"A Swiss bank account in your pocket" — Andreas Antonopoulos
Becoming Sovereign
Isn't Easy.
SatsRail is non-custodial payment infrastructure you control — no intermediaries, no chargebacks, instant settlement. That requires a small investment from you.
Bitcoin Is the Bank.
We interact with it to listen for your transactions. That's the entire relationship.
What SatsRail Does
- Generates Lightning invoices from your node
- Confirms when you've been paid
- Runs your point of sale
- Sends webhooks to your systems
- Provides API, SDKs, and embed widgets
What SatsRail Can Never Do
- Hold your money
- Access your keys
- Reverse a payment
- Freeze your account
- See your balance or transaction history
SatsRail connects to your Lightning node over Nostr Wallet Connect. We request invoices and listen for payment confirmations. We never have access to your funds.
Lightning Doesn't Replace Your Payments.
It Fills the Gap.
Keep your subscriptions. Keep credit cards for big purchases. Lightning is for the transactions where 2.9% + $0.30 makes no sense — a $2 photo, a $5 tip, a $0.50 API call. It's a new revenue channel, not an ultimatum.
Lightning Is Ideal For
- Micropayments — $0.01 to $20
- Pay-per-view content and paywalls
- Tips and donations
- Digital downloads and single purchases
- Anonymous or privacy-conscious buyers
- International customers without credit cards
Keep Traditional For
- Large recurring subscriptions
- Enterprise contracts and invoicing
- Customers who prefer cards
- Refund-heavy products
- High-ticket purchases over $500
- Regulated industries requiring paper trails
Most merchants start with Lightning for small transactions and expand from there. No pressure, no lock-in.
Your Lightning Node
To accept Lightning payments, you need a node — your node, not a SatsRail node. For nearly all merchants we recommend Alby Hub Cloud: always on, managed for you, your keys stay yours.
Alby Hub Cloud
Always on, managed for you. No hardware, no uptime worries. Alby handles the infrastructure — you focus on your business.
- Always online — never miss a payment
- Encrypted cloud backups, managed updates
- Custom Lightning & Nostr address
- Unlimited sub-wallets
- Your keys stay yours — non-custodial
Cloud doesn’t mean custodial. Alby Cloud runs the always-on infrastructure; your keys and your sats stay yours. You can move to self-hosted anytime.
Alby Hub Desktop
Free software for technical users. Requires a 24/7 machine and ~$8 to open your first channel.
Either way, you own your money. The node is yours. The keys are yours. SatsRail never touches either.
Why Alby Hub?
We're not picking favorites. It's a technical requirement. Here's why.
What SatsRail Needs from Your Wallet
SatsRail is non-custodial — we never hold your funds. To generate invoices and confirm payments on your behalf, we need your wallet to support three open Lightning protocols:
LUD-16
Lightning Address — a human-readable address (you@getalby.com) that SatsRail resolves to reach your wallet.
LUD-06
LNURL-pay — lets SatsRail request a fresh Lightning invoice from your wallet every time a customer pays.
LUD-21
Verify URL — lets SatsRail confirm the payment actually settled in your wallet. Without this, we can't confirm you got paid.
Why Most Wallets Don't Work
Popular wallets like Phoenix and Wallet of Satoshi are great for sending and receiving payments between people. But they're designed as end-user wallets — they can't act as always-on servers that generate invoices on demand and report back when payments settle.
| Wallet | LUD-16 Address |
LUD-06 Invoices |
LUD-21 Verify |
Always On | Works with SatsRail |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alby Hub | |||||
| Phoenix | |||||
| Wallet of Satoshi | |||||
| Muun |
Bring Your Own Node
Alby Hub is the protocol layer — the underlying Lightning node is your choice. Already running a node on Voltage, Umbrel, Start9, or bare metal LND/CLN? Connect Alby Hub to it as a frontend. Alby Hub speaks the LNURL protocols SatsRail requires; your node provides the liquidity and routing. They're complementary, not either/or.
Three Steps to Go Live
Set Up Alby Hub
Choose cloud or desktop. Follow Alby's setup — takes about 10 minutes. Open a payment channel so customers can pay you.
Create Your SatsRail Account
Sign up, add your business details, and set up your first products or payment links. Free during early access.
Paste Your Connection String
Copy the NWC string from Alby Hub, paste it into your SatsRail wallet settings. You're live.
Find a Node Steward
Don't want to do it alone? Node Stewards are independent experts who help merchants get their Lightning nodes up and running. They are not employees of SatsRail.
— Stewards Across — Countries
Node Steward Directory
Browse, search by name or country, and reach out directly.
How a Node Steward Helps You
Choose a Steward
Browse the directory and find a steward who covers your country. Reach out to them directly via email, phone, or website.
They Set Up Your Node
Your steward walks you through installing, configuring, and connecting your Lightning node to SatsRail.
Start Accepting Payments
Once your node is running, you're live. Payments flow directly to your wallet — no middlemen.
Ready to Own Your Payments?
Set up your node, connect to SatsRail, and start getting paid in minutes. Your wallet, your keys, your sats.
Free during early access • Non-custodial • Your keys, your sats