Nanotip: accept Lightning donations with a tip jar

Understand the project

Practical overview

Use Nanotip when you can operate Lightning Charge and want a focused web interface for accepting Lightning donations through its checkout.

Generate Lightning invoices for donations through Lightning Charge.
Serve a web tip jar with a configurable title and theme.
Set the checkout’s public URL and redirect users to a thank-you page after payment.

Before you choose

Nanotip depends on a separately configured Lightning Charge server and requires its access token.
The Lightning Charge checkout server must be publicly accessible to tip users.
The CLI includes settings for the charge server URL, public checkout URL, title, theme, web-server port and thank-you redirect.
The project identifies its license as MIT.

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

Start Nanotip with a Lightning Charge connection and configure the public checkout address when needed.

Install Nanotip globally with the command below.
Documented command
```
npm install -g nanotip
```
Start it with nanotipd --charge-token , specifying --charge-url if the Lightning Charge server is not at the default URL.
If the public checkout address differs from the server URL used for communication, set --charge-public-url.

Nanotip starts a web server for a Lightning tip jar that uses Lightning Charge’s checkout.

Lightning Charge must be publicly accessible to tip users.
This setup guidance does not document a payment execution or verification procedure.

Evidence and transparency

Source record details

Source availability: Active
Sources checked: 17 October 2026
Original website title: ElementsProject/nanotip · Official homepage title · retained in its source language