Mapping Bitcoin is an open-source platform that maps Bitcoin-accepting businesses worldwide, providing a comprehensive, multilingual directory for finding places to spend bitcoin in the physical world. Founded in 2024 by Leon Acosta, it integrates data from OpenStreetMap and other sources to create a real-time view of Bitcoin merchant adoption globally.
Overview
The platform addresses a fundamental question for Bitcoin users: "Where can I spend bitcoin near me?" By aggregating merchant data from multiple sources and presenting it through an intuitive map interface, Mapping Bitcoin makes the growing Bitcoin merchant ecosystem discoverable and accessible.
The site is available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, reflecting the importance of Latin America in Bitcoin's adoption story -- a region where monetary instability has made the case for Bitcoin particularly compelling, as explored in Lyn Alden's Broken Money and exemplified by Wences Casares's personal experience. It includes detailed merchant listings organized by country, city, and category, with support for both on-chain Bitcoin and Lightning Network payments.
Features
- Global merchant map with real-time data from OpenStreetMap
- Multilingual directory (English, Spanish, Portuguese) with localized URLs
- Category filtering -- restaurants, shops, ATMs, services, and more
- Lightning payment support -- identifies merchants accepting Lightning via BTCPay Server, LNbits, and other processors
- Knowledge base -- an encyclopedia of the Bitcoin ecosystem (organizations, projects, people, books, events)
- Open-source -- the entire codebase is publicly available
Technical Architecture
Mapping Bitcoin is built with Next.js and TypeScript, using server-side rendering for SEO and performance. It processes OpenStreetMap data to identify and categorize Bitcoin-accepting businesses, maintaining a continuously updated directory. The platform supports structured data (JSON-LD) for search engines and implements full internationalization with localized slugs.
Significance
As Bitcoin adoption grows, the need for discovery tools becomes critical. Mapping Bitcoin serves both Bitcoin users looking for places to spend and merchants looking for visibility. By making Bitcoin's merchant ecosystem visible and searchable, the project contributes to the flywheel of adoption: more visible merchants attract more Bitcoin users, which attracts more merchants. The project is rooted in the La Crypta community's ethos of building practical, open-source tools for real-world Bitcoin adoption.
External Links
References
- Leon Acosta -- founder
- Lightning Network -- payment technology supported by the platform
- BTCPay Server -- payment processor integrated with many listed merchants
- La Crypta -- community connected to the project
- Nostr Web of Trust -- sister project by the same founder
- Strike -- Lightning payments company whose users benefit from merchant discovery