Feature request: easier online payments

[justusranvier]

This suggestion is inspired by the method the Musicbrainz Tagger manages to communicate information from its website to the local application.

In order to have a better experience for online shopping the Bitcoin client should include a lightweight webserver and listen for incoming connections on localhost:8334. At the final stage of checking out from a store that accepts bitcoins the browser will be directed to send a POST to localhost:8834 containing the transfer details. Then the Bitcoin application will receive this information and pop up a confirmation dialog box to complete the transaction.

Now you can run an online store that accepts Bitcoins that needs neither a third-party payment processor nor requires the user to manually copy a Bitcoin address and initiate a transfer. This will make life much easier for store owners and customers.

[MikesMechanix]

Wouldn't a bitcoin:// url make much more sense, though?

Like <a href="bitcoin://17miTorGDBUh3yNTYJtodJPw9wzrcNcf6y?btc=10.0&message=Here+you+go,+mate!">Donate here!</a>

And then the confirmation popup.

[justusranvier]

Wouldn't a bitcoin:// url make much more sense, though?

Like <a href="bitcoin://17miTorGDBUh3yNTYJtodJPw9wzrcNcf6y?btc=10.0&message=Here+you+go,+mate!">Donate here!</a>

And then the confirmation popup.

That would work but it requires you to teach every browser how to handle the bitcoin:// protocol. Running a local web server requires no additional configuration of other applications.

[Insti]

That would work but it requires you to teach every browser how to handle the bitcoin:// protocol. Running a local web server requires no additional configuration of other applications.

Unless you have a firewall or are on an internal network...

[justusranvier]

Unless you have a firewall or are on an internal network...

What does being on an internal network have to do with anything? The connection is between the customer's browser and his bitcoin client over the loopback address.

If someone has a personal firewall program he's already had to intervene to allow it to listen on port 8333 so it would just be a matter of letting it listen on another port.

[foo]

Argh! Stop it with the unnecessary slashes already! Double slashes introduce a server name, there are no server addresses in bitcoin!

The Bitcoin URI scheme already exists, and is documented on the Wiki: https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/URI_Scheme

[foo]

That would work but it requires you to teach every browser how to handle the bitcoin: protocol.

No. URI handlers are registered in the operating system.