Delegated Responsibility
Each layer does one job and relies on the others to do theirs, which keeps every part simple.
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Interledger Tech
An open technology stack for connected payments.
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Interledger technology lets banks, wallets, and financial institutions connect through shared standards, open protocols, and open-source tools built for real-world integration.
Today’s payment systems run on separate networks, different rules, and disconnected infrastructure. Each new connection means custom integrations, separate agreements, and ongoing coordination, rebuilt from scratch every time. Interledger replaces that with one open protocol and a shared set of standards, so systems can work together without rebuilding integrations every time.
The Interledger Stack
Interledger is a stack of open protocols that work in layers, modeled on the architecture of the internet. Each layer has one delegated responsibility and knows how to communicate with the layers directly above and below it. That structure is what makes the technology adaptable, because a layer can be improved or replaced without disrupting the others.
Application Protocols (Open Payments and Simple Payments Setup Protocol)
Define how an application arranges a payment with an account: requesting it, quoting the amount and any fees, and getting the payer’s approval.
Transport Protocols (STREAM)
Breaks a payment into packets, encrypts and sends them across ILP, and reassembles them reliably at the other end.
The Interledger Protocol (ILP)
Routes value across those systems. It works out where a payment needs to go and passes it on, without needing to know what sits underneath.
Link Layer Protocols
Provide two-way authenticated communication between account holders or their financial service providers.
Ledgers and Payment Systems
The base of the stack: the banks, wallets, and mobile money services that hold accounts and move funds. Settlement happens outside of Interledger, allowing for increased competition and no vendor lock-in.
Rafiki is the open-source implementation that brings these layers together, so a regulated financial institution can adopt the whole stack without building each part itself.
Web Monetization is the open web standard for browser-native payments and micropayments, made possible by ILP. It uses the Application Layer protocols to make these payments.
Why it is Built This Way
Clean Interfaces
A layer only needs to understand the concepts of the layers directly above and below it, not the whole system.
Interchangeability
Layers can be swapped without disrupting the rest. A new ledger technology at the base, or a new application at the top, works without changing the protocol in the middle.
Modularity and Scale
Because the pieces are independent, the stack can grow and adapt over time while the core stays stable.
Try it and build
All our tech is open source, with full documentation available, so there’s nothing stopping you from trying it out. Here are some key links, if you’re interested.
Experiment with test money and mock payment flows
Go to Test ToolsLinks to all our GitHub Repos and documentation sites
Visit Developers PortalCheck out our free Open Payments learning resources
Learn Open PaymentsOur Tech in Practice
As a grantmaking organization, we support and fund those who want to experiment with and implement all or part of the infrastructure stack. We also support the wider ecosystem exploring open payments as a means to furthering financial access, adoption, and agency.
In Mexico, the People’s Clearinghouse is building infrastructure to support interoperability across more than 140 credit unions, alongside a direct remittance corridor from the United States, letting credit unions participate in broader financial networks using the systems they already run.
At the University of Cape Town, one of our NextGen Higher Education grantees, student teams built DigiStokvel and SecureLifeCover at a hackathon, prototypes bringing digital interoperability to South Africa’s traditional community savings market.
Two Ways to Build with Us
You can build on Interledger on your own, using the open documentation, repositories, test tools, and with support from the community. You can also build with support: the Interledger Foundation funds teams and institutions integrating the Interledger stack or implementing Open Payments through its grant programs.