the recent Launch Music Festival, a volunteer initiative successfully introduced over 120 musicians to Bitcoin, Nostr, and Value-for-Value (V4V), resulting in participating artists earning almost 1M sats over three days. Musicians enthusiastically embraced these decentralized technologies, recognizing them as a solution to the failings of the current digital music industry. However, the on-boarding process highlighted significant usability issues with our apps of choice. Resolving these app issues is essential for effective on-boarding, with an ideal future event involving sponsors providing vouchers to all attendees to encourage hands-on Bitcoin transactions and demonstrate V4V, especially as the Launch conference plans to integrate V4V more broadly, presenting a large opportunity for further adoption.

Nostr: Fixing the Deplatforming of a Nation

Centralized platforms are vulnerable to government bans and censorship, as seen with the deplatforming of TikTok in the U.S., leaving millions disconnected. Nostr, as a decentralized protocol, cannot be banned or controlled by any single authority, giving users the freedom of choice and the ability to not have their voices taken away with the stroke of a pen.

Unlocking Nostr’s Potential with Notedeck

Notedeck is not just another Nostr app—it’s a transformative Nostr browser that functions like an operating system, complete with micro-apps for unparalleled customizations and ecosystem wide integrations.

Making Waves in 2025 with Nostr

The ultimate goal with Nostr isn’t just to make ripples—I want to create waves. Waves that transform social media for the better. Waves that expand outward and help change the world. With more tools than ever at our fingertips, it’s time to ride the wave and make it count. 🌊

Nostr 2025 Predictions

All of my predictions for 2023 came to fruition, and half of my 2024 predictions hit the mark. Now, it’s time to look ahead and see how I’ll fare for 2025. The bullishness never stops—let’s keep the momentum going! 🚀

Reflecting on my Nostr 2024 predictions

Looking back on my 2024 predictions, I had a mix of hits and misses. Maybe I wasn't bullish enough?

Empowering Openness: Top Nostr Apps for Android

This article dives into the growing selection of powerful Nostr apps for Android—Amber, Citrine, Pokey, and zap.store—that are reshaping the landscape of self sovereign mobile technology. Each app provides a unique function in the Nostr ecosystem, from secure key management to real-time notifications, relays, and app discovery. Together, they highlight the openness and flexibility of Android as a platform, offering users enhanced security, control, and community-driven features in the world of Nostr.

Nostr at BTC Prague, a testament to community

The Nostr community came together, not only in raising funds, but also in support of the Nostr booth at BTC Prague. The Nostr booth was the most popular booth, packed for three days straight.

Pizza Dough

The perfect pizza dough.

Nostr Nests 2.0: Your Decentralized Audio Space Takes Flight

Nostr Nests 2.0 launches in beta with a brand custom built application that's fully integrated with Nostr, a redesigned user interface, and a host of powerful new and sought after features enabling communities, creators, and individuals to be more social than ever before.

Pura Vida and Bitcoin Vibes: Why Costa Rica's Bitcoin Jungle is a Must-Visit for Bitcoiners

Driven by a shared passion for Bitcoin and the "pura vida" spirit, a group of Bitcoiners has established a thriving community centered on a circular Bitcoin economy. This is the essence of Bitcoin Jungle and all Bitcoiners should experience it first hand.

The Nostr Effect: One Year of Decentralized Growth and Engagement

The past year has been marked by significant growth and development, fueled by the invaluable love and support from the Nostr community. Numerous individuals, encountered online and at conferences, have become trusted friends and colleagues. These connections, building these true relationships, have enriched my personal life and solidified my commitment to Nostr as a protocol for innovation and freedom. Nostr may have opened up new professional doors and fostered professional growth for me, but if I’m being honest, the people and the community are more important to me. It’s the meaningful relationships and friendships that I truly hold dear. I eagerly await future opportunities to connect and I cannot wait until the next time when we’re all together again.

Nostr Nests

My open heart surgery journey

This is the journey of my open heart surgery, from finding out I had an issue, through the surgery, and entire recovery process. I had documented all of this on Twitter, but I do not want it to go away when Elon decides that non-paying users are second class citizens and nukes their content. It will live on via Nostr.

Stackchain is for Builders: How Building on Stackchain led to Building on Nostr

This is the story of two Bitcoiners that met through Stackchain and ended up building a Nostr business together.

Zaps on Nostr reward creators, provide true feedback, and are helping to build the value for value social economy. But, what are Zaps?

Zaps on Nostr are payments that can be sent to other users as a way of tipping, showing appreciation, or providing feedback to content creators. We're building the value for value economy on Nostr, one Zap at at time.

A new blogging platform based on Nostr

A new blogging platform based on Nostr