Monetize any API.Pay per call.
Providers charge per request - down to one sat. Agents and developers pay per call with one config line. Settlement is instant and non-custodial: we never touch the money.
Python, TypeScript, CLI, curl, and MCP examples below.
Examples: pick a path
Call any Lightning Gateway URL from a script or agent. The client follows HTTP 402, pays the BOLT-11 invoice, and retries with proof automatically.
agent.py
from bolthub import L402Client, LndWallet
wallet = LndWallet( host="https://your-node:8080", macaroon="...")client = L402Client(wallet, budget_sats=10_000)
resp = client.get( "https://btc-intel.gw.bolthub.ai/v1/market/intelligence", params={"exchange": "binance"},)data = resp.json()Direct to your wallet, never ours
Pay-per-call, down to 1 sat
OpenAPI + MCP discovery
Agents pay via HTTP 402
Lightning Gateway + API Hub
Sell through a managed L402 proxy. Distribute through the catalog agents already browse.
Lightning Gateway
GET/price→402+ BOLT-11→200 OK
Point us at your origin. We terminate TLS, return 402 + BOLT-11, verify payment, and proxy only after settlement. Funds go to your wallet, not ours.
- Five pricing models, from per-request to time passes
- Rate limits, caching, and origin shield
- .well-known OpenAPI, MCP, and L402 metadata
API Hub
bolthub.ai/hub/btc-intel
Optional public listing with search and tags. Builders preview pricing, copy integration snippets, and pay from the playground. Ideal for AI agents.
- Discover paywalled REST and MCP tool servers
- Reach agents without building your own marketplace
- One wallet, consistent L402 flow across providers
Built for the machine economy.
Traditional payment processors charge $0.50 minimum per transaction. Bitcoin's Lightning Network handles $0.001. That makes per-query API pricing viable for the first time, whether the buyer is a developer or an autonomous AI agent.
API providers
paid+1 sat→your wallet
Charge per call, down to a single sat. Card processors won't touch anything under fifty cents. You will. Agents and developers pay you directly, in sats, straight to your wallet.
- Gateway sits in front of your API and handles 402 challenges. Your own wallet issues invoices, settles directly to you.
- List in the API Hub so agents can find you. Tags, search, in-browser try.
App & agent builders
budget=1000 sats→any API
Give your app or agent a budget instead of a hundred vendor accounts. One config line and it can call any API in the hub. Pay per call. Sats settle directly between client and provider.
- Any HTTP client can pay an L402 invoice. Our Python and TypeScript SDKs handle the 402-pay-retry loop, so any app, script, or agent can consume gated APIs.
- Browse the API Hub, test from the playground, or wire endpoints in with the SDKs, MCP Registry, or CLI. All minimal-dependency and MIT-licensed.
L402 vs traditional API billing
L402 pairs HTTP 402 (Payment Required) with a Bitcoin Lightning invoice so any client can pay per call. No accounts, no API tokens, no manual setup. Standard payment processors weren't built for that.
Read the full L402 explainer| bolthubLightning Gateway | TraditionalMost API providers | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum transaction | 1 sat | ≈ $0.50 |
| Custody | Non-custodial | Custodial |
| Account required | No | Yes |
| API keys / tokens | Not needed | Per-provider |
| AI agent compatible | Native (HTTP 402) | Manual setup |
| Settlement speed | Instant | Days |
Three steps to monetize your API
From zero to earning in under five minutes. Minimal changes to your existing API: just a one-line header check to protect your origin.
Step 01
Point to your API
Enter your existing API endpoint. We verify connectivity and configure your Lightning Gateway in seconds.
Step 02
Set your price
Choose per-request, per-KB, token-bucket, time-pass, or metered pricing. Full flexibility.
Step 03
Get paid directly
Connect your Lightning wallet, or deploy one in minutes with Node Launcher. Your wallet issues the invoices. Clients pay your wallet directly. We stay out of the path.
Your agent pays. You earn.
Pick a tab: Python or TypeScript clients, CLI commands, a raw curl probe, or Registry MCP config for Cursor and Claude Desktop.
Read the docsCall any Lightning Gateway URL from a script or agent. The client follows HTTP 402, pays the BOLT-11 invoice, and retries with proof automatically.
agent.py
from bolthub import L402Client, LndWallet
wallet = LndWallet( host="https://your-node:8080", macaroon="...")client = L402Client(wallet, budget_sats=10_000)
resp = client.get( "https://btc-intel.gw.bolthub.ai/v1/market/intelligence", params={"exchange": "binance"},)data = resp.json()Simple, usage-based pricing
Your customers pay you directly in Bitcoin over the Lightning Network. We charge a fixed 4,000 sats/month base fee, plus usage that scales with your traffic.
Direct settlement
Client payments go straight to your Lightning wallet. We never hold your funds.
Usage-based billing
A fixed 4,000 sats/month base fee, plus per-request rates that drop as your volume grows.
Fair pricing
We adjust sat amounts as Bitcoin's price moves, so your cost stays predictable in real terms.
Common questions
Quick answers to help you decide. For anything else, reach out directly.
A sat (satoshi) is the smallest unit of Bitcoin: 1 Bitcoin = 100,000,000 sats. At recent prices, 1 sat is roughly $0.001. We price the platform in sats because they're the natural unit for Lightning micropayments. USD estimates are shown alongside for reference.
You don't need the hub to start earning. Your Lightning Gateway works the moment it's live: point your existing customers or your own agents straight at your gateway URL, and the L402 pay-per-call flow works for any HTTP client. The hub adds discovery on top of that over time. It's upside, not a dependency. We're growing it deliberately, prioritizing quality APIs over volume.
Any client that can pay a BOLT-11 invoice works. No signup or API keys needed. For AI agents, our MCP Registry and MCP Bridge handle L402 payments automatically. Third-party options like Alby MCP, Fewsats MCP, and Lightning Faucet MCP also work.
If you don't have a node yet, use the built-in Node Launcher to deploy your own LND node in minutes (from ~$3.50/month). If you already run LND, connect it directly, it creates invoices in under 200ms. LNbits and always-on NWC wallets (Alby Hub, CoinOS) work too. Phone wallets aren't a fit for receiving: buyers hit your API while you're away, so the wallet creating invoices must be online 24/7.
Both revive HTTP 402 for pay-per-request, but the rail differs. L402 settles in bitcoin over Lightning: peer-to-peer to your wallet with no facilitator holding funds, kept off-chain instead of on a public blockchain, in money no issuer can freeze or debase. x402 settles USD stablecoins onchain via a facilitator. We chose L402 for non-custodial settlement, payment privacy, and sound money. Agents can support both.
Yes. Pricing model, price, rate limits, caching, and any other setting can be changed at any time. Changes apply immediately. Active sessions from the previous model continue until they expire naturally.
Every Lightning Gateway publishes .well-known/openapi.json, .well-known/mcp.json, and .well-known/l402-gateway.json automatically. You can also opt in to appear in the public API Hub with search and tag filtering.
Any HTTP client that can pay a BOLT-11 Lightning invoice works. L402 is just HTTP. Our Python and TypeScript SDKs and MCP servers handle the 402-pay-retry loop automatically: the agent calls a URL with a budget, the SDK negotiates payment with the provider's wallet, and the response comes back. bolthub never sits in the middle of the funds. Third-party options like Alby MCP, Fewsats MCP, and Lightning Faucet MCP are also compatible.
Start earning with your API today
1-month free trial. Usage-based billing after that, paid monthly via Lightning.
See it in action
Browse the API Hub and try a paid request with your Lightning wallet. No signup needed to explore.