Get Started with Alby Hub

The one small step to start accepting Bitcoin payments. Install the app, open a channel, and you're live.

Download Alby Hub

Why do I need Alby Hub?

SatsRail is non-custodial — we never hold your money. Alby Hub is the bridge that makes it all work.

Generates Invoices

When a customer clicks "Pay," SatsRail asks your Alby Hub to create a Lightning invoice for the right amount.

Confirms Payments

Alby Hub listens for incoming payments and tells SatsRail when an invoice has been paid. Sats go straight to your wallet.

Think of Alby Hub as your personal payment terminal — it runs on your computer, keeps your keys, and handles the Lightning connection so SatsRail never touches your funds.

Three Steps to Go Live

1

Download & Install Alby Hub

Alby Hub is a free desktop app available for Mac, Windows, and Linux. Download it and install like any other app — it takes a couple of minutes.

Download Alby Hub Desktop
Platform Format
macOS .dmg installer
Windows .exe installer
Linux AppImage, .deb, or Docker
Need help? Follow the official Alby Hub Desktop Guide for step-by-step screenshots.
2

Open a Liquidity Channel

To receive Lightning payments, you need a payment channel — think of it like opening the register before your first sale. Alby makes this easy with a one-click channel purchase.

~$8 one-time payment through Alby This opens a Lightning channel so customers can pay you. It's a one-time cost — after that, you're set.

The channel stays open as long as Alby Hub is running. You don't need to pay again unless you close it and open a new one.

3

Connect to SatsRail

Once Alby Hub is running with a channel open, connecting to SatsRail is quick:

  1. In Alby Hub, go to Settings → Connections → Create New Connection
  2. Copy the NWC connection string (starts with nostr+walletconnect://...)
  3. Paste it into your SatsRail dashboard under Wallet Settings
That's it! We'll set up your wallet connection and enable Point of Sale for you. Thank you for supporting us!

Need help? Reach out to us — we'll walk you through the setup personally.

Keep Alby Hub Running

Alby Hub needs to be running on your computer for SatsRail to generate invoices and receive payments. If Alby Hub is offline, customers won't be able to pay.

  • Run it on a machine that stays on (your main PC, a home server, or a Raspberry Pi)
  • Enable "Start on boot" so it launches automatically after restarts
  • Check periodically that your channel is healthy and has inbound liquidity
Full Setup Guide

A deeper dive into Alby Hub and SatsRail.

Read the Blog Post
Developer Docs

Technical details, troubleshooting, and NWC reference.

View Developer Docs

Ready to Accept Bitcoin?

Install Alby Hub, connect to SatsRail, and start getting paid in minutes.

Create Your Account Download Alby Hub

Free during early access • Non-custodial • Your keys, your sats