Zap.stream

Zap.stream is a live-streaming client built on nostr and Bitcoin. Creators can broadcast video, host a live chat, receive Lightning zaps, and keep their streaming identity tied to their nostr key instead of a platform account. The web app is a NIP-53 client and works with externally hosted HLS streams, giving streamers an open alternative to closed-platform live video.

The project has grown beyond the browser client. Kieran also maintains the mobile Flutter apps for iOS and Android, which let creators go live from a phone camera, receive notifications, open stream links, and connect a Lightning wallet through Nostr Wallet Connect. The broader stack includes a self-hostable Rust streaming server for RTMP ingest, HLS output, recordings, and operator metrics.

Zap.stream also works with Route96, a NIP-96 and Blossom media backend for large video files, clips, and replayable content. Route96 can generate thumbnails, optimize media, mirror uploads across servers, and enforce Lightning-based storage limits, giving nostr apps a reusable media layer instead of forcing every client to build one from scratch.

Why fund it?

Live streaming depends on bandwidth-heavy infrastructure, real-time chat, payments, storage, moderation tools, and discoverability. In the legacy model, those pieces usually come bundled inside a central platform that controls user accounts, monetization, and distribution. Zap.stream separates the client and backend pieces so streamers can publish through nostr, get paid over Lightning, and use infrastructure that can be run by independent operators.

OpenSats first supported zap.stream in the third wave of nostr grants. Kieran later received long-term support covering his work on zap.stream, snort.social, native zap.stream apps, and a new backend for a marketplace of streaming providers.

What's next?

Ongoing work focuses on making nostr live streaming easier to use from both desktop and mobile. The mobile apps continue to improve the viewing and broadcasting experience, while the backend work makes streaming infrastructure more portable and self-hostable. Route96 adds durable media storage for video on nostr, opening the door to clips, video-on-demand, and richer media features across the ecosystem.

Together, these pieces make zap.stream a practical test bed for user-controlled, open-protocol live streaming where creators can carry their identity, audience, and payments across clients.