Published on: 2018-09-10T11:21:40+00:00
The W3C Web Payments Working Group is currently discussing the compatibility of Bitcoin and Lightning with the proposed Payment Request API. Christian Decker, a member of the working group, has commented that the spec should be compatible with both cryptocurrencies, but suggests the need for a special Payment Method ID to be assigned to Bitcoin and Lightning since they cannot rely on a centralized URL. A local handler can also be specified as a Payment Handler, allowing for a Bitcoin or Lightning daemon running locally that is invoked for payment requests. The Payment Request API even mentions XBT as a supported currency in addition to ISO4217 codes.Christian Decker, being a member of the W3C Web Payments Working Group, is following the discussion closely to determine what changes and special considerations are needed for Bitcoin and Lightning to work correctly when the spec is finalized and deployed. It is mentioned that the current spec should be compatible with both Bitcoin and Lightning, but a special Payment Method ID needs to be assigned to them since they cannot rely on a centralized URL to act as a payment method. To address this, a local handler can be specified as a Payment Handler, which allows for a Bitcoin or Lightning daemon to run locally and be invoked for payment requests.It is noted that the Payment Request API already includes XBT as a supported currency, indicating that Bitcoin is already considered in the specification. However, due to the unique nature of Bitcoin and Lightning, special handling is required for them with regard to the Payment Method, and thus the Payment Method Manifest does not apply to them. This suggests that Bitcoin and Lightning should be able to work with the spec without any major roadblocks. The progress of the discussion is being tracked on the working group's Github page, where feedback is welcomed.In another email, a member of the Lightning-dev community asks about the membership of companies in the W3C and whether anyone can be a member of the W3C Web Payments Working Group. It is mentioned that Christian Decker is already a member, which is seen as awesome by the community member. The W3C has released their candidate recommendation for a payment API, with a planned publication date no earlier than October 31st, 2018. The W3C is currently seeking feedback on their GitHub repository. While Bitcoin is already mentioned in the API, the community member expresses the hope that lightning payments will also be compatible with the W3C's recommendation. Finally, the community member asks Christian for an update on the work and its relevance to them.
Updated on: 2023-07-31T20:26:59.652895+00:00