Agora is a simple web file server that charges for downloads. It uses the Lightning Network for payments. The Lightning Network is a layer on top of Bitcoin that enables fast payments with very low fees. It settles to the Bitcoin network, so there's no separate token or currency.
Agora is released under a maximally permissive license and written in Rust. Currently it integrates with LND for Lightning Payments, so you'll need to also have an LND instance running if you want to charge for downloads.
And if you're interested in using Agora to sell some files, please try it out and let us know what you think! We have lots of ideas for features that we'd like to add, but are much more interested in what users need.
Fantastic effort - great to see decentralised file downloads with the ability to accept payments. It's a good step towards freeing independent commerce from the increasingly-censorious establishment tech players.
There is certainly potential for negatives, like people self-hosting to sell pirated and other illegal content. However we're at this point because the establishment services have been engaging in worsening behaviour over the past few years.
Good luck and looking forward to seeing this develop.
Currently, it only integrates with the Lightning Network via LND. You would have to modify it to support BAT. However, BAT would probably not be a good choice. BAT transactions are slow when compared to Lightning Network payments. Also, since BAT is a token on Ethereum, the fees would likely be prohibitive for small, or even medium size payments.
HTLC.me is a testnet Lightning wallet, so the balances are in tBTC, testnet bitcoin. tUSD isn't a real thing, it just means that if your balance was in BTC and not tBTC, you would have that much USD.
That's potentially very big, but it needs some plumbing. Can you use a Visa card to refill a "lightning network account" or whatever you call it? Can the seller get proceeds to a bank account in $s?
It's actually pretty easy to get into and out of Bitcoin. river.com, is a US-based service that allows buying and selling bitcoin with USD, making USD transfers to and from a linked bank account, and making and receiving Lightning Network payments.
So you could set up an LND instance, get inbound liquidity with a service like Bitrefill*, and then withdraw any funds via the Lightning Network to a River account, sell the proceeds for USD, and transfer them to your bank account.
I use River as an example because it's my favorite, but there are many other services that you could also use.
* It's slightly subtle aspect of the Lightning Network, but in order to receive funds, you need inbound liquidity, i.e. a channel with your Lightning Network node with funds on your counterparty's side of the channel. This can be accomplished buy buying inbound liquidity from a service like Bitrefill: https://www.bitrefill.com/buy/lightning-channel/
[+] [-] altilunium|4 years ago|reply
"As of this writing, lnd is still in beta and it is considered #reckless to put any life altering amounts of BTC into the network."
https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/blob/master/docs/saf...
[+] [-] rodarmor|4 years ago|reply
Agora is released under a maximally permissive license and written in Rust. Currently it integrates with LND for Lightning Payments, so you'll need to also have an LND instance running if you want to charge for downloads.
And if you're interested in using Agora to sell some files, please try it out and let us know what you think! We have lots of ideas for features that we'd like to add, but are much more interested in what users need.
[+] [-] shiftingleft|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] pharmakom|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] axiosgunnar|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] rodarmor|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] altilunium|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] rodarmor|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] forgingahead|4 years ago|reply
There is certainly potential for negatives, like people self-hosting to sell pirated and other illegal content. However we're at this point because the establishment services have been engaging in worsening behaviour over the past few years.
Good luck and looking forward to seeing this develop.
[+] [-] rodarmor|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] altilunium|4 years ago|reply
Payment failed to send. This can happen due to temporary network connectivity issues or an unexpected server error.
[+] [-] altilunium|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] rodarmor|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jareklupinski|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] sdan|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] altilunium|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] rodarmor|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] akomtu|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] altilunium|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] rodarmor|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] altilunium|4 years ago|reply
A welcome gift! Thanks for trying HTLC.me!
0.00313370 tBTC ($140.06 tUSD)"
What is the difference between USD and tUSD?
[+] [-] rodarmor|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] akomtu|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] rodarmor|4 years ago|reply
So you could set up an LND instance, get inbound liquidity with a service like Bitrefill*, and then withdraw any funds via the Lightning Network to a River account, sell the proceeds for USD, and transfer them to your bank account.
I use River as an example because it's my favorite, but there are many other services that you could also use.
* It's slightly subtle aspect of the Lightning Network, but in order to receive funds, you need inbound liquidity, i.e. a channel with your Lightning Network node with funds on your counterparty's side of the channel. This can be accomplished buy buying inbound liquidity from a service like Bitrefill: https://www.bitrefill.com/buy/lightning-channel/
[+] [-] aww_dang|4 years ago|reply