There's been a fair share of complaints about Habla's links and those lengthy naddr strings 😅. These strings are part of the Nostr protocol and are used to identify unique published events. It's not just Habla, other long-form post platforms use them too. But I understand, they can be a bit much. Take a look at this behemoth of a link:
nostr: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
It's not surprising that people might be asking, "Is this spam?" or "Is there a virus hidden in there?"
You might be wondering, "Why not just use 'normal links' from the start?" Well, it's not as simple as it seems. Every app based on Nostr needs to be compatible with the protocol and other clients. If we cut corners, we'd end up with a regular app, not much different from the big centralized platforms. But the good news is, people are starting to see the downsides of traditional platforms like Facebook and Twitter: they hoard your data, hold your content hostage, and they lack interoperability.
The Habla team has been focused on building on Nostr's solid foundation. This ensures Habla follows the same rules as other Nostr-native apps, making it interoperable and resilient. Now, that the foundation is laid, the time has come to make things more user-friendly and less intimidating for newcomers.
User-friendly URLs
User-friendly URLs are often taken for granted. But as I mentioned earlier, they're not so easy to implement in a decentralized environment. Yet, they are already here!
Now you can publish a post on Habla and give it a URL you like. Plus, it'll have a preview, making it look just like traditional posts, like the ones you see on Medium or Substack. But don't worry, Habla posts still have all the advantages Nostr provides: you're still in control of your content, you've got access to peer-to-peer permissionless payments, and you can't be censored.
Here's what Habla post links look like on popular clients now:
The link format will show the platform's domain (habla.news), your account name (tony), and an ID that you get to pick. This applies to every user who has received a Nostr address with Habla. If you're interested in getting one, don't hesitate to reach out to (this process will be automated soon™). If your nostr address is anything other than your-name@habla.news, your full nostr address will be displayed in the URL between the domain and the identifier, like so: https://habla.news/u/satoshi@bitcoin.org/article.
To choose the ID, just change the string of numbers in the last field on your creator dashboard while you're composing a post:
Remember, this is a unique identifier. So, if you decide to change it after saving a draft or posting your article, you'll end up with a new post and a new identifier. So, double-check everything before you hit save.
All Habla posts will now show the human readable URLs in the search bar of your browser, making it easy for you to copy, paste and share the articles. However, some users may still want to get a hold of that naddrlink I’ve mentioned earlier. This can be done by clicking the Share button right next to the article’s title:
Still Early
This is a big step forward, but we've still got a long road ahead. There are loads of new features and improvements coming your way, so hang tight and let us know if you run into any bumps along the road. Feel free to reach out to or me at .
Nostriches are building something that we hope will stand the test of time. Nostr and the tools built on it are all about making sure our kids don't grow up to be digital slaves. That's why we're taking things slow and steady, rather than rushing for quick wins.
I want to give a big shout-out to everyone who's joining us in this peaceful revolution - developers, content creators, testers, and shitposters 😄. We're all in this together, even when things don't work as expected or aren't quite ready for prime time. We keep pushing forward. This will pay off - being a pioneer always does! LFG!