Notes On Streaming

The Nostr protocol has emerged as a powerful decentralized social network, where users share digitally signed data via relays, which act as untrusted intermediaries. As Nostr evolves, the community is exploring ways to enhance its capabilities and efficiency. This article delves into the nuances of streaming within the Nostr-Next framework, presenting a compelling argument against wrapping video streams within Nostr Events and advocating for a generic streaming approach on a parallel QUIC stream. This approach promises to streamline live video streaming, enhance security, and offer greater flexibility for users.

Understanding Nostr Relays and the Need for Optimization

In the current Nostr architecture, relays play a crucial role in disseminating information across the network. These relays are essentially untrusted middlemen, responsible for passing along data that has been digitally signed by trusted users. This design ensures the integrity and authenticity of the data, as the digital signatures verify the source and prevent tampering. However, this approach can lead to inefficiencies, especially when dealing with real-time streaming data such as video.

In Nostr-Next, relays are envisioned to have their own keypair identities. This enhancement introduces an intriguing possibility: leveraging Transport Layer Security (TLS) to create secure, authenticated channels. When a TLS connection is established, it already provides a robust layer of security and authentication. Consequently, further wrapping ephemeral data generated by the relay itself into signed Event structures becomes a redundant step. This duplication of effort can lead to increased overhead and reduced performance, especially in the context of high-bandwidth, real-time streaming.

Therefore, it's crucial to explore alternative approaches that can optimize streaming within Nostr-Next. By leveraging the existing security mechanisms provided by TLS and implementing a more streamlined streaming protocol, we can unlock the full potential of Nostr for real-time applications.

The Case Against Video-Inside-of-Nostr-Next NIP

The central argument presented here is the rationale against creating a dedicated video-inside-of-Nostr-Next Nostr Improvement Proposal (NIP). While it might seem intuitive to develop a specific NIP for video streaming, a deeper analysis reveals that this approach could be unnecessarily restrictive and potentially less efficient than a more generic solution. The core concern lies in the inherent overhead associated with wrapping video data within Nostr Events.

Events in Nostr are designed to encapsulate various types of data, providing a flexible and extensible framework for social networking interactions. However, this flexibility comes at a cost. Each Event includes metadata, signatures, and other overhead, which can be significant when dealing with the high data rates associated with video streaming. Wrapping video packets or frames within Events would add an extra layer of processing and increase the overall bandwidth requirements, potentially impacting the quality and latency of the stream. Instead of creating a video-specific NIP, we should strive for a solution that addresses the underlying need for efficient streaming, regardless of the data type. This approach will not only benefit video streaming but also pave the way for other real-time applications within Nostr-Next.

Why Events Should Not Point to External Video Streaming Protocols (And a Better Alternative)

Another approach to consider is having Nostr Events point to external video streaming protocols. While this might seem like a viable option, it introduces several challenges. Firstly, it creates a dependency on external systems, which can compromise the decentralized nature of Nostr. If the external streaming server or protocol experiences issues, it could disrupt the entire streaming experience for Nostr users. Secondly, it adds complexity to the system, as users would need to manage and configure both Nostr and the external streaming protocol. This can be a barrier to entry for many users and hinder the adoption of streaming within Nostr.

Instead of relying on external protocols, Nostr-Next should offer a generic streaming solution that is tightly integrated with the core protocol. This approach would provide a more seamless and efficient streaming experience, while also maintaining the decentralized spirit of Nostr. The proposed solution is to leverage a parallel QUIC stream for generic streaming. QUIC (Quick UDP Internet Connections) is a modern transport protocol that offers several advantages over traditional protocols like TCP, including lower latency, improved congestion control, and enhanced security. By using a QUIC stream, Nostr-Next can provide a reliable and efficient channel for streaming data, without the overhead of wrapping it within Events.

Streaming Authenticated Live Video Without Events

The beauty of Nostr-Next's relay keypair identities and TLS lies in their ability to facilitate authenticated live video streaming without the need for Events. Since the TLS connection already establishes a secure and authenticated channel, the data transmitted over this channel is inherently protected and verified. This eliminates the necessity of wrapping video packets or frames within signed Event structures, which would otherwise introduce significant overhead and complexity.

By leveraging the TLS layer for authentication and security, Nostr-Next can achieve a more streamlined and efficient streaming experience. Video data can be transmitted directly over the QUIC stream, without the added burden of Event encapsulation. This approach not only reduces latency and bandwidth consumption but also simplifies the overall system architecture. Users can enjoy high-quality live video streams with minimal overhead, making Nostr-Next a compelling platform for real-time applications.

Empowering Users: Setting Up Temporary Relays for Live Streaming

One of the most exciting aspects of this approach is the empowerment it provides to end users. Individuals wanting to stream live video can easily set up a temporary relay specifically designed for this purpose. This relay could be hosted on their home computer, leveraging techniques like hole-punching to establish connectivity even behind Network Address Translation (NAT) devices. This decentralized approach to streaming eliminates the reliance on centralized streaming platforms and gives users complete control over their content and streaming infrastructure.

Setting up a temporary relay for live streaming is a straightforward process that can be easily automated. Users can configure their relay to accept connections only from authorized viewers, ensuring privacy and security. This level of control is unprecedented in traditional streaming platforms and opens up new possibilities for content creators and viewers alike. Furthermore, the ability to run relays on personal hardware reduces the cost and complexity associated with streaming, making it accessible to a wider audience.

Nostr-Next: A Vision for Generic Streaming on a Parallel QUIC Stream

The core recommendation is for Nostr-Next to embrace generic streaming on a parallel QUIC stream. This approach offers a multitude of benefits, including improved efficiency, reduced latency, enhanced security, and greater flexibility. By decoupling streaming from the Event system, Nostr-Next can optimize the transmission of real-time data, such as video, without the overhead of Event encapsulation.

QUIC provides a robust and reliable transport layer that is well-suited for streaming applications. Its built-in congestion control and error correction mechanisms ensure a smooth and uninterrupted streaming experience, even in challenging network conditions. Additionally, QUIC's encryption capabilities provide an extra layer of security, protecting the privacy of both content creators and viewers.

By adopting a generic streaming approach, Nostr-Next can also accommodate a wide range of real-time applications beyond video streaming. This includes audio streaming, live gaming, interactive webinars, and more. The flexibility of the QUIC stream allows developers to tailor their applications to specific needs, without being constrained by the limitations of the Event system. In conclusion, generic streaming on a parallel QUIC stream is the optimal path forward for Nostr-Next, paving the way for a vibrant ecosystem of real-time applications.

In conclusion, the vision for streaming in Nostr-Next revolves around efficiency, flexibility, and user empowerment. The recommendation against creating a video-specific NIP and the advocacy for generic streaming on a parallel QUIC stream are rooted in the desire to optimize performance and provide a seamless experience for users. By leveraging the security and authentication provided by TLS and QUIC, Nostr-Next can offer a robust platform for real-time applications, without the overhead of wrapping data within Events. The ability for users to set up temporary relays further democratizes the streaming landscape, putting control back in the hands of content creators and viewers. As Nostr-Next continues to evolve, this focus on generic streaming will be crucial in unlocking its full potential and establishing it as a leading platform for decentralized communication and real-time interactions.