One of the Bitcoin ecosystem’s most highly-regarded open source projects just bagged another substantial grant to build out its technology stack.
BTCPay Server, a self-hosted Bitcoin payment processor and technology solution, is the recipient of a $150,000 grant (paid in bitcoin, of course) from the Kraken exchange. The payment, made in Bitcoin, also coincides with Kraken integrating BTCPay Server as a payment option for its Cryptowatch trading terminal.
The BTCPay Server team have received 6 figure grants to work on the project in the past, netting $100k each from the OKCoin exchange and Square Crypto this year and last year, respectively. As with grants in the past, this one is no doubt a blessing—but it’s also a reminder that with great funding comes great responsibility.
“Receiving a grant from a company like Kraken feels rewarding for the entire team. A grant of this size puts a greater responsibility and pressure to strive towards excellence with each line of code,” one anonymous BTCPay Server developer, Pavlenex, told me over direct messages.
“We owe that mindset to the entire community that has shown us an incredible amount of love, and to our supporters, who make sure that we can continue building a truly free and open-source payment software for anybody, without worrying about sustainability,” they concluded.
How to make open source projects sustainable is a question that has haunted developers since code became a hot commodity in the digital information era. Engendered from within an open source community, the ecosystem and sector that Bitcoin spawned has wrestled with this problem, as well, though individual donors and businesses like Kraken have taken it upon themselves to provide funding for such volunteer projects as BTCPay Server.
“Open source is in Bitcoin’s DNA, so it is critical to the future of the industry to support leading open source teams, products, and initiatives. We all benefit from the important work they are doing,” a Kraken spokesperson said over direct messages.
Among improving user features and APIs for developer plug-ins with the funding, BTCPay plans will focus on expanding “integration with e-commerce and CMS plugins” to make BTCPay available on more platforms. A new version of the software will be released on Friday with “several highly-requested features that will make life easier for merchants and freelancers” who use the service, Pavlenex said.
