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Habla

Read, write, and monetize long-form content on Nostr. A Medium-like experience, fully decentralized.

Overview​

Habla is a Nostr client focused on long-form articles (NIP-23). It combines a clean reading experience with native Bitcoin monetization through zaps, making it ideal for writers, bloggers, and content creators.

Key Features​

Long-Form Publishing​

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    Habla Editor                          │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                          │
│  Title: [Your Article Title                    ]        │
│                                                          │
│  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐│
│  │  # Heading                                           ││
│  │                                                      ││
│  │  Your content here with **bold**, *italic*,         ││
│  │  and [links](https://...).                          ││
│  │                                                      ││
│  │  ```code blocks```                                   ││
│  │                                                      ││
│  │  > Blockquotes                                       ││
│  └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘│
│                                                          │
│  Summary: [Brief description for previews     ]         │
│  Tags: [nostr] [bitcoin] [writing]                      │
│  Banner: [Upload image]                                  │
│                                                          │
│  [Preview]  [Publish]                                    │
│                                                          │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Markdown Support​

Full markdown with toolbar assistance:

ElementSyntax
Bold**text**
Italic*text*
Headings# H1 ## H2
Links[text](url)
Images![alt](url)
Code`code`
Blockquotes> quote
Lists- item

Native Monetization (Zaps)​

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│           Zap Flow                       │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                          │
│  Reader enjoys article                  │
│         │                                │
│         ▼                                │
│  ⚡ Click Zap button                     │
│         │                                │
│         ▼                                │
│  Choose amount (21, 100, 1000 sats)     │
│         │                                │
│         ▼                                │
│  Payment via Lightning                  │
│         │                                │
│         ▼                                │
│  Writer receives sats instantly         │
│  + Zap appears on article               │
│                                          │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

Unlike traditional likes, zaps:

  • Carry real value
  • Signal content quality
  • Show what resonates with readers
  • Create direct creator-reader relationship

Rich Embeds​

Paste Nostr links to embed:

ContentResult
NotesQuoted post embed
ProfilesUser card
ArticlesArticle preview
AudioZapstr player
VideoVideo embed
<!-- Paste a Nostr link -->
nostr:nevent1qqsxyz...

<!-- Habla converts to rich embed -->

Communities​

Reddit-like curated spaces:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│        Community: Bitcoin               │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                          │
│  Moderators: @alice, @bob               │
│  Members: 1,234                          │
│                                          │
│  📝 Recent Articles                     │
│  ├── Understanding UTXOs                │
│  ├── Lightning Network Explained        │
│  └── Self-Custody Guide                 │
│                                          │
│  Rules:                                  │
│  - Stay on topic                        │
│  - No spam                              │
│  - Be respectful                        │
│                                          │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

Censorship Resistance​

Your article ──► Multiple relays ──► Readers

If Relay A blocks you:
├── Relay B still has it
├── Relay C still has it
└── Readers connect to any relay

Result: Cannot be silenced

Reader Experience​

Clean Reading​

  • Distraction-free layout
  • Typography optimized for reading
  • Dark and light modes
  • Mobile responsive

Discovery​

FeatureDescription
HomeArticles from follows
ExploreTrending articles
CommunitiesCurated topics
SearchFind articles
TagsBrowse by topic

Bookmarks​

Save articles for later reading, synced across devices via Nostr.

Getting Started​

Reading​

  1. Go to habla.news
  2. Browse or search for content
  3. Login with extension (Alby, nos2x) to interact
  4. Zap articles you enjoy

Writing​

  1. Login with Nostr extension
  2. Click "Write"
  3. Compose in markdown editor
  4. Add title, summary, tags, banner
  5. Publish to your relays

Setting Up Zaps​

  1. Configure Lightning address in profile
  2. Or set up NWC wallet
  3. Readers can now zap your articles

NIP-23 Format​

Habla uses the NIP-23 long-form content format:

{
  "kind": 30023,
  "tags": [
    ["d", "unique-slug"],
    ["title", "Article Title"],
    ["summary", "Brief description"],
    ["image", "https://banner-url.jpg"],
    ["t", "tag1"],
    ["t", "tag2"],
    ["published_at", "1234567890"]
  ],
  "content": "# Markdown content here...",
  "created_at": 1234567890
}

Comparison​

FeatureHablaSubstackMedium
DecentralizedYesNoNo
Censorship-resistantYesNoNo
Native monetizationZapsSubscriptionPaywall
MarkdownYesLimitedNo
Own your contentYesPartialNo
Open sourceYesNoNo

Alternatives​

Other Nostr long-form clients:

  • Blogstack — Another NIP-23 reader/writer
  • Flycat — Minimal long-form client
  • Yakihonne — Chinese long-form platform

See Also​