# Introduction

Welcome to the **DotSwap Developer Documentation** — your gateway to building on the leading decentralized exchange infrastructure for **Bitcoin-native assets**.

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## What is DotSwap?

DotSwap is a trustless, non-custodial trading protocol built specifically for the Bitcoin ecosystem. By leveraging **Partially Signed Bitcoin Transactions (PSBTs)**, **multi-signature wallets**, and **UTXO-based liquidity models**, DotSwap empowers users to swap Bitcoin-native assets directly — without wrapped tokens, centralized custodians, or smart contracts.

At its core is **DotSwap Nexus**, a coordination layer and liquidity aggregator that enables self-hosted market makers to contribute to a unified order flow while retaining full control of their funds.

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## What Can Developers Do?

DotSwap offers a robust, modular developer stack for integrating, building, and contributing to Bitcoin-native DeFi:

| Use Case                       | Description                                                                 |
| ------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Run a Nexus Node**           | Set up your own node to act as a liquidity provider or custom market maker. |
| **Market Making API**          | Programmatically manage your liquidity intentions and trading strategies.   |
| **Swap Integration**           | Integrate swap capabilities into your dApp, wallet, or frontend.            |
| **Custom Protocol Extensions** | Build on top of DotSwap primitives (e.g. LP pools, channels, limit orders). |
| **Query APIs**                 | Access pool data, trading history, and swap quotes via open endpoints.      |

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## Tools & Resources

* **Open-source SDKs** for JavaScript and TypeScript
* **RESTful APIs** for pool data, quotes, and swap generation
* **Dockerized node templates** for rapid Nexus deployment
* **Signature templates** for handling PSBT signing flows
* **GitBook Docs** for architecture, flows, and examples

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## System Requirements

Running a Nexus node requires:

* A public IP address or domain
* A server or VPS with Docker installed
* Bitcoin Core node (recommended in pruned mode)
* Basic familiarity with JSON and HTTP APIs

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## Join the Ecosystem

Whether you’re building a wallet, launching a token, or operating a market-making bot, DotSwap provides the tools and primitives to innovate securely on Bitcoin. With a growing ecosystem and developer-first focus, we invite you to:

* Fork our open-source templates
* Launch your liquidity strategy
* Extend DotSwap with your own logic
* Contribute to protocol improvement proposals

Telegram: <https://t.me/DotSwapGroup>

Discord: <https://discord.gg/HR8hksbcQs>