Crypto Payment Glossary

This glossary defines crypto payment terms in merchant language so developers, finance teams, and support staff can work from the same vocabulary.

Crypto Payment Gateway

A crypto payment gateway is software that helps merchants accept digital currency payments, create invoices, track payment status, and connect checkout events to order systems.

CoinPayments API

The CoinPayments API is a REST JSON interface for merchant workflows such as invoices, rates, fees, wallets, transactions, and webhooks.

CoinPayments Login

CoinPayments login is the merchant account access step for managing wallet balances, invoices, API integrations, and support settings.

CoinPayments Legacy

CoinPayments Legacy refers to older CoinPayments platform experiences and documentation that merchants may need to distinguish from the new v2 platform.

CoinPayments V2

CoinPayments v2 is the newer platform generation with current API documentation, REST endpoints, HMAC authentication, and merchant invoice resources.

Crypto Invoice

A crypto invoice is a checkout request that defines amount, currency, payment address, expiration, and status for a customer payment.

Webhook

A webhook is a server-to-server notification that sends payment status updates from a gateway to a merchant system.

HMAC Signature

An HMAC signature is a keyed cryptographic hash used to prove that an API request came from a holder of the secret key.

Network Fee

A network fee is the blockchain transaction cost paid to validators or miners when cryptocurrency is moved.

Settlement

Settlement is the process of moving accepted payment value into a merchant balance, wallet, or treasury workflow.

Underpayment

An underpayment occurs when a customer sends less cryptocurrency than the invoice requires.

Overpayment

An overpayment occurs when a customer sends more cryptocurrency than the invoice requires.

Blockchain Confirmation

A blockchain confirmation is evidence that a transaction has been included in a block and followed by additional blocks.

BTCPay Server

BTCPay Server is an open-source, self-hosted payment processor often used by Bitcoin-first merchants.

Stablecoin

A stablecoin is a crypto asset designed to track another asset, commonly a fiat currency such as the US dollar.