|
| 1 | +--- |
| 2 | +title: Alby |
| 3 | +description: Bitcoin Lightning wallet and Nostr browser extension |
| 4 | +--- |
| 5 | + |
| 6 | +# Alby |
| 7 | + |
| 8 | +**Bitcoin Lightning wallet and Nostr signer in your browser.** Send sats and sign events without exposing your keys. |
| 9 | + |
| 10 | +## Overview |
| 11 | + |
| 12 | +Alby is a browser extension that brings Lightning payments and Nostr to the web. It acts as both a Bitcoin wallet and a Nostr key manager, enabling seamless payments and authentication across compatible websites. |
| 13 | + |
| 14 | +## Key Features |
| 15 | + |
| 16 | +### Lightning Payments |
| 17 | + |
| 18 | +``` |
| 19 | +┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ |
| 20 | +│ Alby Extension │ |
| 21 | +├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ |
| 22 | +│ │ |
| 23 | +│ 💰 Balance: 50,000 sats │ |
| 24 | +│ │ |
| 25 | +│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐│ |
| 26 | +│ │ Website requests payment ││ |
| 27 | +│ │ ⚡ 1,000 sats to merchant ││ |
| 28 | +│ │ ││ |
| 29 | +│ │ [Approve] [Deny] [Set Budget] ││ |
| 30 | +│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘│ |
| 31 | +│ │ |
| 32 | +└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ |
| 33 | +``` |
| 34 | + |
| 35 | +- **WebLN support** — Pay invoices from any WebLN-enabled site |
| 36 | +- **LNURL** — Auth, pay, and withdraw |
| 37 | +- **QR scanning** — Pay Lightning invoices |
| 38 | +- **Budgets** — Set spending limits per site |
| 39 | +- **On-chain** — Swap to on-chain via deezy.io |
| 40 | + |
| 41 | +### Nostr Integration (NIP-07) |
| 42 | + |
| 43 | +Sign Nostr events without sharing your nsec: |
| 44 | + |
| 45 | +```javascript |
| 46 | +// Website requests signature |
| 47 | +const pubkey = await window.nostr.getPublicKey(); |
| 48 | +const signedEvent = await window.nostr.signEvent(event); |
| 49 | + |
| 50 | +// Alby handles the signing |
| 51 | +// Website never sees your private key |
| 52 | +``` |
| 53 | + |
| 54 | +Features: |
| 55 | +- **Multiple accounts** — Separate Nostr identities |
| 56 | +- **Per-site permissions** — Control which sites can sign |
| 57 | +- **Event filtering** — Approve by event kind |
| 58 | +- **Key derivation** — Generate keys from seed |
| 59 | + |
| 60 | +### Wallet Flexibility |
| 61 | + |
| 62 | +| Wallet Type | Description | |
| 63 | +|-------------|-------------| |
| 64 | +| **Alby Wallet** | Custodial, instant setup | |
| 65 | +| **Alby Hub** | Self-custodial Lightning node | |
| 66 | +| **LND** | Connect your own node | |
| 67 | +| **Core Lightning** | Connect your own node | |
| 68 | +| **Umbrel** | One-click connection | |
| 69 | +| **Start9** | Embassy integration | |
| 70 | +| **NWC** | Any NWC-compatible wallet | |
| 71 | + |
| 72 | +### Budgets & Permissions |
| 73 | + |
| 74 | +Set granular controls: |
| 75 | + |
| 76 | +``` |
| 77 | +Site: primal.net |
| 78 | +├── Lightning budget: 1,000 sats/day |
| 79 | +├── Nostr signing: Allowed |
| 80 | +│ ├── Kind 1 (posts): Auto-approve |
| 81 | +│ ├── Kind 4 (DMs): Ask each time |
| 82 | +│ └── Kind 7 (reactions): Auto-approve |
| 83 | +└── Session: Remember for 7 days |
| 84 | +``` |
| 85 | + |
| 86 | +## Installation |
| 87 | + |
| 88 | +### Browser Extensions |
| 89 | + |
| 90 | +| Browser | Link | |
| 91 | +|---------|------| |
| 92 | +| **Chrome** | [Chrome Web Store](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/alby-bitcoin-wallet-for-l/iokeahhehimjnekafflcihljlcjccdbe) | |
| 93 | +| **Firefox** | [Firefox Add-ons](https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/alby/) | |
| 94 | +| **Edge** | Chrome Web Store (compatible) | |
| 95 | +| **Brave** | Chrome Web Store (compatible) | |
| 96 | + |
| 97 | +### Mobile |
| 98 | + |
| 99 | +- **Alby Go** — Companion mobile app for payments |
| 100 | + |
| 101 | +## Usage |
| 102 | + |
| 103 | +### Initial Setup |
| 104 | + |
| 105 | +1. Install extension |
| 106 | +2. Create account or connect existing wallet |
| 107 | +3. Import Nostr key or generate new one |
| 108 | +4. Start using compatible sites |
| 109 | + |
| 110 | +### Paying with Lightning |
| 111 | + |
| 112 | +``` |
