Nostr key generator

What you are creating

A Nostr identity is a single secp256k1 keypair, the same curve Bitcoin uses. The private key, shown as an nsec, signs every note you publish. The public key, shown as an npub, is what everyone else sees and follows. There is no account behind them, no server that owns them, and no reset button: whoever holds the nsec is the identity.

This generator draws randomness from your browser's cryptographic random source and derives the keypair locally, using the same open source library most Nostr clients embed. You can load this page, go offline, generate, and only then copy the keys out.

Keeping the nsec safe

The one rule of Nostr key management: the nsec is never pasted into websites, DMs or forms. Store it in a password manager or a dedicated signer, and give apps access through a NIP-07 browser extension or a NIP-46 bunker instead of the raw key. Every serious client supports at least one of these. If a site asks for your nsec to log in, leave the site.

There is no recovery on Nostr. Lose the nsec and the identity is gone. Leak it and someone else can publish as you forever, because keys cannot be rotated in place, only replaced by starting again and telling your followers. Two minutes spent storing it properly is the whole cost of avoiding both outcomes.

First steps with a fresh keypair

Once your keys are stored, pick a client, import via extension or bunker, and set a profile name so people can recognize you. Then add a couple of reliable relays so your notes actually reach people: your client publishes to the relays you list, and readers fetch from theirs, so overlap is what makes the network feel connected.

From there, everything else is optional: a NIP-05 address to be findable by name, media hosting for pictures, and more relays as your reach grows.

If you are generating keys for a project rather than a person, the same rules apply with one addition: decide up front who holds the nsec and how it is stored, because shared informal custody is how project keys leak. One holder, one storage location, and a written plan beats a key pasted into a group chat every time.