[Top Builder 2024]: Shopstr_R2

[calvadev]

🏗️ Top Builder 2024 Application Form to track progress through Round 1 - 3 ~ Currently in Round 2

📝 Instructions

1. Only complete this form if you have been chosen for Top Builder, by PlebLab.
2. Provide detailed information to assist the judges in evaluating your project.

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 The Team

• Team Name: Shopstr
• Number of Founders: 3
• Team Background: Cristian is a recent graduate from UT Dallas working as a FAANG Software Engineer in Seattle, WA. Thomas is a recent graduate from Stony Brook University and Ex-FAANG Software Engineer currently working at Liberty Mutual in Queens, NY. Eric is a University of Washington graduate working as a Senior Software Engineer in Seattle, WA.
• Bitcoin & Lightning Involvement: Lightning is used as the payment rail for purchases made on Shopstr, coupled with Cashu to improve privacy. Outside of working on Shopstr, Cristian has also built a Python implementation of Bitcoin.
• Origin Story: We wanted to build on the idea of free markets and having a space outside of the control of central authorities that many involved in the Bitcoin space have promoted. Bitcoin at its current adoption rate has been mainly seen as a mechanism for financial speculation and we wanted to change that narrative. We saw an opportunity to build a site with the purposes of providing more utility to Bitcoin as a medium of exchange, while leveraging the uncensorable properties of Nostr, leading to the development of Shopstr.

💡 The Idea

• Project Overview: Shopstr is a global, decentralized Nostr marketplace to buy and sell anything, anywhere, anytime, with Bitcoin anonymously.
• Website: https://shopstr.store
• GitHub: https://github.com/shopstr-eng/shopstr
• Project Stage: Shopstr has already gone through its initial launch and the team is now focused on growth and further development.
• Supplementary Materials: https://www.loom.com/share/f229bfe81d8a4c008f36d8cc51913c1f?sid=aa90d9aa-8aa0-45cc-8e72-40a88f95b675

📚 Additional Information

• Shopstr: Winner of Nostrasia 2023: https://bolt.fun/story/nostrasia-2023-winners--1310
• Bolt.Fun Project: https://bolt.fun/project/shopstr

📌 Submission Type

• [x] Initial Project Creation

🚀 Current Project Progress

• Progress Made: Shopstr is live and fully functional. Anyone with a Nostr key pair can easily list, edit, and delete listings, message with other buyers or sellers, manage their connected Cashu mints and relays, and pay with lightning with Cashu as the final settlement layer. We currently have around 500 DAUs, native integration within Amethyst, a PWA, and support for various NIPs: NIP-99 for classified listings, NIP-04 for DMs, NIP-07 for extension sign in, NIP-09 for deletion requests, and NIP-19 for bech-32 encoded identities.
• Challenges Faced: Learning how to build on top of Nostr, working with WebSockets, implementing Lightning payments and Cashu minting, getting actual products from real users listed on Shopstr.
• Future Roadmap of what's next: Merchant metrics, payment escrow, performance optimizations, reputation system, UI redesign, automated decentralized exchange, personalized storefronts, native wallet

⏳ Round 1 Milestone

• Keep in mind that completion will need to be by February 10th, 2024.
• First-round milestone the team has set for themselves:
• [x] Fixed dm rendering
• [x] WebSocket management for relay querying
• [x] Simple local caching service with IndexedDB

⏳ Round 2 Milestone

• Keep in mind that completion will need to be by February 24th, 2024.
• Second-round milestone the team has set for themselves:
• [x] Global Metrics page to track stats
• [x] Improve DMs
• [x] Improve mobile/PWA experience
• [x] Add shareable product links
• [x] Bugfixes

📝 Submission Complete

• All required information has been provided above.

📅 Top Builder Program Structure

Registration Opens: Monday, December 18, 2023

• Application: Interested teams apply for Top Builder.
• Selection: Teams will be chosen based on their application. See FAQ for details.

Round 1: January 13 - February 10, 2024

• Workshops: PlebLab weekly workshops start, available live and online.
• Chat Access: Selected teams join the PlebLab internal chat.
• Mentorship: Begins for teams.
• Project Milestones: First-round milestones assessment.

