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 by means of the Lightning Community (LN) utilizing a cellphone quantity or e-mail deal with as an identifier.
Souza factors out that receiving Bitcoin with BRIX ought to be so simple as receiving “a switch by means of PIX”, probably the most used immediate fee system in Brazil, the place the identifier is a bit of knowledge that the consumer already is aware of by coronary heart.
In the present day, receiving funds on the Lightning Community, Bitcoin’s second-layer community, requires mechanisms equivalent to generate invoices, scan QR codes or share lengthy addresses which for a lot of customers could be complicated. BRIX goals to get rid of these intermediate steps.
How does BRIX work?
At present, BRIX is built-in into the Bro App, the applying of the Bronostr venture, a Nostr shopper that includes Lightning Community capabilities. BRIX may also be activated from the Bronostr web site. Nonetheless, the BRIX software program, being open supply, is designed in order that every other pockets or platform can combine it sooner or later.
To make use of it, the consumer registers with their cellphone quantity or e-mail and select an alias that turns into your Lightning deal withfor instance ‘consumer@brix.brostr.app’. You then validate your account possession utilizing a one-time code despatched by way of SMS or e-mail, linking your contact to your capacity 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 deal with or producing an bill.
When somebody sends satoshis to a BRIX deal with, the BRIX server resolves the identifier and requests the recipient’s software to generate an bill. That bill is returned on to the issuer’s pockets, which pays it.
Funds journey instantly 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 should have the applying livelywithin the foreground or background, when somebody tries to ship you a fee. If offline, the issuer pockets receives an error recognized as ‘BRIX_RECIPIENT_OFFLINE’ and the transaction will not be accomplished.
That limitation distinguishes BRIX from a static Lightning deal with, which may obtain funds at any time with out the receiver being linked.
Concerning prices, BRIX consists of an elective 0.5% fee on funds acquired. This fraction is mechanically managed by the recipient’s pockets, which sends it to the BRIX system after receiving the fee. On this manner, the BRIX server by no means touches the funds, not even to cost the service.
Who’s BRIX aimed toward?
In response to the venture documentation, BRIX is designed for each finish customers and builders. The primary ones can register instantly on brostr.app or from the Bro App.
Builders can combine BRIX into their very own functions utilizing a programming interface (REST API), a algorithm that enables 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 beneath the MIT license. The device is offered in Spanish, English and Portuguese.
Supported exterior wallets, equivalent to Phoenix, Coinos, Zeus, BlueWallet, Pockets of Satoshi, Breez, amongst others, can work together with BRIX utilizing the usual Lightning deal with, however they can not use the cellphone quantity or e-mail instantly as identifier. That performance is offered solely amongst BRIX registered customers.
Different initiatives to simplify funds with Bitcoin
BRIX will not 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 cut back the technical friction that at present limits Lightning Community adoption.
As reported by CriptoNoticias, final September Matt Corallo, a Bitcoin Core collaborator, introduced BIP-321, a proposal to standardize fee hyperlinks in Bitcoinaddresses that include fee directions and could be opened from browsers or QR codes, in order that any pockets interprets them in the identical manner, with out relying on options particular to every software.
In April 2025, the corporate Breez moved in one other course of the identical downside: it tailored its improvement equipment in order that Lightning funds could be built-in instantly into internet functions 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 manner, proposals equivalent 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.
