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Quick Start

Start earning Bitcoin by selling AI access in under 5 minutes.

What You'll Build

A Routstr Provider Node acts as a gateway that:

  1. Connects to upstream AI providers (OpenAI, Anthropic, OpenRouter, etc.)
  2. Accepts Bitcoin payments via Cashu eCash
  3. Serves AI requests to clients on the network

You bring the API keys, Routstr handles the billing, payments, and client management.

Future: Node-to-Node Routing

In future versions, you'll be able to run a node that connects to other Routstr nodes—eliminating the need to configure upstream providers yourself. For now, you'll need your own API credentials.

Prerequisites

  • Docker installed
  • API credentials from at least one AI provider (OpenAI, Anthropic, OpenRouter, etc.)

1. Prepare Configuration

Create a .env file in the root of the project to store your secrets:

# Initial Admin Password
ADMIN_PASSWORD=mysecretpassword

# Node Identity
NAME="My AI Node"
DESCRIPTION="Fast access to models"

# Lightning Payouts
RECEIVE_LN_ADDRESS=yourname@wallet.com

2. Start the Node

You can run the pre-built image directly:

docker run -d \
  --name routstr \
  -p 8000:8000 \
  --env-file .env \
  -v routstr-data:/app/data \
  ghcr.io/routstr/proxy:latest

Note: The pre-built image does not contain the UI. For the all-in-one experience with the Admin Dashboard, use the Build from Source instructions below.

If you want to build the node and UI yourself from source, use the unified Dockerfile:

git clone https://github.com/routstr/routstr-core.git
cd routstr-core
# Edit your .env with ADMIN_PASSWORD and API keys
cp .env.example .env
nano .env

docker build -f Dockerfile.full -t routstr-local .
docker run -d -p 8000:8000 --env-file .env --name routstr routstr-local

Verify it's running:

curl http://localhost:8000/v1/info

3. Configure via Dashboard

Open the Admin Dashboard at http://localhost:8000/admin/.

Login

Use the ADMIN_PASSWORD you defined in your .env file to log in. If you didn't set one, the dashboard will prompt you to set one on first visit.

Connect Your AI Providers

  1. Navigate to Settings → Upstream
  2. Enter your upstream URL (e.g., https://api.openai.com/v1)
  3. Enter your API key
  4. Save

Set Your Profit Margin

  1. Go to Settings → Pricing
  2. Configure your markup (default is 10%)
  3. Optionally set a fixed price per request instead

Secure the Dashboard

  1. Go to Settings → Admin
  2. Set a strong password
  3. Save and re-login

3. Start Earning

Once configured, your node is live. Clients pay you in Bitcoin (via Cashu tokens) for every AI request.

Monitor Your Earnings

The dashboard shows:

  • Total Wallet: All Bitcoin held by your node
  • User Balances: Funds belonging to active client sessions
  • Your Balance: Your profit (Total - User Balances)

Withdraw Profits

  1. Go to Withdraw in the dashboard
  2. Select amount and mint
  3. Generate a Cashu token
  4. Redeem to your Lightning wallet

Next Steps

  • Deployment: Production setup with Docker Compose and Tor
  • Dashboard Guide: Full reference for all dashboard features
  • Pricing: Configure pricing strategies and per-model overrides
  • Discovery: Announce your node on Nostr for clients to find you