BTCPay Server

BTCPay Server is a self-hosted, open-source Bitcoin payment processor. Merchants run their own instance (on cloud, dedicated hardware, or a shared server), connect it to their store, and receive payments directly to their own wallet with no fees and no third-party involvement. It supports both on-chain and Lightning payments.

The software comes with built-in apps: a point-of-sale terminal, tipping buttons, payment links, and crowdfunding pages. It handles invoicing, accounting exports, and native wallet management with hardware wallet support. For online stores, there are integrations with Shopify, WooCommerce, Ghost, ECWID, and others. A plugin system lets developers add new payment methods, reporting tools, and third-party services.

BTCPay is used at scale. Namecheap has processed over $73M in BTC revenue through it. BTC Inc uses it for Bitcoin Magazine and The Bitcoin Conference. Bitcoin People built a mobile app on top of BTCPay's API to serve 270 merchants, and Bitcoin Jungle powers 200+ stores in Costa Rica.

Why fund it?

When merchants run their own BTCPay instance, they keep full control of their funds. No custody, no platform risk, no permission needed. But that also means there is no revenue model built into the software. The project depends on grants and donations to pay its contributors.

OpenSats has been supporting BTCPay Server since the first wave of Bitcoin grants in July 2023 and has renewed its commitment since then multiple times, most recently in the fourteenth wave of Bitcoin grants.

What's next?

The latest release, v2.3.0, had a strong focus on the plugin ecosystem, laying the groundwork for what's to come. It shipped Plugin Builder 1.0 with signed releases, ratings, and reviews, and third-party developers have already been building on top of it. A Stripe plugin lets merchants accept card payments through BTCPay, and when paired with Bitcoin Stacker it auto-converts that revenue into bitcoin. Other recent plugins include an MCP server for managing BTCPay via AI agents and a Telegram Shopping Bot that syncs with the point-of-sale app. The same 2.3.0 release also added native subscriptions, server monetization, and 14 new language packs.

The team is now preparing v2.4.0, which will add multisig support and a global search bar. A transition from .NET 8 to .NET 10 is underway, with v2.3.6 being the last release on the old framework.