| 113 | +1. Visit WebLN-enabled site |
| 114 | +2. Click "Pay with Lightning" |
| 115 | +3. Alby popup shows amount |
| 116 | +4. Approve payment |
| 117 | +5. Done! |
| 118 | +``` |
| 119 | + |
| 120 | +### Signing Nostr Events |
| 121 | + |
| 122 | +``` |
| 123 | +1. Visit Nostr client (Snort, Coracle, etc.) |
| 124 | +2. Click "Login with Extension" |
| 125 | +3. Alby requests permission |
| 126 | +4. Grant access |
| 127 | +5. Events sign automatically (per your settings) |
| 128 | +``` |
| 129 | + |
| 130 | +### Tipping on Social Media |
| 131 | + |
| 132 | +Alby adds tipping buttons to: |
| 133 | +- Twitter/X |
| 134 | +- YouTube |
| 135 | +- GitHub |
| 136 | +- Reddit |
| 137 | +- Substack |
| 138 | + |
| 139 | +## Alby Hub |
| 140 | + |
| 141 | +Self-custodial Lightning node for power users: |
| 142 | + |
| 143 | +``` |
| 144 | +┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ |
| 145 | +│ Alby Hub │ |
| 146 | +├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ |
| 147 | +│ │ |
| 148 | +│ Your own Lightning node │ |
| 149 | +│ ├── Full custody of funds │ |
| 150 | +│ ├── Channel management │ |
| 151 | +│ ├── NWC connections │ |
| 152 | +│ └── Works with browser extension │ |
| 153 | +│ │ |
| 154 | +│ Deploy on: │ |
| 155 | +│ ├── Umbrel │ |
| 156 | +│ ├── Start9 │ |
| 157 | +│ ├── VPS │ |
| 158 | +│ └── Local machine │ |
| 159 | +│ │ |
| 160 | +└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ |
| 161 | +``` |
| 162 | + |
| 163 | +## NWC (Nostr Wallet Connect) |
| 164 | + |
| 165 | +Connect any NWC wallet to Alby extension: |
| 166 | + |
| 167 | +```javascript |
| 168 | +// NWC connection string |
| 169 | +nostr+walletconnect://pubkey?relay=wss://relay&secret=secret |
| 170 | + |
| 171 | +// Extension uses this to communicate with wallet |
| 172 | +// Payments route through your connected wallet |
| 173 | +``` |
| 174 | + |
| 175 | +## Security |
| 176 | + |
| 177 | +| Feature | Description | |
| 178 | +|---------|-------------| |
| 179 | +| **Local storage** | Keys encrypted on device | |
| 180 | +| **No key export** | Private keys never leave extension | |
| 181 | +| **Per-site budgets** | Limit potential exposure | |
| 182 | +| **Permission prompts** | User approval required | |
| 183 | +| **Open source** | Auditable code | |
| 184 | + |
| 185 | +## Supported Platforms |
| 186 | + |
| 187 | +### Lightning |
| 188 | + |
| 189 | +- Any WebLN website |
| 190 | +- LNURL-enabled services |
| 191 | +- Lightning Address payments |
| 192 | + |
| 193 | +### Nostr |
| 194 | + |
| 195 | +- Snort |
| 196 | +- Coracle |
| 197 | +- Nostrudel |
| 198 | +- Primal (web) |
| 199 | +- Habla |
| 200 | +- Any NIP-07 client |
| 201 | + |
| 202 | +## Recent Updates (2025) |
| 203 | + |
| 204 | +- **Onchain swaps** — Via deezy.io integration |
| 205 | +- **Faster injection** — Improved window.nostr/webln |
| 206 | +- **NWC enhancements** — View pending/failed transactions |
| 207 | +- **Multiple languages** — Sinhalese, Tamil, Russian |
| 208 | + |
| 209 | +## Comparison |
| 210 | + |
| 211 | +| Feature | Alby | nos2x | Flamingo | |
| 212 | +|---------|------|-------|----------| |
| 213 | +| Lightning | Yes | No | No | |
| 214 | +| Nostr signing | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 215 | +| Multi-account | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 216 | +| Self-custody option | Yes | N/A | N/A | |
| 217 | +| Open source | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 218 | + |
| 219 | +## Links |
| 220 | + |
| 221 | +- **Website:** [getalby.com](https://getalby.com/) |
| 222 | +- **GitHub:** [getAlby/lightning-browser-extension](https://github.com/getAlby/lightning-browser-extension) |
| 223 | +- **Guides:** [guides.getalby.com](https://guides.getalby.com/) |
| 224 | +- **Alby Hub:** [albyhub.com](https://albyhub.com/) |
| 225 | + |
| 226 | +## See Also |
| 227 | + |
| 228 | +- [Nostr Protocol](/protocols/nostr) — The protocol |
| 229 | +- [Amber](/projects/amber) — Android signer |
| 230 | +- [Snort](/projects/snort) — Web client |
| 231 | +- [Habla](/projects/habla) — Long-form content |
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