nanalLabs BlognanalStamp has two stages. Sealing chains and signs your note's hash on our server; anchoring fixes that seal into the Bitcoin blockchain. This post is about the second stage.
Why Bitcoin?
The weakness of any timestamp is the question "who vouches for this time?" Your own server's clock is self-certification — weak in a dispute. A timestamp authority (TSA) requires trusting that authority's continued existence and key management. The Bitcoin blockchain is different: block times are vouched for by a globally distributed network rather than any one company — there is no single company to trust, and no single company whose disappearance breaks verification. If nanalStamp shut down tomorrow, the fact that "this hash existed as of this block" would remain independently verifiable by anyone, for as long as Bitcoin exists.
Only hashes go onto the blockchain. Your note's content is never published anywhere.
When does anchoring happen?
Normally you do nothing. Each day's seals are batched at your local midnight and submitted to Bitcoin. Batching a day's worth, rather than submitting every seal individually, keeps costs down and confirmation predictable.
When you need it fixed right now — say, just before a submission — use ribbon → "Anchor to Bitcoin now." Confirmation typically takes a few hours; once confirmed, the status bar shows a block number like "₿#959933." Versions written after confirmation go back to "awaiting anchor" — every version is confirmed separately.
Verification is standards-based
Anchors are built on the open OpenTimestamps-style Merkle commitment scheme, so verification does not require nanalStamp's server. The Bitcoin evidence included in certificates and submission packages can be checked with standard tools. The point of this architecture is not "trust us" — it is "check for yourself."