Payments Protocol for BitTorrent Networks
Seeders earn crypto for sharing files. Leechers pay for faster downloads. Streaming micropayments via payment channels with on-chain privacy.
Why SeedPay?
Direct economic incentives for seeding, built on open standards.
Micropayments
Pay as low as $0.0001/MB. Streaming payment checks minimize trust requirements — seeders get paid per chunk of data served.
Payment Channels
Only 2 on-chain transactions per session (open + close). All intermediate payments happen off-chain via signed checks.
Privacy (ECDH)
Ephemeral session keys ensure blockchain observers cannot link wallet addresses to download activity or peer IDs.
Backward Compatible
Extends BEP 10 (Extension Protocol). Non-SeedPay clients continue to work without modification. Payments are opt-in.
Circular Economy
Earn USDC by seeding popular content, then spend it on downloads. No need to buy crypto upfront if you seed first.
Open Protocol
No centralized infrastructure. No proprietary tokens. Built on open standards (Curve25519, HKDF, SHA-256) and public blockchains.
How It Works
Four phases from connection to settlement.
Handshake
Peers exchange BEP 10 extended handshakes to advertise SeedPay support, wallet address, and pricing.
Channel Setup
ECDH key exchange derives an ephemeral Session UUID. Leecher deposits USDC into an on-chain escrow.
Verification
Seeder independently verifies the payment channel on-chain — checking deposit, session binding, and freshness.
Data Transfer
Standard BitTorrent piece exchange. Leecher streams signed payment checks. Seeder claims funds on channel close.
Compared to Alternatives
How SeedPay stacks up against existing solutions.
| Feature | SeedPay | Tit-for-tat | Private Trackers | BTT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decentralized | ||||
| Micropayments | ||||
| Post-download incentive | ||||
| Privacy-preserving | ||||
| Backward compatible | ||||
| Open standard | ||||
| No proprietary token |
Circular Economy
Earn by seeding. Spend on downloads. No proprietary tokens — just USDC.
Download a 1 GB file for ~$0.10
Open channel + close channel. Everything else is off-chain.
No volatile tokens. Earn and spend real value.
Example: The Seeder Economy
Read the Protocol
SeedPay is an open RFC. Explore the full specification, security model, and implementation guide.