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bitvid/docs/nostr-auth.md
2025-09-29 17:24:25 -04:00

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# Nostr authentication storage
Bitvid keeps lightweight state in `localStorage` so the UI can remember which
accounts signed in recently. This document explains the storage schema so future
updates can evolve it without breaking existing users.
## Storage keys
- `bitvid:profileCache:v1` short-lived metadata cache for profile names and
avatars. See `js/app.js` for TTL and eviction rules.
- `bitvid:savedProfiles:v1` persistent list of accounts the user authenticated
with in this browser.
Both keys live in the main origin scope. Clearing one should not affect the
other.
## Saved profile schema
`bitvid:savedProfiles:v1` is a JSON object with the shape:
```json
{
"version": 1,
"entries": [
{
"pubkey": "<hex-encoded pubkey>",
"npub": "<bech32 npub, optional>",
"name": "<cached display name>",
"picture": "<cached avatar URL>",
"authType": "<auth strategy>"
}
],
"activePubkey": "<hex pubkey or null>"
}
```
Notes:
- `pubkey` always stores a lowercase 64-character hex string and is the primary
dedupe key.
- `npub` is optional. When omitted, the UI regenerates it on load using
`NostrTools.nip19.npubEncode`.
- `name` and `picture` are cached hints that keep the profile switcher snappy.
They may be empty strings and should be treated as hints, not the source of
truth.
- `activePubkey` tracks the last account that successfully authenticated in this
browser. It may be `null` when the user logs out but keeps saved entries.
### `authType` enum
`authType` describes how the profile authenticated:
- `"nip07"` Browser extension flow (current default).
- `"nsec"` Reserved for future direct key import or signer integrations. New
auth strategies should pick a distinct string and document how migration works
alongside any recovery tooling.
When the app reads stored entries it normalises unknown values back to
`"nip07"` but keeps recognised alternatives intact.
## Migration notes
Earlier builds only persisted a single `userPubKey` string. During startup the
app now:
1. Attempts to read `bitvid:savedProfiles:v1` and validate the payload.
2. If the key is missing (or malformed) but a legacy `userPubKey` entry exists,
it seeds `savedProfiles` with that value and writes the new structure.
3. Once the JSON payload is written successfully, the legacy `userPubKey` entry
is removed.
Future migrations should follow the same pattern: validate, normalise, write the
new format, then clean up legacy keys to avoid data loss.