How to Build
an x402
Paywall
From 2-minute Docker proxies to MCP server monetization — every resource you need to ship your first HTTP 402 payment gate, ranked by quality and ordered for learning.
The fastest path to a working x402 paywall is a Docker container and a Base Sepolia wallet — up and running in under 2 minutes without touching your existing app code. But the deepest implementations rely on a facilitator (Coinbase, Thirdweb, Corbits) to abstract all on-chain logic so your server only calls settlePayment(). The critical decision is facilitator vs. native: facilitators ship faster and support multi-chain; native gives you full control but requires you to verify Solana or EVM transactions yourself. Start with the Docker proxy, then graduate to Next.js + Thirdweb for your first production build.
A 2-minute end-to-end demo of a Docker container that paywalls any HTTP resource — dashboard, website, or app — without modifying the underlying code. Shows wallet connection, gasless payment on Base Sepolia, and JWT token issuance for timed access. The fastest proof-of-concept you can run.
The highest-quality tutorial in this set. Builds a complete payment-gated API from scratch in Next.js using Thirdweb's x402 facilitator. Explains the two-step flow (402 response → retry with X-PAYMENT header), the verify/settle architecture, and demonstrates the full checkout UX with network logs. Best for understanding how x402 actually works under the hood.
settlePayment() and checks the resultwrapFetchWithPayment() on the client automatically handles the 402 → payment loop, no manual retry code needed
A hands-on mobile demo of a self-built x402 paywall using React, Solana, and Phantom wallet — with no facilitator. Shows the complete transaction lifecycle from blockhash signing to on-chain content unlock. Valuable for understanding the raw protocol mechanics before abstracting them away with a facilitator service.
The only video targeting AI agent monetization specifically. A full Go code-along for adding x402 to an MCP server using the mcpgo-x402 package — including mixing free and paid tools in the same server, and building an x402-aware agent client with spending controls. Verified on BaseScan at the end.
RequireUSDCBase(payToAddress, 10000, "desc") — 10000 = $0.01 USDC (6 decimals)
The deepest technical explainer in this set. Covers the full x402 protocol architecture on Solana with both facilitator-mediated and native self-verified implementations. Includes live demos of a $0.01 paywalled image, a $0.02/min music generation API, and an AI image-animation Twitter bot. Best for understanding the complete ecosystem landscape.