Cowrie Research

btc-map-primary-sources-2026-05-01

4 min read

BTC Map primary-source snapshot

Fetched: 2026-05-01 UTC

1) Official homepage

Source: https://btcmap.org/

Selected excerpts from the official site:

We use OpenStreetMap to tag places that accept bitcoin and we display those merchants in our beautiful apps.

Our apps and the underlying data are free and open-source.

Additional signals from the homepage:

  • The homepage is unusually clear that BTC Map is layered on top of OpenStreetMap rather than pretending to own the underlying map substrate
  • The phrase “apps and the underlying data” matters because it shows the project thinks of itself as both a user interface and a data-maintenance effort
  • Even the sparse homepage strongly suggests BTC Map is infrastructure for merchant-discovery data, not only a static website

2) Project wiki home

Source: https://gitea.btcmap.org/teambtcmap/btcmap-general/wiki

Selected excerpts from the official wiki:

This wiki contains more detailed content related to tagging merchants, on-boarding merchants and using our APIs.

API Overview

Repos

btcmap-api — API and OSM data-sync

btcmap.org — Web App (PWA)

Additional signals from the source:

  • The wiki gives a much clearer picture of BTC Map’s operating surface than the homepage alone: tagging, merchant support, community administration, APIs, and multi-repo app distribution
  • The explicit “API and OSM data-sync” description is a strong clue that this is a data operations project, not just a map frontend
  • The dedicated merchant/tagging documentation suggests BTC Map packages ongoing workflow infrastructure around acceptance data quality

3) API overview wiki page

Source: https://gitea.btcmap.org/teambtcmap/btcmap-general/wiki/API-Overview

Selected excerpts from the official wiki:

We have two APIs:

REST API - a read-only restful API that returns data on a variety of primitives, including elements (merchants), areas (countries and communities), reports and users.

RPC API - a combination of read and write RPCs that enables clients to request data AND write data to the BTC Map API.

Additional signals from the source:

  • The REST/RPC split is one of the clearest categorization clues: BTC Map operates both a public data-distribution surface and a more administrative mutation surface
  • The domain model (elements, areas, reports, users) reveals a more structured system than a simple merchant list

4) API repository README

Source: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/teambtcmap/btcmap-api/master/README.md

Selected excerpts from the public repo:

BTC Map API

The API needs a database to serve data.

Test it with: curl http://localhost:8000/v2/areas

Additional signals from the source:

  • The API repo shows a real backend with local development, database sync, tests, deployment helpers, and schema generation, not a thin wrapper around third-party data
  • The explicit production-database sync tooling reinforces that maintaining merchant/community data is a core project responsibility

5) API docs README

Source: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/teambtcmap/btcmap-api/master/docs/README.md

Selected excerpts from the public docs:

This documentation describes the BTC Map API, including available interfaces and usage guidelines.

REST – An HTTP-based API used by all BTC Map client apps.

Supports incremental sync (caching recommended where applicable).

Additional signals from the source:

  • The client-app dependency on the REST API makes BTC Map look like a shared backend for multiple distribution surfaces, not a single website
  • Incremental sync guidance is a strong sign of a serious data-delivery system with practical bandwidth/state concerns

6) Web app repository README

Source: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/teambtcmap/btcmap.org/master/README.md

Selected excerpts from the public repo:

BTC Map Web App

This website is a progressive web app, meaning you can install it on your mobile device and use it like a native application.

For information on how to embed the BTC Map web map onto your own website or application please reference our Wiki.

Additional signals from the source:

  • PWA installation and embedding support make BTC Map look more like a reusable merchant-discovery surface than a closed website
  • The README also shows local development against the separate API service, reinforcing the project’s layered architecture

7) March 2026 monthly update

Source: https://blog.btcmap.org/posts/2026-03/

Selected excerpts from the first-party blog:

Total Bitcoin-accepting places: 24,146 → 25,181 (+1,035 +4.3%)

We now have 650+ Communities scattered across the planet.

The API saw major expansion in March with 49 commits:

New REST v4 endpoints: activity, top communities, top countries, top editors, and users endpoints.

Additional signals from the source:

  • The monthly update is an excellent primary source because it ties adoption metrics directly to product and infrastructure work
  • The project’s self-reporting on apps, APIs, localization, and contributor workflows makes it clear BTC Map is an actively maintained operational platform
  • The mention of 25k+ places and 650+ communities is helpful scale evidence, even if those figures should be understood as project-reported metrics rather than independently audited counts

Notes

  • BTC Map appears best cataloged as Bitcoin merchant-discovery data infrastructure / OpenStreetMap-based merchant directory / community mapping control plane.
  • The strongest categorization clue is the combination of OpenStreetMap tagging, public verification/support workflows, multi-app distribution, and a dedicated API/data-sync backend.
  • No canonical BTC Map whitepaper or litepaper surfaced in this pass.

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