Lazy API

For the incredibly lazy and/or incompetent web developer, I present the lazy man's bitcoin API (copied from a forum post):

Problem:

Lazy web designer (me) wants to use bitcoins without dealing with installing bitcoin on a server, installing a shopping card interface, or using ugly merchant services with callbacks.

Solution for sending bitcoins:

Use the MtGox API

Solution for receiving bitcoins:

1. Input a list of bitcoin receiving addresses to your database
2. Give a bitcoin address to a potential customer
3. Have the customer tell you when they have sent the coins and have at least 1 confirmation
4. Check blockexplorer to see if they sent the right amount (i.e. http://blockexplorer.com/q/getreceivedbyaddress/19hMEAaRMbEhfSkeU4GT8mgSuyR4t4M6TH)
5. Wait for more blocks (confirmations) if paranoid (look for the latest block number to go up here: http://blockexplorer.com/q/getblockcount)
6. Recheck blockexplorer to make sure the address still shows the right amount, in case the block chain reorganizes
7. Give them what they paid for
8. After a reasonable amount of time has passed, you can re-use the address for another customer

You could avoid having a list of addresses and reusing them if one of the wallet services someday lets you get a new address via API call, but this will work for now.

Bad idea:

Selling bars of gold this way (owner of blockexplorer.com could rip you off)

Good(?) idea:

Selling naked pictures of your grandma this way (owner of blockexplorer.com won't bother)

Shameless begging:

If this info is useful to you, please consider a donation: 19hMEAaRMbEhfSkeU4GT8mgSuyR4t4M6TH