Design Philosophy
FX402 was designed around three guiding principles: simplicity, interoperability, and freedom of implementation.
It aims to make digital assets more usable, not just ownable — transforming how creators and agents exchange value online.
🧩 1. Simplicity over Complexity
FX402 uses the HTTP 402 status code, not a new blockchain protocol.
If you can serve a website, you can serve an FX402 resource.
- Payments are JSON-defined, no custom ABI or RPC calls required.
- Clients just “pay, retry, and unlock.”
- Developers can integrate it in minutes via SDKs or plain HTTP.
🔗 2. Interoperable by Default
FX402 doesn’t force one chain, token, or wallet.
It’s chain-agnostic, using x402 as a universal payment wrapper.
- Works across Solana, Base, and other L2s with minimal change.
- Supports any payment medium that can produce verifiable proofs.
- Receipts are JSON or JWT, readable by any app or API.
This design ensures composability with both Web2 infrastructure and Web3 ecosystems.
🤝 3. Trust-Light, Not Trustless
Full enforcement isn’t always needed.
FX402 starts as an honor system — payments create receipts, not smart contract locks.
Developers can add enforcement later using:
- Facilitators for payment verification
- Signed JWTs for short-lived gated content
- Smart contracts for high-value rentals
The protocol scales from casual meme licensing to enterprise ticketing without changing its core flow.
🌍 4. Open, Extensible, and Neutral
- Open format → JSON-based, easy to extend
- Extensible schemas → define new usage modes or currencies
- Neutral governance → no centralized registry required
The vision:
Any digital file on the internet can declare its rental terms —
and anyone can pay to use it, for as long as they need.