REAL8 Gateway, the WooCommerce plugin that lets an online store accept REAL8, is now listed in the official WordPress plugin directory. Any WooCommerce store can install it from Plugins > Add New by searching for “REAL8 Gateway”, and updates arrive through WordPress itself, like any other plugin. The listing is at https://wordpress.org/plugins/real8-gateway/ and the current version is 4.6.2.
What it is
REAL8 Gateway adds a payment method called “Pay with REAL8” to a WooCommerce checkout, both the classic checkout and the Checkout block. When a customer picks it, the store quotes the order total in REAL8 at the current REAL8/USD price, shows a payment address and a unique memo, and waits. The customer sends the REAL8 from any Stellar wallet that supports text memos. The store checks the Stellar network through Horizon, matches the payment by its memo, and marks the order paid. No one in the middle holds the money: the REAL8 goes straight from the customer’s account to the merchant’s.
The plugin never asks for a private key. It only needs the merchant’s public Stellar address, and it tells the merchant on the settings page whether that account exists, is funded and has a REAL8 trustline.
It is free and open source under the GPL, and the code is public at https://github.com/REAL8-crypto/real8-gateway.
How a payment works
- The customer chooses “Pay with REAL8” at checkout.
- The store converts the USD total to REAL8 at the current price, with a small configurable buffer, and locks the amount for a payment window of 30 minutes by default.
- The customer sends that amount with the memo shown, from the REAL8 Wallet or any other Stellar wallet. On a desktop screen the store shows a QR code; the same details also go into the order email.
- The store sees the payment on the Stellar network and confirms the order on its own, usually within a minute or two of the transaction.
Merchants can optionally turn on the hosted REAL8 Wallet redirect, which takes the customer to app.real8.org with every field prefilled. It is off by default and needs a credential from the REAL8 Project.
What it is for
- Selling to REAL8 holders. Any store priced in US dollars, physical goods, digital downloads, services, can take REAL8 without changing anything else about how it works.
- Cross-border sales. A Stellar payment settles in a few seconds for a network fee of a fraction of a cent, whatever the countries involved, so a store can sell to customers abroad without card acquiring, chargebacks or a payment processor’s approval.
- Associations and projects. Memberships, event tickets or contributions sold as WooCommerce products can be paid in REAL8 the same way.
- The REAL8 ecosystem. Merchants who receive REAL8 can keep it, spend it with REAL8 Pay, or exchange it on the Stellar decentralized exchange, all from the same wallet.
What it does not do
The plugin handles one-time payments. It does not debit subscription renewals automatically, and it does not send refunds on the chain: a refund is a manual transfer from the merchant’s wallet. This version works in stores priced in USD and accepts REAL8 only.
Requirements
WordPress 6.5 or later, WooCommerce 8.3 or later, PHP 7.4 or later, a store currency of USD, and a Stellar account with a REAL8 trustline and enough XLM for the network’s reserves. Setup takes a few minutes: install, enter the public address, enable the method.
Where to get it and get help
- The plugin page: https://wordpress.org/plugins/real8-gateway/
- Source code and issue tracker: https://github.com/REAL8-crypto/real8-gateway
- Setup help and FAQ at ProWoos, the WooCommerce agency that develops the plugin with the REAL8 Project: https://prowoos.com/en/support/real8-gateway/
REAL8 is a crypto-asset on the Stellar network. Before accepting or holding it, read the MiCA legal notice at https://real8.org/en/mica-notice/.