📋 Decentralized Pastebin

A modern, privacy-focused pastebin application built on the Nostr protocol with advanced cloud storage capabilities. Share code snippets, text, and documents with complete data ownership and privacy, featuring seamless synchronization across devices through decentralized storage providers.

✨ Key Features

🔐 Decentralized Authentication

• Nostr Extension Support: Compatible with browser extensions like nos2x and Alby
• Private Key Login: Direct private key authentication for advanced users
• URL Hash Login: Quick access via URL fragment for testing and development

☁️ Advanced Storage Architecture

• DID Document Discovery: Automatically discovers custom storage endpoints from nostr.social
• Smart Fallbacks: Gracefully degrades from custom storage → nosdav.net → localStorage
• JSON-LD Schema: Semantic paste structure with proper metadata

📝 Rich Text Management

• Syntax Highlighting: Support for 20+ programming languages with highlight.js
• Multi-Language Support: JavaScript, Python, Java, C++, HTML, CSS, SQL, and more
• Live Preview: Real-time syntax highlighting in view mode
• Search & Filter: Find pastes by title or content

🔗 Sharing & Export

• URL Sharing: Generate shareable links for any paste
• File Export: Download pastes as text files
• Copy to Clipboard: One-click URL copying
• Persistent Links: Pastes remain accessible via direct URLs

🎨 Modern UI/UX

• Clean Interface: Minimalist design focused on content
• Responsive Design: Works seamlessly on desktop and mobile
• Dark Code Themes: GitHub-style syntax highlighting
• Intuitive Navigation: Easy switching between create, edit, and list views

🚀 Quick Start

Option 1: Direct Browser Usage

1. Download or clone this repository
2. Open index.html in any modern web browser
3. Login with your Nostr extension or private key
4. Start creating and sharing your pastes!

Option 2: GitHub Pages (Live Demo)

Visit the live demo: Pastebin Demo

Option 3: Custom Storage Location

Access with specific storage URI:

pastebin.html?paste=your-paste-id

🔧 Technology Stack

• Frontend Framework: Vanilla JavaScript with Preact components
• UI Library: Preact 10.13.1 with HTM for JSX-like syntax
• Styling: TailwindCSS with custom CSS variables
• Syntax Highlighting: Highlight.js with GitHub theme
• Storage Protocol: Nosdav (Nostr-based WebDAV)
• Authentication: Nostr protocol with secp256k1 cryptography
• Dependencies: All loaded from CDN (no build process required)

🏗️ Architecture Overview

Storage Layer

DID Discovery → Custom Storage → nosdav.net → localStorage

1. DID Document Fetching: Queries nostr.social for custom storage endpoints
2. Smart URL Building: Constructs storage URLs with proper authentication
3. Graceful Fallbacks: Multiple fallback levels ensure data availability

Authentication Flow

URL Hash → Nostr Extension → Private Key Input → Storage Access

Component Structure

• index.js: Main PastebinApp component with state management
• navbar.js: Authentication and navigation component
• storage-config.js: Centralized storage configuration with DID discovery
• nosdav-shim.js: Fetch interceptor for Nostr authentication headers

📁 File Structure

pastebin/
├── index.html             # Main entry point with styling
├── index.js               # Core application logic
├── navbar.js              # Navigation and authentication
├── storage-config.js      # Storage discovery and URL building
├── nosdav-shim.js         # Fetch interceptor for Nostr auth
├── package.json           # Package configuration
├── LICENSE                # MIT License
└── README.md              # This file

🔐 Authentication Methods

1. Nostr Browser Extension

The recommended method for regular users:

• Install a Nostr extension (nos2x, Alby, etc.)
• Click "Sign In"
• Grant permission for the app to access your identity

2. Private Key Login

For advanced users who manage their own keys:

• Enter your 64-character hex private key
• Key is stored locally and used for authentication
• Warning: Only use on trusted devices

3. URL Hash Login (Testing)

Quick access for development and testing:

pastebin.html#your-64-character-private-key-here

The hash is automatically removed from the URL for privacy.

🗄️ Storage Configuration

DID-Based Storage Discovery

The app automatically discovers your custom storage provider:

1. Fetches your DID document from nostr.social/.well-known/did/nostr/{pubkey}.json
2. Looks for Storage service type in the service array
3. Uses the serviceEndpoint as your storage root
4. Falls back to nosdav.net if no custom storage is found

📊 Data Format

Paste Structure

{
  "@context": {
    "Paste": "https://schema.org/CreativeWork",
    "title": "https://schema.org/name",
    "content": "https://schema.org/text"
  },
  "@type": "Paste",
  "@id": "paste-123",
  "title": "Example Code Snippet",
  "content": "console.log('Hello, World!');",
  "language": "javascript",
  "created": "2025-01-27T10:30:00Z",
  "updated": "2025-01-27T10:35:00Z"
}

Collection Metadata

{
  "@context": {
    "Paste": "https://schema.org/CreativeWork",
    "title": "https://schema.org/name",
    "content": "https://schema.org/text"
  },
  "@type": "PasteCollection",
  "@id": "#this",
  "pastes": [...],
  "updated": "2025-01-27T10:30:00Z"
}

🎯 Usage Guide

Creating Pastes

1. Click "New Paste" or start typing
2. Add a descriptive title
3. Select the appropriate language for syntax highlighting
4. Paste or type your content
5. Press Ctrl+S (Cmd+S on Mac) or click "Save Paste"

Managing Pastes

• View All: Click "My Pastes" to see all saved pastes
• Search: Use the search box to filter by title or content
• Edit: Click "Edit" on any paste to modify it
• Share: Click "Share" to copy the paste URL
• Export: Click "Export" to download as a text file
• Delete: Click "Delete" to remove a paste permanently

Keyboard Shortcuts

• Ctrl+S / Cmd+S: Save current paste
• Escape: Cancel editing
• Enter: Confirm title changes

🔄 Development Workflow

No Build Process Required

• Open index.html directly in browser
• All dependencies loaded from CDN
• Changes are immediately visible on refresh

Storage Debugging

Check browser console for detailed logs:

• DID document fetching
• Storage provider selection
• Save/load operations

Adding New Features

Follow the existing patterns:

• Use Preact with HTM for components
• Add state to the main PastebinApp component
• Include proper error handling and fallbacks
• Update collection metadata when appropriate

🛠️ Troubleshooting

Storage Issues

• Error saving: Check your Nostr extension connection
• Data not syncing: Verify your storage provider is accessible
• Pastes not loading: Check browser console for error messages

Authentication Problems

• Extension not detected: Install a compatible Nostr extension
• Private key errors: Ensure key is exactly 64 hex characters
• Login fails: Clear browser cache and try again

Performance Optimization

• Slow loading: DID documents are cached for 5 days
• Storage timeouts: Falls back to localStorage automatically
• Large pastes: Content is efficiently handled and indexed

🤝 Contributing

This project welcomes contributions! Areas for improvement:

• Additional programming language support
• Enhanced UI/UX features
• Mobile responsiveness improvements
• Additional export formats
• Integration with other Nostr applications
• Themes and customization options

📜 License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

🔗 Links

• Nostr Protocol
• Nostr Extensions
• nosdav Storage
• Preact Framework
• Highlight.js

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Built with ❤️ on the decentralized web using Nostr protocol