Welcome to ApiCharge
ApiCharge is a reverse proxy with built-in micropayments technology that empowers developers to monetize APIs, AI models, and content using ApiCharge Subscriptions. This documentation will guide you through setting up, configuring, and using ApiCharge for your services.
What is ApiCharge?
ApiCharge is a middleware solution that sits between your clients and your services, enabling monetization with minimal code changes. It leverages ApiCharge Subscriptions - time-bound access grants with defined quality of service parameters - to provide flexible monetization options for any HTTP-based service.
Key Features
- ApiCharge Subscription Model: Unprecedented pricing control over payments for network-integrated access
- Self-custody Stablecoin: Monetise and control your service instantly without payment gateway integration
- Flexible Rate Limiting: Control quality of service with call counts, data transfer limits, and bandwidth throttling
- Protocol Agnostic: Works with REST, GraphQL, WebSockets, Server-Sent Events, and more
- Secure by Design: All operations are cryptographically signed for validation
- Easy Deployment: Deploy as a Docker container or standalone service
- Low Transaction Fees: Sell a package of service access for under half a cent
How It Works
ApiCharge functions as a reverse proxy that sits in front of your existing services. It handles:
- Price quote generation for service access
- Secure payment processing via Stellar Soroban smart contracts
- Authenticated access token issuance
- Real-time rate limiting and quality of service enforcement
- Protocol-level traffic management for all common web protocols
Getting Started
To get started with ApiCharge, follow these steps:
- Review the Core Concepts to understand how ApiCharge works
- Choose a deployment option that fits your infrastructure
- Configure your routes and rate limiters
- Test your setup with the provided client tools
Next Steps
Continue to Core Concepts to understand the fundamental principles behind ApiCharge.