Getting Started with Nostr: Complete Diogel Setup Guide (2026)

New to Nostr? This guide walks you through setting up Diogel, the privacy-focused browser extension that keeps your Nostr keys secure.

What is Nostr?

Nostr is a decentralized social network where you own your identity — no phone number required, no corporation controlling your account. Your "login" is a cryptographic key pair that only you control.

The challenge? Managing those keys securely. That's where NIP-07 browser extensions like Diogel come in. Instead of pasting your private key into every website (risky), Diogel acts as a secure vault that signs messages on your behalf.

By the end of this guide, you'll have Diogel installed, your first Nostr identity created, and you'll be ready to explore the decentralized social web.

Why Choose Diogel?

There are several Nostr browser extensions available — see our comparison. Here's why users choose Diogel:

• Privacy-first: No analytics, no tracking, no external servers
• Multi-account: Easily switch between personal, work, and anonymous identities
• Clean design: No clutter, focused on one job — secure signing
• Open source: Auditable code, community-driven

Ready to get started? Let's walk through the setup.

What You'll Need

Before we start, make sure you have:

• Chrome, Firefox, or Edge browser — Diogel works on all Chromium-based browsers and Firefox
• 5 minutes — The entire setup takes less time than making coffee
• No technical knowledge required — If you can install a browser extension, you can do this

How to install Diogel Extension

Installing the Diogel Browser extension from the corresponding browser web store, is really easy. Its more or less just a matter of clicking the add to browser button, in your preferred browser extension store

Install Diogel in chrome

To install Diogel in any Chromium based browser simply navigate to the chrome web store and click the Add to Chrome button

Install Diogel in Firefox

To install diogel in Firefox simply navigate to the Firefox Browser Add-Ons and click the Add to Firefox button

Once you have installed the extension you can then start to use it. The first step in this process is to create a vault to store your keys.

Nostr private key security

Nostr's security model is fundamentally built on private key management, making it the most critical aspect of using the protocol securely.

When creating a nostr account, essentially you are creating a Public/Private key pair. Your primary Private Key (NSEC) is the master key to your entire Nostr identity. It controls your profile (name, picture, about), your social graph (who you follow and who follows you), and all your past and future content.

  Unlike a password on a traditional service, you can't just "change" your NSEC if it's compromised. You have to abandon the entire identity and start over, losing all your followers and content tied to that Public Key (NPUB).

One of the key Operational Security (OPSEC) considerations for nostr is never to use your primary NSEC key to sign into the various nostr clients.  

Backing Up Your Keys (Critical)

This is the most important step. Before you start using Diogel, you must back up your private key.

Why Backups Matter

Your Nostr private key (nsec) is your identity. If you:

• Uninstall the extension
• Clear browser data
• Lose your vault password

...without a backup, your identity is gone forever. There is no "password reset" in Nostr.

How to Back Up

1. After generating your keys in Diogel, export your nsec immediately
2. Store it somewhere secure:
   • Password manager (1Password, Bitwarden)
   • Hardware wallet (if supported)
   • Encrypted file on offline storage
3. Never store your nsec in plain text, email, or cloud documents

What About Your npub?

Your npub (public key) is safe to share — that's how people find you on Nostr. Your nsec (private key) must stay secret.

What is a vault?

A vault in a browser extension is secure digital container within the extension that stores sensitive information like your Nostr public and private keys. The Diogel vault uses  AES-256 encryption to secure your vault and store your encrypted private key.

To create a vault in Diogel is as simple as clicking on the Diogel Icon, which will prompt you to supply a password for your vault. Provide a password for your vault. You will use this to log into your vault.

Once you have created your vault your extension is ready for use, and you will be presented with a screen informing you that no active account and prompting you to create an account.

In Diogel, you have the option to create entirely new accounts or import existing accounts. In this example we will focus primarily on just creating new accounts. In order to create a new set of keys , you simply click Generate Keys button

Clicking the button will generate a new Public/Private key set which will be displayed to using the human friendly NIP 19 encoding. You will also be prompted to provide a name for your new profile, this can be anything. Any Nym you prefer. The only important aspect of this Profile name is something that you will be able to identify and associate with this new key pair.

There is no restriction on the number of accounts you can create or import in Diogel, that is left entirely to your own personal preference.

Once you click save, your new set of keys are active and can be used to login into any nostr client client that accepts or enables NIP 07 style authentication.

Diogel does provide the ability to customise and manage your Profile data associated with your keys.

What to Do Next

Your Diogel is set up and ready. Here's what to try next:

1. Explore Nostr Apps

• Primal — Twitter-like interface, great for beginners
• Damus (iOS) — Popular mobile client
• Iris — Clean web interface

2. Learn More About Nostr Security

• What is a NIP-07 Signer? — Understand how Diogel works
• Managing Nostr Keys Securely — Best practices for key hygiene
• Best Nostr Browser Extensions (2026) — See how Diogel compares

3. Back Up Your Keys (Important!)

Before you start using Nostr, make sure you've backed up your private key (nsec). Store it somewhere secure like a password manager. If you lose access to your vault, your keys cannot be recovered.

4. Get Help

• GitHub Issues: threenine/diogel
• Documentation: Diogel Product Page