Understand the project
Practical overview
When it fits
Use Bisq when you want a peer-to-peer route for trading bitcoin against national currencies or other digital assets, with multisignature escrow and a human arbitration process.
Who it is for
- People seeking to trade bitcoin for national currencies through a peer-to-peer exchange.
- People seeking to exchange bitcoin for other digital assets.
- Developers interested in contributing to an AGPL-3.0 Java project.
Documented uses
- Exchange bitcoin for national currencies.
- Trade bitcoin for other digital assets.
- Use a trading process that combines multisignature escrow with human dispute arbitration.
Before you choose
Requirements & limits
- The project describes trading as peer-to-peer and non-custodial, rather than relying on a third-party custodian.
- Multisignature escrow and human arbitration are part of the described trade and dispute workflow.
- The repository identifies Java as its primary language and AGPL-3.0 as its license.
Check current requirements in the official documentation. Source-based guidance does not mean OpenViST has run or independently tested this project.
Source-based practical guide
Find Bisq’s step-by-step getting-started instructions
Locate the official instructions for getting started with Bisq.
Steps
Open the Bisq repository README.
Follow its link to https://bisq.network/get-started.
Use the step-by-step instructions on that page for the getting-started process.
Expected outcome
You reach the official getting-started instructions for Bisq.
Guide limitations
- The repository README does not specify the steps on the getting-started page.
Evidence and transparency
Sources & review
Source record details
- Source availability
- Active
- Sources checked
- 13 October 2026
- Original website title
- bisq-network/bisq · Official homepage title · retained in its source language