well-known, JSON-based internet identifier scheme.

nips/05.md

@@ -1,35 +1,48 @@
 NIP-05
 ======
 
-Mapping usernames to DNS domains
---------------------------------
+Mapping Nostr keys to DNS-based internet identifiers
+----------------------------------------------------
 
 `draft` `optional` `author:fiatjaf`
 
-On events of type `0` (`set_metadata`) one can specify the key `"domain"` with a domain name as the value. Upon seeing that, the client may use it to query a DNS server for a `TXT` record at `_nostrkey.<domain>`. If the result is a hex-encoded key equal to the pubkey of author of that `set_metadata` that means that profile can be identified to the specified domain name.
+On events of type `0` (`set_metadata`) one can specify the key `"nip05"` with an [internet identifier](https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc5322#section-3.4.1) (an email-like address) as the value. Although there is a link to a very liberal "internet identifier" specification above, NIP-05 assumes the `<local-part>` part will be restricted to the characters `a-z0-9-_.`, case insensitive.
 
-For example, if a client sees an event like this:
+Upon seeing that, the client splits the identifier into `<local-part>` and `<domain>` and use these values to make a GET request to `https://<domain>/.well-known/nostr.json?name=<local-part>`.
+
+The result should be a JSON document object with a key `"names"` that should then be a mapping of names to public keys. If the public key for the given `<name>` matches the `pubkey` from the `set_metadata` event, the client then concludes that the given pubkey can indeed be referenced by its identifier.
+
+### Example
+
+If a client sees an event like this:
 
 ```json
 {
   "pubkey": "b0635d6a9851d3aed0cd6c495b282167acf761729078d975fc341b22650b07b9",
   "kind": 0,
-  "content": "{\"name\": \"bob\", \"domain\": \"bob.com\"}"
+  "content": "{\"name\": \"bob\", \"nip05\": \"bob@example.com\"}"
   ...
 }
 ```
 
-The client can proceed to query DNS for the `TXT` record at `_nostrkey.bob.com` and if the value is `b0635d6a9851d3aed0cd6c495b282167acf761729078d975fc341b22650b07b9` then the client can identify `b0635d6a9851d3aed0cd6c495b282167acf761729078d975fc341b22650b07b9` with the global name `bob.com` from that point on -- until it sees a new `set_metadata` event from that same pubkey without a `"domain"` key in it or until it checks the DNS again and doesn't see the pubkey there anymore.
+It will make a GET request to `https://example.com/.well-known/nostr.json?name=bob` and get back a response that will look like
 
-## User Discovery
+```json
+{
+  "names": {
+    "bob": "b0635d6a9851d3aed0cd6c495b282167acf761729078d975fc341b22650b07b9"
+  }
+}
+```
 
-A client can also use this to allow users to search other profiles. If a client has a search box or something like that, a user may be able to type "bob.com" there and the client would recognize that it is a domain name, query DNS for the `TXT` record at `_nostrkey.bob.com` and, if a pubkey is found there, use it to search for Nostr events in whatever relays it may choose.
+That will mean everything is alright.
 
-## Other notes
+## Notes
 
-### Doing DNS queries on browsers
+### User Discovery implementation suggestion
 
-If a Nostr client is running on a web browser it won't have access to the low-level sockets needed for the normal DNS protocol, but luckily DNS-over-HTTPS exists now with [widespread usage and support][doh-support] and that can be used for querying. A small instructive example [exists here for inspiration][doh-example].
+A client can also use this to allow users to search other profiles. If a client has a search box or something like that, a user may be able to type "bob@example.com" there and the client would recognize that and do the proper queries to obtain a pubkey and suggest that to the user.
 
-[doh-support]: https://github.com/curl/curl/wiki/DNS-over-HTTPS
-[doh-example]: https://github.com/mafintosh/dns-packet/blob/5fbc94b38d1009d7eb21bfeb07563340a2064a3f/examples/doh.js
+### Reasoning for the `/.well-known/nostr.json?name=<local-part>` format
+
+By adding the `<local-part>` as a query string instead of as part of the path the protocol can support both dynamic servers that can generate JSON on-demand and static servers with a JSON file in it that may contain multiple names.