Tired of passwords and worrying about who’s collecting your data? There’s a smarter way to log in, and it puts you in full control. If you use Nostr, you’re missing a critical upgrade that makes everything easier and safer. This isn’t just another tech trend—it’s the fundamental shift your online identity needs.

Forget everything you know about logging in. In the world of Nostr—the decentralized social network—your identity isn’t a username and password on a company’s server. It’s a cryptographic key pair in an app you control in your device. And if that sounds complicated, no worries, we will make it simple to understand.

The Basics

Firs, get acquainted with the concept of a NIP (Nostr Implementation Possibility) , think of it as a recipe or a standard that all Nostr apps can follow to work together smoothly. For login in using a browser extension, there is NIP-07, which is the specific recipe that allows your web browser to securely manage your private keys through a simple extension. It turns your browser into a digital keychain for the Nostr ecosystem.

Why is this a game-changer?

For you, it means one-click sign-ins on any Nostr-supporting website. For us at Nostr Magazine, adopting NIP-07 as our preferred sign-in method is a core privacy commitment. When you sign in with a NIP-07 extension, we never see, handle, or store your private key. Your credentials never leave your device. The entire authentication handshake happens between your browser extension and your own device. In my experience, this is the most user-friendly way to achieve true self-sovereign sign-in. You are in Nostr, therefore, you are most probably a Bitcoiner who understand the importance of self custody, this is not much different.

As one of Nostr developers put it, “NIP-07 moves the risk from the application layer to the system layer, where users can choose and audit their own trusted tool.” It underscores the philosophy of giving control back to the individual.

Getting Started: Your NIP-07 Extension in 5 Minutes

Let’s get you set up. We’ll use our favorite, which is AKA Profiles, feel free to use the most popular one, which is nos2x extension , both work well with Chrome-based browsers (like Chrome, Brave, or Edge), if you are a Firefox user you have Gooti or nos2x-fox, both tested extensions that work very well.

Installation

Go to the Chrome Web Store. Search for “AKA Profile”. Click “Add to Chrome” and confirm the installation. I will suggest you pin it in your tool bar.

Setup & Secret Key

Click the new puzzle icon in your toolbar if you did not pin it and select AKA Profile (or nos2x if you installed that one). Here is were you add your Private Key, paste your key and click login. It will save your Profile.

Give your profile a name, click on edit, and add your profile name.

Signing In

Now, here on our site (or any app supporting NIP-07). When you click “Connect with Nostr Extension,” a pop-up from your AKA Profile extension app will show and ask for permission to sign a login request:

Click “Always Allow Client Authentication Signing.” That’s it. You’re logged in!

Summary

Adopting a NIP-07 browser extension like ‘AKA Profile’, ‘nos2x’ or ‘Gooti’ isn’t just a minor convenience; it’s the foundational step to a seamless and private Nostr experience. It eliminates password fatigue, drastically reduces phishing risk, and ensures websites do not store your private keys. By keeping your key in your browser, you’re finally logging in the way the decentralized web intended: with you in the driver’s seat. The small investment of five minutes to set it up pays off in permanent ease and security. Now you can login in any Nostr client or web app like ours with your Nostr Credentials.