Kind 22: Short-form Portrait Video

Overview

Short-form Portrait Video events (kind 22) are designed for sharing vertical, short-format video content similar to TikTok, Instagram Reels, or YouTube Shorts. While kind 21 video events focus on traditional landscape orientation videos, kind 22 specifically caters to the vertical, mobile-first, brief video format that has become popular on social media.

Specification

Property	Value
Kind Number	22
Event Range	Regular
Defined in	NIP-71

Content Format

The content field contains a summary or description of the video content.

Schema

"content": "Trying out the new coffee brewing technique I learned last week! #coffeetips"

Tags

Tag Name	Description	Format	Required
title	Title of the video	["title", "Perfect Pour-Over Coffee Technique"]	Yes
imeta	Video metadata	["imeta", "url https://example.com/video.mp4", "m video/mp4", ...]	Yes (at least one)
published_at	Original publication timestamp	["published_at", "1671217000"]	Recommended
duration	Video length in seconds	["duration", "45"]	Recommended
text-track	Links to WebVTT files	["text-track", "<encoded event>", "<relay-url>"]	No
content-warning	Warning for sensitive content	["content-warning", "violence"]	Conditionally
alt	Accessibility description	["alt", "Person demonstrating coffee brewing technique"]	Recommended
segment	Chapter markers	["segment", "00:00:00.000", "00:00:15.000", "Setup", "https://example.com/thumb1.jpg"]	No
t	Hashtags	["t", "coffee"]	Recommended
p	Participants in the video	["p", "<pubkey-hex>", "<relay-url>"]	No
r	Web references	["r", "https://example.com/coffee-guide"]	No

Video Metadata (imeta)

The imeta tag contains the same attributes as in kind 21 events:

• url: URL to the video (required)
• m: MIME type (required)
• dim: Dimensions in format "widthxheight" (typically taller than wide)
• x: SHA-256 hash for verification (recommended)
• image: Preview image URL (recommended)
• fallback: Alternative video URLs (optional)
• service: Service type, e.g., "nip96" (optional)

Multiple imeta tags can be used to provide different quality levels or formats of the same video.

Client Behavior

Clients should:

1. Display these videos in a format optimized for vertical/portrait orientation
2. Create a user experience similar to platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, or YouTube Shorts
3. Offer appropriate playback controls designed for short-form content
4. Support "stories" or "reels" style navigation between multiple videos
5. Allow for looping playback
6. Support selection between different quality levels when multiple imeta tags are present
7. Make proper use of fallback URLs when the primary URL is unavailable

Relay Behavior

Relays should:

1. Store these events like other regular events
2. Support queries by kind 22, by hashtags, and by video hashes

Use Cases

• Short viral videos
• Quick tutorials or demonstrations
• Mobile-optimized content
• Stories and ephemeral content
• Vertical/portrait videos
• Content similar to TikTok, Instagram Reels, or YouTube Shorts

Example

{
  "id": "4376c65d2f232afbe9b882a35baa4f6fe8667c4e684749af565f981833ed6a65",
  "pubkey": "79dff8f82963424e0bb02708a22e44b4980893e3a4be0fa3cb60a43b946764e3",
  "created_at": 1671217411,
  "kind": 22,
  "content": "The secret to perfect pour-over coffee is all in the timing and the water temperature. Watch my technique! #coffee #pourover",
  "tags": [
    ["title", "Perfect Pour-Over Coffee in 60 Seconds"],
    ["published_at", "1671190000"],
    ["alt", "Person demonstrating pour-over coffee brewing technique with a gooseneck kettle"],
    ["imeta",
      "dim 1080x1920",
      "url https://videos.example.com/coffee-pourover-1080p.mp4",
      "x 3093509d1e0bc604ff60cb9286f4cd7c781553bc8991937befaacfdc28ec5cdc",
      "m video/mp4",
      "image https://videos.example.com/coffee-pourover-thumb.jpg",
      "fallback https://mirror.example.org/coffee-pourover-1080p.mp4",
      "service nip96"
    ],
    ["imeta",
      "dim 720x1280",
      "url https://videos.example.com/coffee-pourover-720p.mp4",
      "x e1d4f808dae475ed32fb23ce52ef8ac82e3cc760702fca10d62d382d2da3697d",
      "m video/mp4",
      "image https://videos.example.com/coffee-pourover-thumb-720p.jpg",
      "fallback https://mirror.example.org/coffee-pourover-720p.mp4",
      "service nip96"
    ],
    ["duration", "58"],
    ["p", "f7234bd4c1394dda46d09f35bd384dd30cc552ad5541990f98844fb06676e9ca", "wss://relay.example.com"],
    ["t", "coffee"],
    ["t", "pourover"],
    ["t", "tutorial"],
    ["r", "https://example.com/coffee-brewing-guide"]
  ],
  "sig": "908a15e46fb4d8675bab026fc230a0e3542bfade63da02d542fb78b2a8513fcd0092619a2c8c1221e581946e0191f2af505dfdf8657a414dbca329186f009262"
}

Distinction from Kind 21

While kind 21 and kind 22 share the same technical structure, they have distinct intended use cases:

1. Orientation: Kind 22 is primarily for portrait/vertical videos (typically with dimensions where height > width)
2. Duration: Kind 22 is intended for shorter content (typically < 3 minutes)
3. User Experience: Kind 22 is designed for "stories" or "reels" style browsing with quick transitions
4. Consumption Pattern: Kind 22 is optimized for mobile viewing and often looped

This distinction allows client applications to provide tailored experiences appropriate to each content type.

References

• NIP-71: Video Events
• NIP-92: Media Attachments
• NIP-96: HTTP File Storage Integration

Related Kinds

• Kind 20: Picture - Image-focused content
• Kind 21: Video Event - Traditional, typically landscape video content

Notes

• The distinction between kinds 21 and 22 is qualitative rather than strictly technical
• Nothing prevents a kind 22 video from being in landscape format or longer in duration, but the kind signals the intended viewing context
• Vertical/portrait videos are optimized for mobile viewing where users naturally hold their devices in portrait orientation
• This kind enables the creation of Nostr clients specifically designed for short-form video consumption, similar to TikTok or Instagram Reels