
In simple English
This software helps financial companies connect to the Interledger network. It lets users send and receive money across different payment systems smoothly. The system tracks balances and manages security permissions for third-party apps. It is meant for regulated businesses, not solo builders or casual users. Running it requires dedicated servers and careful financial compliance.
What it is
Rafiki is an open-source Interledger service built for financial service providers. It includes an accounting backend, API gateways, and authorization servers to handle web payments.
What it is good for
Financial institutions that want to offer Interledger protocol features to their account holders will find this helpful. It removes the need to build a cross-border payment routing engine from scratch.
- Includes a high-throughput accounting database for fast financial tracking.
- Provides complete API support for admin controls and open payments.
- Certified as a digital public good with active community backing.
- Strictly intended for regulated entities and not casual use.
- Requires Docker (a way to run a program inside its own sealed box, so it cannot break anything else on your server) and Node.js to operate.
- Complex multi-service architecture demands high ongoing maintenance effort.
custom payment routing engines
Docker
- hledgerorg/hledger4.8k stars
Double-entry accounting over plain text files, with command-line, terminal, web and editor interfaces.
- akaunting/akaunting10k stars
Self-hosted invoicing and expense tracking, with the double-entry accounting sold separately as an add-on.
- ledger/ledger6.1k stars
Double-entry accounting from a plain text file, run from the command line, with no database of any kind.
git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/interledger/rafiki.git cd rafiki nvm install nvm use corepack enable pnpm i