The San Francisco-based tech company has started the trial of its new payments processing technology with the launch of an online Blockstream store.
Blockchain company Blockstream has announced the launch of the micropayment processing system called ‘Lightning Charge’. The protocol is designed to make it easier for developers to build payment apps on top of its Lightning Network.
Introducing #LightningCharge, a new micropayment processing system that makes it easy to build apps on top of #Lightning. It’s already powering the @Blockstream Store, an e-commerce site we're launching today! https://t.co/Sqmv4d2ze6⚡️#LightningNetwork #Layer2 #micropayments pic.twitter.com/18jZcAXY6o
— Blockstream (@Blockstream) January 17, 2018
According to Blockstream, Lightning Charge is complementary to “c-lightning”, which is the company’s implementation of Lightning Network. The system is written in node.js and its functionality can be accessed with REST API via JavaScript and PHP libraries, both of which have been released as part of the company’s Elements Project.
“Web developers will be able to work with c-lightning through their normal programming techniques, and they’ll also get expanded functionality such as currency conversion, invoice metadata, streaming payment updates, and webhooks,” Blockstream said in a blog post. “Together, these additions make it easy for developers to use c-lightning to create their own, independent web-payment infrastructures.”
To test Lightning Charge, Blockstream is launching the Blockstream Store, an e-commerce website that allows people to make small purchases using Lightning payments. Built on WordPress and WooCommerce platforms, the store connects with Lightning Charge and c-lightning through a WooCommerce Lightning Gateway, which has been introduced as part of the Elements Project. Currently, the Blockstream store offers only men’s and women’s t-shirts with the company’s slogan “Don’t Trust – Verify” and some stickers.
“By offering an early demonstration of this cutting-edge technology, we hope to bring Lightning to life with real-world functionality, providing a way for you to test Lightning and become a part of the micropayment revolution. However, the entire Lightning Network is still in a testing stage, with both known and unknown bugs, so you should use the Store with care, at your own risk,” the company wrote.
Still, potential buyers have to keep in mind that the store has been opened only with the goal of testing the technology’s capabilities. “Although the products we are selling here are real, this store is for testing and demonstration purposes only. Lightning is still very new and contains known and unknown bugs. In particular, be warned: YOU MAY LOSE FUNDS!,” the website for the Blockstream Store reads.
The blockchain company, which has already gained more than $76 million in investments, is committed to drive the adoption and more use cases of bitcoin and its underlying technology. A few months ago, it presented a new service developed to broadcast bitcoin blockchain data from space via a satellite. Called Blockstream Satellite, the promising project will enable everyone to easily connect to the cryptocurrency network without Wi-Fi connection.
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