Kind 1337: Code Snippet

Overview

Kind 1337 events represent code snippets in the Nostr ecosystem. Unlike regular text notes, code snippets include specialized metadata such as programming language, file extension, and other code-specific attributes that enhance discoverability and improve the user experience when sharing code. This kind allows for proper syntax highlighting, code formatting, and related functionality that developers expect when working with code.

Specification

Property	Value
Kind Number	1337
Event Range	Regular
Defined in	NIP-C0

Content Format

The content field contains the actual code snippet text. This should preserve all whitespace, line breaks, and indentation required for the code to be properly displayed and executed.

Schema

"content": "function helloWorld() {\n  console.log('Hello, Nostr!');\n}\n\nhelloWorld();"

Tags

Tag Name	Description	Format	Required
l	Programming language	["l", "javascript"]	No
name	Name of the snippet (often filename)	["name", "hello-world.js"]	No
extension	File extension (without dot)	["extension", "js"]	No
description	Brief description of the code	["description", "A basic JavaScript function"]	No
runtime	Runtime or environment	["runtime", "node v18.15.0"]	No
license	Code license	["license", "MIT"]	No
dep	Dependency required (can repeat)	["dep", "express@4.18.2"]	No
repo	Source repository	["repo", "https://github.com/user/project"]	No

Client Behavior

Clients should:

1. Display code snippets with proper syntax highlighting based on the specified language
2. Preserve whitespace, indentation, and line breaks in the code
3. Provide a simple way to copy the entire code snippet with a single action
4. Display relevant metadata such as language, filename, and description
5. Optionally provide "run" functionality for supported languages when possible
6. Allow downloading the snippet as a file using the provided name and extension

Relay Behavior

Relays should:

1. Store code snippet events like any other regular event
2. Support filtering by language and other tags to enable code discovery

Use Cases

• Sharing code examples and solutions
• Documenting programming techniques
• Collaborating on code snippets with other developers
• Creating interactive coding tutorials
• Preserving useful code fragments for future reference
• Demonstrating programming concepts

Example

{
  "id": "4376c65d2f232afbe9b882a35baa4f6fe8667c4e684749af565f981833ed6a65",
  "pubkey": "79dff8f82963424e0bb02708a22e44b4980893e3a4be0fa3cb60a43b946764e3",
  "created_at": 1671217411,
  "kind": 1337,
  "tags": [
    ["l", "javascript"],
    ["extension", "js"],
    ["name", "hello-world.js"],
    ["description", "A basic JavaScript function that prints 'Hello, Nostr!' to the console"],
    ["runtime", "node v18.15.0"],
    ["license", "MIT"]
  ],
  "content": "function helloWorld() {\n  console.log('Hello, Nostr!');\n}\n\nhelloWorld();",
  "sig": "908a15e46fb4d8675bab026fc230a0e3542bfade63da02d542fb78b2a8513fcd0092619a2c8c1221e581946e0191f2af505dfdf8657a414dbca329186f009262"
}

Python example:

{
  "id": "fe8b1c9a37218cf5ce604a8dce596c9c3ae0c650df2336f3c60c78e61a7b2031",
  "pubkey": "f7234bd4c1394dda46d09f35bd384dd30cc552ad5541990f98844fb06676e9ca",
  "created_at": 1671217500,
  "kind": 1337,
  "tags": [
    ["l", "python"],
    ["extension", "py"],
    ["name", "quick_sort.py"],
    ["description", "Implementation of the quick sort algorithm"],
    ["runtime", "python 3.11"],
    ["license", "Apache-2.0"]
  ],
  "content": "def quick_sort(arr):\n    if len(arr) <= 1:\n        return arr\n    pivot = arr[len(arr) // 2]\n    left = [x for x in arr if x < pivot]\n    middle = [x for x in arr if x == pivot]\n    right = [x for x in arr if x > pivot]\n    return quick_sort(left) + middle + quick_sort(right)\n\n# Example usage\nnumbers = [3, 6, 8, 10, 1, 2, 1]\nprint(quick_sort(numbers))",
  "sig": "a76f39224cebd44cf04eeebe01d5ab2e8f7a3e5e56c83cadd252e7bc5e2e34fd7ad7148cf7a2c7620d9490ccf2e1bac521995725f2e1f543159b8eb98bfdd405"
}

References

• NIP-C0: Code Snippets

Related Kinds

• Kind 1: Short Text Note - For discussions about code
• Kind 1111: Comment - For commenting on code snippets
• Kind 30023: Long-form Content - For more extensive code tutorials

Notes

• The kind number 1337 is a reference to "leet speak" - a nod to programming culture
• Multiple dep tags can be included to list all dependencies needed for the code
• Clients may implement additional features like code editing, forking snippets, or creating executable environments
• When displaying code snippets, maintaining proper formatting is crucial for readability
• Including appropriate license information is recommended for clarity on code reuse permissions