Round 2: February 10 - 25, 2024

• Team Reduction: Half of the teams continue.
• Project Milestones: Second-round milestones assessment.
• Workshops: Continued weekly workshops.
• Mentorship: Continues.

Round 3: Starting February 26, 2024

• Team Reduction: Narrowed down to 6 teams.
• Final Milestones: Set for the last round.
• Preparation: For pitch in Austin.

Final Round at Startup Day: March 14, 2024

• Preparation: Final pitch preparations at PlebLab.
• Presentations: Before judges on Startup Day.
• Deliberation: Judges decide during a happy hour.
• Announcement: Winner announced at Austin BitDevs.
• Celebration: After-party for Top Builder.

[thomasyeung687]

GitHub PR

Fixes:

1. Created update to implement better WebSocket management which:
   • reduced open WebSockets by 90%
   • improved site responsiveness and speed by closing Websockets and freeing resources
2. Fixed chat querying:
   • previously Shopstr only fetched chats from around a day back due to a mistake in how we were querying for dms
   • now Shopstr fetches all dms of a user and displays them
3. QOL
   • loading indicators when fetching products / dms

[calvadev]

Stacker News Update on performance improvements:

https://stacker.news/items/414398

Nostr post on performance improvements:

https://njump.me/nevent1qqsf57kqmthtl8qt76d4zgg9edlzxfk2yyrf5r3rfcwq4zmx75a2wdgpp4mhxue69uhkummn9ekx7mqpr4mhxue69uhkummnw3ez6ur4vgh8wetvd3hhyer9wghxuet5qyf8wumn8ghj7mmxve3ksctfdch8qatzqyt8wumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnwdaehgu3wvfskueqpzemhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuurjd9kkzmpwdejhgq3q5dc33fyg3cpd9r58vlqge2hh8dy6hkkrjxkhluv2xpyfreqkmsesjawkym

[thomasyeung687]

GitHub PR

Fixes:

1. Added caching for Products, Profiles, and Chats meaning products will be fetched from indexedDB if the last fetch was less than 10 minutes ago which:
   • decreased the speed of page load by 66% if items are cached.
   • Note: Chats are refreshed every 3 minutes instead of 10 minutes like Products and Profiles in order to better update chats

[calvadev]

Stacker News Update on Caching:

https://stacker.news/items/417043

Nostr post on caching:

https://njump.me/nevent1qqs9t9q0d687pxfl4c37932mce8aq7c443wsjfpd3vuw4v85uu3p2pcpp4mhxue69uhkummn9ekx7mqpz4mhxue69uhk2er9dchxummnw3ezumrpdejqz9mhwden5te0dehhxarj9ekkzumnd46hstnrdaksz9rhwden5te0dehhxarj9ehhsarj9ejx2aszyrfkaqyrlfandkhwv3kt3vlenl428ky7tguk2zr5ruqrugdvpd47chfmk42

[thomasyeung687]

Here's a quick loom video contrasting the performance differences between the old site and the new site by implementing: -Fixed dm rendering -WebSocket management for relay querying -Simple local caching service with IndexedDB

https://www.loom.com/share/40920c6aa0e748aabe64bb1b6144e937

[ericspaghetti]

Now sets default relays for new users to shopstr, fixes missing relays previously

https://github.com/shopstr-eng/shopstr/pull/46

[thomasyeung687]

⏳ Round 2 Milestones

To be completed by February 24th, 2024.

Second-round milestone the team has set for themselves:

1. Track metrics to accurately gauge usage of Shopstr.store:
   • [x] Unique Daily Active Users
   • [x] Invoices Generated
   • [x] Sales (sats)
   • [x] Number of Sales
   • [x] Inquiries sent
2. Improve Direct Messages:
   • [x] Real time chats
   • [x] Show latest chat message in button for entering a chat
   • [x] chat notifications (popup / pip next to dm icon)
   • [x] REACH: distinction between read messages and unread messages / chats you've replied to and chats awaiting reply from you
3. Shareable links directly to listed products on Shopstr
4. UI improvements:
   • [x] Sign In Modal instead of Sign In page
   • [x] Responsive side/bottom navigation bar

Bugfixes:

• [x] Post listing and Delete listing is not updating in cache
• [x] Fetch real time events (Posts, Chats)

[ericspaghetti]

We added a Metrics page to view global metrics on shopstr.store activity as detailed in our Metrics 2 Milestones.

