Funds journey immediately between sender and receiver with out passing via BRIX servers.
BRIX contains an elective 0.5% fee on funds obtained.
Carol Souza, Brazilian bitcoiner developer and co-founder of Space Bitcoin, introduced on March 20 BRIX, an open supply software program that permits you to obtain funds in Bitcoin via the Lightning Community (LN) utilizing a cellphone quantity or electronic mail handle as an identifier.
Souza factors out that receiving Bitcoin with BRIX must be so simple as receiving “a switch via PIX”, essentially the most used on the spot cost system in Brazil, the place the identifier is a bit of data that the consumer already is aware of by coronary heart.
Right this moment, receiving funds on the Lightning Community, Bitcoin’s second-layer community, requires mechanisms corresponding to generate invoices, scan QR codes or share lengthy addresses which for a lot of customers will be complicated. BRIX goals to eradicate these intermediate steps.
How does BRIX work?
At present, BRIX is built-in into the Bro App, the applying of the Bronostr mission, a Nostr consumer that comes with Lightning Community capabilities. BRIX will also be activated from the Bronostr web site. Nonetheless, the BRIX software program, being open supply, is designed in order that another pockets or platform can combine it sooner or later.
To make use of it, the consumer registers with their cellphone quantity or electronic mail and select an alias that turns into your Lightning handlefor instance ‘consumer@brix.brostr.app’. You then validate your account possession utilizing a one-time code despatched through SMS or electronic mail, linking your contact to your skill to obtain funds non-custodially, in accordance with the proposal repository.
From that second on, anybody can ship you satoshis (the minimal unit of Bitcoin) from any Lightning-compatible pockets with out requiring an handle or producing an bill.
When somebody sends satoshis to a BRIX handle, the BRIX server resolves the identifier and requests the recipient’s utility to generate an bill. That bill is returned on to the issuer’s pockets, which pays it.
Funds journey immediately between sender and receiver bypassing BRIX servers: The platform acts as a decision middleman, not a custodian of the cash.
There’s a related technical element that the repository itself factors out: the receiver will need to have the applying livelywithin the foreground or background, when somebody tries to ship you a cost. If offline, the issuer pockets receives an error recognized as ‘BRIX_RECIPIENT_OFFLINE’ and the transaction shouldn’t be accomplished.
That limitation distinguishes BRIX from a static Lightning handle, which may obtain funds at any time with out the receiver being linked.
Concerning prices, BRIX contains an elective 0.5% fee on funds obtained. This fraction is routinely managed by the recipient’s pockets, which sends it to the BRIX system after receiving the cost. On this approach, the BRIX server by no means touches the funds, not even to cost the service.
Who’s BRIX aimed toward?
In keeping with the mission documentation, BRIX is designed for each finish customers and builders. The primary ones can register immediately on brostr.app or from the Bro App.
Builders can combine BRIX into their very own purposes utilizing a programming interface (REST API), a algorithm that permits two software program techniques to alternate knowledge with one another, and even host their very own BRIX server with a customized area, for the reason that code is offered below the MIT license. The instrument is offered in Spanish, English and Portuguese.
Supported exterior wallets, corresponding to Phoenix, Coinos, Zeus, BlueWallet, Pockets of Satoshi, Breez, amongst others, can work together with BRIX utilizing the usual Lightning handle, however they can not use the cellphone quantity or electronic mail immediately as identifier. That performance is offered solely amongst BRIX registered customers.
Different initiatives to simplify funds with Bitcoin
BRIX shouldn’t be the primary initiative to make use of on a regular basis knowledge as a bridge to Bitcoin. Souza’s proposal is a part of a broader effort to scale back the technical friction that presently limits Lightning Community adoption.
As reported by CriptoNoticias, final September Matt Corallo, a Bitcoin Core collaborator, introduced BIP-321, a proposal to standardize cost hyperlinks in Bitcoinaddresses that include cost directions and will be opened from browsers or QR codes, in order that any pockets interprets them in the identical approach, with out relying on options particular to every utility.
In April 2025, the corporate Breez moved in one other path of the identical downside: it tailored its improvement equipment in order that Lightning funds will be built-in immediately into net purposes and browsers, with out builders or customers needing to handle Bitcoin or Lightning nodes. That opens the door to funds in Bitcoin and LN with out complicated technical infrastructure.
On this approach, proposals corresponding to BRIX, BIP-321 and the Breez SDK have the potential to advertise the adoption of Bitcoin and the Lightning Community, aiming to mitigate the technical complexity of utilizing these protocols.
