Manage BTCPay Server with any Node or Wallet with NWC
BTCPay Server
Are you looking to accept bitcoin payments in your shop, bar or on your website? There is no way around trying out BTCPay Server as an open-source payment processor alternative for your bitcoin payments - especially if you want to take back control of accepting payments and self-host it.
It has dedicated features for point of sale, crowdfunding, and payment buttons available with a big variety of integrations with third party shop systems. This modularity expands to wallets that can be connected to BTCPay Server, because as a merchant or website operator you can choose which wallet you want to connect and receive payments from your clients.
With the integration of NWC, BTCPay Server has become even more accessible for users looking to receive payments in their preferred wallet.
Onboarding users with less barriers
NWC is an open payment protocol to let wallets interact directly with apps. For BTCPay server it means: A single interface that allows users to onboard from numerous bitcoin wallets.
Regardless of the type of lightning implementation underneath, if mobile or web wallets, custodial or self-custodial or protected by tor and firewalls. Merchants and website operators can now choose from a variety of wallets such as Alby, Mutiny, Umbrel or Start9 and link their preferred option.
Furthermore NWC allows users to set budgets and granular permissions for apps as an additional security layer when linking their wallets.
Only the apps and wallets that exchange payment requests need Nostr private and public keys for encryption and decryption. Users do not need to be on Nostr to use NWC-enabled apps and wallets.
How to connect your wallet via NWC
Step 1: Install the Nostr plugin in your BTCPay instance
Note, after the installation, you won’t need to enter the Nostr plugin to link your wallet or node.
Step 2: Go to “Lightning” and “Settings”.
If you already have a connection setup, change it by selecting “Change connection”, if not, simply click on “Choose a connection” in that same section.
Step 3: Add the NWC connection string to BTCPay Server
Before clicking on "Save", you can click on "Test connection" to see if it works correctly.
Optional step: Where to get your NWC connection string:
If you are unsure where to get that NWC connection string, just go to your NWC enabled-wallet (e.g. nwc.getalby.com for Alby), create a new NWC connection and copy it into your BTCPay Server (Step 3).
How do I know if the setup was correct?
In the “Settings” page of the “Lightning” section, you’ll see “Custom Node nwc“ just as in the image above.
Become part of a growing ecosystem of bitcoin payments
NWC transforms your wallet into a central hub for managing all your payments in one place. With NWC, you don't need to worry about deposits and withdrawals when using third-party apps, nor do you risk losing funds if you stop using these apps.
A growing number of integrated apps offer numerous ways to utilize your bitcoin: connect your wallet to Stacker News to upvote posts, use the Alby Browser Extension to streamline transactions, or purchase gift cards on Bitrefill.
This ecosystem of specialized, interoperable services connected to wallets is growing. Each new app provides greater utility and convenience for us as users and mutually benefits from the open nature of NWC.
Reach out if you want to support NWC in your app.