These metrics help our team understand our product activity.

More importantly however, this sets a starting point to deliver a more personalized metrics dashboard to shopstr sellers. Metrics will allow any shopstr user to review their sales performance, activity, build reports, gain new insights, etc.

[calvadev]

GitHub PR

Added shareable links that route to listings directly with a button click.

[ericspaghetti]

We updated the Shopstr webpage to have a more approachable feel.

We hope this update gives it a more familiar feel to visitors new to Shopstr or Nostr.

Previous:

---

Updated:

[thomasyeung687]

⏳ Round 2 MILESTONE DEMO & POW

https://www.loom.com/share/794641a4cc4e497b85ca286e4754d442?sid=a0ad2709-9de5-41e8-a563-8f773f407eae

Second-round milestone the team has set for themselves:

1. Metrics PR (Eric)

   • Track metrics to accurately gauge usage of Shopstr.store:
     • [x] Unique Daily Active Users
     • [x] Invoices Generated
     • [x] Sales (sats)
     • [x] Number of Sales
     • [x] Inquiries sent

2. Improve Direct Messages (Thomas):

   • Improvements to the chats will allow buyers and sellers to better communicate
   • [x] Real time chats
   • [x] Show latest chat message in button for entering a chat and number of unread messages
   • [x] un-read chat notifications (popup / pip next to dm icon)
   • [x] REACH: distinction between read messages and unread messages / chats you've replied to and chats awaiting reply from you

3. Share Products PR (Calvadev)

   • Shareable links directly to listed products on Shopstr.
   • This will allow our users to share products they have listed on any platform of their choosing.

4. UI improvements: (Eric)

   • Much needed facelift for the site's navigation UI and Sign In page. More work to be done but happy to say we have made improvements to how the site looks with these changes below.
   • [x] Sign In Modal instead of Sign In page
   • [x] Responsive side/bottom navigation bar

Quality Of Life improvements:

• [x] use ARROW KEYS (UP/DOWN) to enter and traverse between chats
• [x] use ESC to exit a chat
• [x] use ENTER to send a chat message
• [x] use ENTER to submit passphrase modal
• [x] use ENTER to submit various other modals on Shopstr.store such as LIST NEW PRODUCT, ADD, RELAY, ADD MINT, etc

Bugfixes:

• [x] Post listing and Delete listing is not updating in cache
• [x] Fetch real time events (Posts, Chats)

[calvadev]

GitHub PR

• Added PWA optimizations and custom service worker based on Chrome Lighthouse
• Added UI improvements
• Several bugfixes

[calvadev]

Publicity PoW:

• Gave a talk about marketplaces and Shopstr at NostrPHX
• Accepted to be a part of the Maker Space at the Nashville Bitcoin Conference with a designated kiosk
• Invited to give a talk at BTC Prague

[calvadev]

Stacker News update on R2:

https://stacker.news/items/436326

Nostr post on shareable links and bugfixes:

https://njump.me/nevent1qqsr4xchsxu3q34g26r6vku63tjkafn42x22xqrz6txa3n659y0wkygpp4mhxue69uhkummn9ekx7mqpzemhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumn0wd68ytnzv9hxgq3q5dc33fyg3cpd9r58vlqge2hh8dy6hkkrjxkhluv2xpyfreqkmsesty9t3p

Nostr post on DM improvements:

https://njump.me/nevent1qqszr7f8s8p6zewyncqdmgm5vxpr77q08ymyh3rjtqj269puj65w9xgpp4mhxue69uhkummn9ekx7mqpzemhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuurjd9kkzmpwdejhgq3q5dc33fyg3cpd9r58vlqge2hh8dy6hkkrjxkhluv2xpyfreqkmsesc2zaxt

Nostr post on UI improvements and metrics:

https://njump.me/nevent1qqszvqcetu7cvn94xzadapkkl89xw62587tfr90n8yuj7na2tjmvq3gzyz3hzx9y3z8q955wsanupr927ua5n276cwg66ll33gcy3y0yzmwrx4lf7hj