Request for Architectural & Integration Recommendations: Optimal Bitcoin Payment Stack for Atomic Shared-Table Settlements in Hospitality (Laravel + Vue.js + Flutter Stack)

[cswaqaas]

Description:

Hello Bitcoin Dev Community,

We're currently planning to integrate Bitcoin payments into our multi-platform application and would highly appreciate expert guidance on the most suitable model, architecture, and service provider based on our use case.

Problem Statement

We operate a shared-table reservation platform with these technical constraints:

• Backend: Laravel 10 (REST API, Stripe-based payments already implemented)
• Mobile App: Flutter (Dart) (Android/iOS)
• Admin Dashboard: Vue.js 3 with Quasar Framework
• Critical Requirement: 8-hour payment confirmation window before bookings expire
• Existing integrations: Stripe (fiat), but Bitcoin-native flow required for crypto settlements.

Use Case Overview:

We operate a live platform, where users can book shared club tables with friends or strangers via an app. Our system supports:

• Users creating shared tables (table owners)
• Other users joining that table (approved by the owner)
• Once the group is full, each member pays individually before 8 hours from the table booking time
• Payment confirmation triggers booking finalization and group chat creation
• The goal is to allow users to pay in Bitcoin as an optional method in this shared-table context.

Desired Bitcoin Payment Behavior:

• Each user (owner or joiner) clicks “Pay with Bitcoin.”
• The system generates a unique payment invoice (ideally on-chain, with QR/address)
• Wait for blockchain confirmation or webhook notification
• Booking marked as paid once confirmed
• Final group chat enabled once all members pay

Key Questions & Areas Where We Need Advice:

1. Recommended Bitcoin Payment Services or Gateways

• Which service fits our use case best among:

     **BTCPay Server, OpenNode, BitPay, CoinGate, NOWPayments, Coinbase Commerce,** or others?
  

• We require REST APIs, webhooks, optional BTC-to-fiat conversion, and QR/invoice generation.

2. Recommended Architecture

• Should we self-host something like BTCPay Server?
• Should we use custodial solutions like OpenNode for simplicity and fiat conversion?
• What are the security, reliability, and cost trade-offs for our type of use case?

3. Best Integration Model

• Hosted invoices? Embedded widgets? Payment buttons?
• Web3 wallet integrations? (we’d prefer avoiding browser extension dependency.)
• Can Flutter apps (esp. mobile) cleanly open the payment flow or require a custom WebView?

4. Real-time Payment Confirmation

• Best way to detect on-chain confirmation in Laravel
• How to avoid delayed confirmations without relying on custodial callbacks?
• Should we consider Lightning Network for speed?

5. Best Practices for Handling Bitcoin in a Shared Payment Flow

• Given multiple people are paying into a group booking, should we:
• Generate unique wallets per user/booking?
• Create a shared “vault” address and reconcile off-chain?
• Use a service that abstracts all that?

6. Legal/Compliance Concerns

• What are the key considerations for a European-based platform accepting BTC via third-party gateways?
• Do we need additional KYC or AML checks if we just act as a pass-through?

Final Thoughts:

We’re developers, not crypto experts, and while we’ve successfully implemented Stripe-based payments, this is our first Bitcoin integration. We're seeking battle-tested guidance from the Bitcoin community to avoid common mistakes, choose the right provider/approach, and build a reliable, scalable integration for this unique “group payment” flow.

Thank you in advance for any advice or experiences you can share.