Bitcoin API Services
Bitcoin API Services makes accepting Bitcoin payments as easy as handling HTTP requests.
Unlike most online payment notification services, payments are not actually sent to Bitcoin API Services, so there is no need of entrusting someone else with your wallet, or letting someone else manage one for you. Payments go directly from a customer to the merchant
Bitcoin API Services also delivers HTTP POST notifications about Bitcoin exchange rates, and difficulty rates.
How it works
Bitcoin API Services works by monitoring the Bitcoin network for transactions sent to addresses you can specify in your account. Bitcoin API Services can currently:
- POST amounts for variable price transactions.
- POST amounts for fixed price transactions.
- Make POSTs on Mt Gox currency and difficulty updates.
Integration Details
- Merchant generates a number of Bitcoin addresses and enters them into his account. At the same time, merchant places these addresses into his store.
- The store software assigns one of these addresses to each order, or session. Once the user sends bitcoins to this address, the order is completed for the user.
- Meanwhile, the back-end of the merchants store waits for the confirmation from Bitcoin API Services. Once a confirmation is received the merchants store can either display the product to the user, or send the user an e-mail letting them know that the payment has been accepted. The address used can be released again for future use.
History
The service was proposed in mid-December as a redundancy to BitcoinNotify. The service officially went into beta on Wednesday, December 21st.
Services
- Apirone.com RESTful API to accept, forward and transfer Bitcoins.
- Blockchain.info - has a developer API
- Coinbase Features an API that lets you send, request, buy, sell, and accept bitcoin through a RESTful JSON interface.