We are releasing BTCPay Server 2.4.5, another security hardening update that continues our work to strengthen the codebase.
Alongside the release, we are simplifying our standard Docker deployment and retiring Docker integrations that no longer have the maintenance or usage needed to keep them supported.
# What's new in BTCPay Server 2.4.5
BTCPay Server 2.4.5 adds security hardening around Lightning and LNURL, along with performance improvements that make invoices faster to generate. See the full release notes (opens new window) for all changes.
We recommend that all server administrators update (opens new window). For a standard Docker installation, go to Server Settings > Maintenance > Update. If you rely on Tor or an integration listed below, review the deployment changes before updating.
# BTCPay Server Docker deployment
BTCPay Server's Docker deployment has accumulated many optional services over the years. Some were useful experiments, some served projects that are no longer maintained, and others were enabled by default even when most operators did not use them.
During September, we started simplifying that deployment. We removed stale integrations and introduced safer control over public Lightning API routes. With this release, Tor also becomes opt-in.
The goal is to keep the default installation focused, reduce unnecessary containers and public endpoints, and make optional features an explicit choice by the server administrator.
# External Lightning access with btcpay-routes
Following the security hardening in BTCPay Server 2.4.2 (opens new window), the standard Docker deployment stopped exposing LND and Core Lightning APIs publicly by default. Some operators still need these endpoints for tools such as Zeus or other remote node-management software, but editing Nginx configuration manually is difficult to audit and easy to get wrong.
The new btcpay-routes (opens new window) command lets server administrators explicitly manage these optional routes. See the Docker networking documentation (opens new window) for setup instructions and security guidance. Only enable endpoints you need and protect their credentials.
# Tor becomes opt-in
Until now, the core BTCPay Server fragment automatically included Tor. That meant a standard deployment could run it even when its administrator never used it.
Tor remains supported, but is no longer included by default.
Existing deployments also need to select Tor explicitly to keep using it after the next Docker setup or update. Administrators who rely on Tor, including their server's onion address, should, after updating to 2.4.5 enable it with:
sudo btcpay-fragments add opt-add-tor
Existing Tor data is preserved through the current Tor volumes.
Making Tor opt-in reduces the default attack surface and resource use without taking the choice away from operators who rely on it.
# Retiring stale integrations
We also removed integrations whose upstream projects were abandoned, whose packaged versions had become unsafe to maintain, or whose functionality was no longer supported by BTCPay Server.
These removals delete the integration from btcpayserver-docker; they do not delete images already published by their original registries. If your deployment uses one of these fragments, review your migration options before regenerating or updating its Docker configuration.
# Altcoins and obsolete chains
We have always allowed different communities to add integrations to our Docker deployment, including altcoins, as long as they had users and were maintained. Several of these integrations now lack active maintenance and have seen little observed usage, so we are removing them from the supported deployment.
PR #1099 (opens new window) removed stale or unsupported chain integrations and their image references:
- Bitcoin Plus:
chekaz/docker-bitcoinplus:2.7.0 - Trezarcoin:
chekaz/docker-trezarcoin:0.13.0 - Bitcore:
dalijolijo/docker-bitcore:0.90.9.10 - Bitcoin Gold:
kamigawabul/docker-bitcoingold:0.15.2 - Bitcoin Gold LND:
kamigawabul/btglnd:latest - Viacoin:
romanornr/docker-viacoin:0.15.2
The same cleanup removed the old Ethereum configuration because BTCPay Server does not natively support ETH or ERC-20 payments; support for them requires a plugin.
Feathercoin, Groestlcoin and Monacoin remain available for now, but need active maintainers in btcpayserver-docker. Unless maintainers step forward to keep these integrations current by January 24, 2027, we plan to remove them as well.
# Unmaintained infrastructure and wallet tools
- Traefik (opens new window):
traefik:v2.6 - JoinMarket (opens new window):
btcpayserver/joinmarket:0.9.10 - Electrum Personal Server and BWT (opens new window):
btcpayserver/eps:0.2.2andshesek/bwt:0.2.2-electrum - BlueWallet LNDHub, NDLC and Snapdrop (opens new window):
bluewalletorganization/lndhub:v1.4.1, its dedicatedredis:6.2.2-buster,nicolasdorier/ndlc-cli:1.0.1andbtcpayserver/snapdrop:1.2 - BTCTransmuter and BTCPay Server Configurator (opens new window):
btcpayserver/btctransmuter:0.0.59andbtcpayserver/btcpayserver-configurator:0.0.21
ElectrumX remains supported. The obsolete opt-add-nolimits policy fragment was also removed because current Bitcoin Core defaults made it unnecessary.
# Retired web applications
- LibrePatron and Isso (opens new window):
jvandrew/librepatron:0.7.39andjvandrew/isso:atron.22 - Firefly III (opens new window):
fireflyiii/core:latest - Tallycoin Connect (opens new window):
djbooth007/tallycoin_connect:v1.8.0 - Chatwoot (opens new window):
chatwoot/chatwoot:v1.7.0and its dedicatedredis:5.0.2-alpine
Several of these integrations had not received upstream maintenance for years. Others relied on outdated dependencies, mutable images, unsafe shared secrets or incomplete persistent-storage configuration. Continuing to present them as supported options would give operators a false sense of safety.
# A smaller default, with explicit choices
Self-hosting does not mean every feature should run on every server. A smaller default deployment is easier to understand, easier to maintain and exposes fewer components that operators may not know are present.
We will continue to support useful optional services when they have active maintainers and a safe integration path. At the same time, we will keep removing abandoned integrations and turning unnecessary defaults into explicit choices.
# Plugin Builder is open again
In the 2.4.4 release post (opens new window), we disclosed the Plugin Builder server compromise and paused registrations and builds. Registrations and builds are now open again.
Each build now runs in a temporary sandbox, separate from the application and without access to its credentials. Build output is validated before publication. We also added admin audit logs, alerts for new accounts and builds, and a limit of two unfinished builds per account.
For plugin developers: Repositories must be public and use HTTPS on GitHub or GitLab. Builds can only download from GitHub, GitLab and NuGet. Downloads from other sources will fail.
See Build isolation (opens new window) for the full design.
Thank you to everyone contributing fixes, reviewing changes, reporting issues and helping us strengthen BTCPay Server. Special thanks goes to independent security researchers, Project Loupe (opens new window), Prem AI (opens new window), BugBunny AI (opens new window), and Magic Grants (opens new window) who help us with continued scanning and investigation across our codebase.
The BTCPay Server team 💚