Lightning for API Micropayments?
176 sats \ 5000 boost \ 3 comments \ @note_bene 24 Aug 2022 bitcoin
zaps forwarded to @k00b (100%)
Micropayments with Lightning is an extremely exciting use case. But I haven't seen any actual uses, or libraries for this yet.
The closest* I've seen is right here on StackerNews and the occasional podcast or blog that uses an LN invoice for access to the material.
So does anyone have
  • links to an API that uses Lightning for access per request?
  • Or links to a dev project building this?
*: SN doesn't truly qualify as micropayments in my mind because it uses a hosted custodial wallet that is making payments to/from other users' hosted custodial wallet. I call this the "gift card" model because you need to manually load/unload funds from it. Looking for the client sending a request to the api to provide a payment on a one-off, no registration or manual steps required.
Also interested in any discussion around:
  • the estimated latency such a system would introduce and workarounds
  • business models, especially around content and/or software tools, where a network of LN actors would share earnings on user payments.
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130 sats \ 0 replies \ @rijndael 25 Aug 2022
have you looked at LSATs at all? basically your client hits an API endpoint, it returns an HTTP 402 Payment Required with a lightning invoice, you pay it and now have access to the resource.
Is that the sort of thing you're thinking of?
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20 sats \ 1 reply \ @k00b fwd 24 Aug 2022
I've heard latency can be as low as milliseconds and a lot higher (20-30 seconds) in many cases. If a peer on the route goes offline in the middle of the payment, I suppose it could be stuck much longer - assuming peers don't roll it back on such failures.
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130 sats \ 0 replies \ @om 25 Aug 2022
That is why for that use case it must be a channel between the user and the API provider, no peers in the middle of the payment. Maybe even a one-sided channel for simpler interactions and even less latency.
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