BTCPay Server

BTCPay Server is a free and open-source, self-hosted Bitcoin payment processor that lets a merchant accept Bitcoin payments directly, without fees, custodians, or KYC intermediaries. It is licensed under the MIT license and maintained by the BTCPay Server Foundation alongside a global community of volunteer contributors. For a sovereign Bitcoiner who wants to sell goods or accept donations on their own terms, it is the canonical self-hosted alternative to custodial payment gateways.

How it works

BTCPay runs on the merchant's own infrastructure and connects to a Bitcoin full node, so payments settle peer-to-peer straight to the merchant's wallet — the operator holds their own keys and the platform never takes custody. It generates invoices, point-of-sale screens, payment buttons, and crowdfunding pages, and integrates with common e-commerce platforms. Because it is self-hosted, there is no third party that can freeze funds, close an account, or impose chargebacks.

Lightning integration

BTCPay can accept both on-chain payments and Lightning Network payments. For Lightning, it integrates with the major node implementations — LND, Core Lightning, and Eclair — letting a merchant route instant low-fee payments through whichever node software they already run. This makes it a frequent companion to self-hosted node setups.

BTCPay is funded by grant programs and donations rather than transaction fees, which keeps its incentives aligned with self-custody. To connect it to your own node, see our entries on LND (Lightning Network Daemon) and Core Lightning (CLN).

Find payment stacks in the sovereign self-hosting catalog.