Quick Start¶

This guide will help you get started with Nostress quickly and efficiently.

Your First Keypair¶

The most common operation in Nostress is generating a new Nostr keypair.

Basic Generation¶

Generate a keypair in hexadecimal format (default):

nostress keys generate

This will output something like:

Private Key: a1b2c3d4e5f6789...
Public Key:  123456789abcdef...

Bech32 Format¶

Generate a keypair in bech32 format (nsec/npub):

nostress keys generate --format bech32

Output:

Private Key (nsec): nsec1xyz...
Public Key (npub):  npub1abc...

Verbose Output¶

See detailed information about your keypair:

nostress keys generate --verbose

This shows a beautiful table with all key information and formats.

Both Formats¶

Generate keys in both hex and bech32 formats:

nostress keys generate --format both

JSON Output¶

Perfect for scripts and automation:

nostress keys generate --json

Example output:

{
    "private_key": {
        "hex": "a1b2c3d4...",
        "bech32": "nsec1xyz..."
    },
    "public_key": {
        "hex": "123456...",
        "bech32": "npub1abc..."
    }
}

Saving Keys to File¶

Save Generated Keys¶

Save your keypair to a file:

nostress keys generate --output my-keypair.txt

The file will contain both private and public keys with clear labels.

Encrypted Storage¶

Save keys with password protection:

nostress keys generate --encrypt --output secure-keypair.txt

You’ll be prompted to enter a password to encrypt the file.

Key Validation¶

Nostress can validate keys to ensure they’re properly formatted and cryptographically valid.

Validate Hex Keys¶

nostress keys validate a1b2c3d4e5f6789abcdef...

Validate Bech32 Keys¶

nostress keys validate nsec1xyz123...

With type checking:

nostress keys validate nsec1xyz123... --type nsec
nostress keys validate npub1abc789... --type npub

Common Use Cases¶

Script Integration¶

Generate a keypair for use in scripts:

#!/bin/bash

# Generate keypair and extract private key
PRIVATE_KEY=$(nostress keys generate --json | jq -r '.private_key.hex')

# Use the key in your application
echo "Generated private key: $PRIVATE_KEY"

Daily Key Generation¶

Generate daily development keys:

# Generate and save with timestamp
nostress keys generate --format both --output "keys-$(date +%Y%m%d).txt"

Multiple Key Generation¶

Generate multiple keypairs for testing:

for i in {1..5}; do
    nostress keys generate --format bech32 --output "test-key-$i.txt"
done

Configuration¶

Nostress follows XDG Base Directory standards:

Config: ~/.config/nostress/
Data: ~/.local/share/nostress/
Cache: ~/.cache/nostress/

Getting Help¶

Nostress has comprehensive help built-in:

Main Help¶

nostress --help

Command-Specific Help¶

nostress keys --help
nostress keys generate --help
nostress keys validate --help

Verbose Mode¶

Add --verbose to any command to see detailed output and execution information.

Security Notes¶

Key Storage¶

Always store private keys securely
Use the --encrypt option for sensitive keys
Never share private keys or commit them to version control
Consider using hardware wallets for long-term storage

Key Generation¶

Nostress uses cryptographically secure random number generation
Keys are generated using the secp256k1 elliptic curve
No network connection is required for key generation

Best Practices¶

Backup your keys - Generate backups and store them securely
Test with small amounts - When using keys for real transactions, test with small amounts first
Verify keys - Use the validation commands to ensure keys are valid
Use verbose mode - When learning, use --verbose to understand what’s happening

Next Steps¶

Now that you’ve generated your first keypair, you might want to:

Read the CLI Reference for complete command documentation
Explore the API Reference if you’re integrating Nostress into Python applications
Check out the Architecture to understand how Nostress works internally
Contribute to the project by reading Contributing

Troubleshooting¶

If you encounter issues:

Check your installation: nostress --version
Verify Python version: python --version (requires 3.12+)
Run with verbose mode: Add --verbose to see detailed error information
Check file permissions: Ensure you have write access when saving keys
Validate your keys: Use nostress keys validate to check key format

For more help, see the full documentation or open an issue on GitHub.