NoSecond.Best Protocol Specification v0.1

DRAFT — 2026-02-17

Author: SatoshiSan

1. Overview

NoSecond.Best (NSB) is a decentralized naming protocol anchored on the Bitcoin timechain, providing human-readable payment addresses that work today via DNS and evolve toward full decentralization.

Vision

Phase	Format	Resolution	Trust Model
1 — Gateway	`₿alice@nosecond.best`	DNS (BIP-353) + HTTPS gateway	Centralized (our server)
2 — Federated	`₿alice@anydomain.com`	Any domain runs a resolver	Federated (domain operators)
3 — Sovereign	`₿alice` (no domain)	On-chain + Nostr relays	Trustless (Bitcoin + cryptography)

2. Prior Art & Positioning

BIP-353 (DNS Payment Instructions)

Status: Complete (2024)
Format: ₿user@domain (display), resolved via DNS TXT records at user.user._bitcoin-payment.domain
Requires: DNSSEC, domain ownership

What BIP-353 doesn't do:

No decentralized name ownership — names are controlled by whoever controls the domain's DNS
No on-chain registration — no proof of ownership on Bitcoin
No marketplace for names — no buying/selling/transferring names
No path to domain-free resolution

NSB's value add:

NSB builds on BIP-353 for Phase 1 compatibility, then extends beyond it by anchoring name ownership on-chain and enabling decentralized resolution.

3. Architecture

3.1 Name Format

₿<name>@<domain>       # Phase 1 & 2 (BIP-353 compatible)
₿<name>                 # Phase 3 (domain-free, on-chain only)

Name rules:

Lowercase alphanumeric + hyphens + underscores
1-64 characters
No leading/trailing hyphens
Reserved names (see §7) controlled by NSB initially

3.2 Ownership Model

Every name is bound to a secp256k1 keypair (compatible with both Bitcoin and Nostr).

The public key is the owner identity
The private key is used to sign registration, updates, and transfers
Users can use their existing Nostr key (npub/nsec) — no new key infrastructure needed

7. Reserved Names & Pricing

Phase 1 Pricing (nosecond.best)

Category	Examples	Price
Ultra-premium (1-3 chars)	₿btc, ₿pay, ₿sat	Auction / offers
Premium (common words)	₿alice, ₿wallet, ₿shop	100,000+ sats
Standard (4+ chars)	₿satoshisan, ₿mystore	10,000 sats
Long (10+ chars)	₿mylongusername	1,000 sats

Reserved names (controlled by NSB)

Top 1000 common first names, top 500 common words, brand names (released on verified request), Bitcoin-related terms (btc, bitcoin, satoshi, lightning, etc.)

Renewal

Names registered for 52,560 blocks (~1 year)
Renewal at same rate
Grace period: 4,320 blocks (~30 days) after expiry
Expired names return to available pool

8. Revenue Model

Stream	Description
Name registration fees	Primary revenue — Lightning payments for registration
Premium name sales	Auction/fixed price for desirable names
Renewal fees	Recurring revenue from yearly renewals
Domain hosting (Phase 2)	SaaS for third-party domains
API access	Free tier + paid for high-volume commercial use

12. Roadmap

Phase 1 — MVP (nosecond.best gateway)

✅ Domain setup + DNSSEC
✅ BIP-353 compatible DNS resolution
🔄 Web registration interface
🔄 Lightning payment integration
⏳ On-chain batch anchoring
⏳ Nostr event publishing
✅ Reserved name list
⏳ API v1

Phase 2 — Federation

⏳ Open-source resolver software
⏳ Domain verification protocol
⏳ Third-party domain onboarding
⏳ Cross-domain resolution

Phase 3 — Sovereignty

⏳ Domain-free name protocol
⏳ Decentralized indexer network
⏳ Wallet integration SDK
⏳ NIP proposal for Nostr name events

Note: This is a living document. Version 0.1 — expect significant changes as the protocol is refined. For the full specification including sections on BIP-353 fundamentals, registration flow, verification chain, security considerations, and technical stack, visit the GitHub repository.