Stellara is a privacy-focused AI-powered invoicing platform built on the Stellar blockchain. Designed for freelancers and small businesses, it enables effortless invoice creation and seamless cryptocurrency payments while prioritising user privacy and security.

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Key Features
• Project Structure
• Getting Started
  • Prerequisites
  • Deployment
  • Backend Setup
  • Frontend Launch
• Authentication
• Development Commands
• Recommended Integrations
• Technology Stack
• Future Enhancements
• Contributing
• License
• Acknowledgments

Overview

Stellara combines AI-assisted invoice generation with secure, on-chain payment processing on Stellar. A lightweight Soroban smart contract acts as a PaymentRouter, routing funds to merchants and emitting events for reliable off-chain reconciliation. This ensures fast, low-cost transactions with a strong emphasis on privacy—no unnecessary data collection, passwordless authentication, and user-controlled identities.

Target users: Freelancers and small businesses seeking efficient, crypto-native invoicing without compromising privacy.

Key Features

• AI-Assisted Invoicing: Generate professional invoices via an intuitive, responsive UI powered by AI suggestions.
• Passwordless Authentication: Wallet-based sign-in using Stellar accounts for secure, decentralized access.
• Crypto Payments: Native support for XLM and USDC via the PaymentRouter contract.
• Real-Time Reconciliation: Backend event listeners track payments instantly for accurate accounting.
• Privacy-First Design: Minimal data storage, compliant with data protection best practices.

Project Structure

The monorepo is structured for streamlined development:

.
├── webapp/          # Next.js 14 frontend application
├── backend/         # NestJS API for auth, invoices, and payment handling
├── contracts/       # Rust smart contracts (Soroban PaymentRouter)
├── soroban/         # Soroban CLI configuration and scripts
├── docs/            # Additional documentation
├── .github/         # CI/CD workflows and issue templates
├── README.md        # This file
└── LICENSE          # MIT License

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js ≥ 18
• Package manager: npm or pnpm
• Stellar wallet: Freighter or Coinbase Wallet
• Testnet XLM: Request from Stellar Laboratory Faucet

Deployment

1. Deploy PaymentRouter Contract

Environment Setup (soroban/.env):

SECRET_KEY="YOUR_DEPLOYER_SECRET_KEY"
NETWORK=PASSPHRASE_TESTNET  # PASSPHRASE_PROD for mainnet
RPC_URL=https://soroban-testnet.stellar.org

Compile and Deploy:

cd soroban
cargo install --git https://github.com/stellar/rs-soroban-env soroban-cli
soroban contract build
soroban contract deploy \
  --wasm target/soroban/wasm32-unknown-unknown/release/payment_router.wasm \
  --source YOUR_DEPLOYER_SECRET_KEY \
  --network testnet \
  --permission-set-name Admin

Record the contract ID.

Demo Transaction:

export CONTRACT_ID=CD...  # Deployed contract ID
export MERCHANT_ADDRESS=G...  # Merchant public key
soroban contract invoke \
  --id $CONTRACT_ID \
  --source YOUR_PAYER_SECRET_KEY \
  --network testnet \
  pay --merchant $MERCHANT_ADDRESS --amount 10.0

View on Stellar Expert.

Event Emitted:

PaymentReceived(invoice_id: String, payer: Address, token: AssetCode, merchant: Address, amount: u128)

2. Backend Setup

Environment (backend/.env):

STELLAR_RPC_URL=https://soroban-testnet.stellar.org
STELLAR_NETWORK=testnet
STELLAR_CONTRACT_ID=CD...
STELLAR_USDC_ASSET=USDC:GB...  # Testnet issuer
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://...
JWT_SECRET=...

Run:

cd backend
npm install
npx prisma generate
npx prisma migrate dev
npm run start:dev

The StellarWatcherService handles:

• PaymentReceived events
• Asset transfers (USDC)
• Direct XLM payments

3. Frontend Launch

cd webapp
npm install
npm run dev

Visit http://localhost:3000.

Payment flows:

• XLM: router.pay(merchant, invoiceId, amount)
• USDC: Trust asset, then router.pay_asset(issuer, code, merchant, amount, invoiceId)

Authentication

• Signature-based wallet flows via @stellar/freighter-api.
• Self-sovereign identities tied to Stellar accounts.
• Zero-knowledge proofs for optional verification.

Development Commands

Component	Command	Description
Frontend	npm run dev	Start dev server
	npm run build	Production build
	npm run start	Serve production app
Backend	npm run start:dev	Dev mode with hot reload
	npm run test	Run unit tests
	npm run test:e2e	End-to-end tests
Contracts	soroban contract build	Compile
	soroban contract deploy ...	Deploy
	soroban contract invoke ...	Test invocations

Recommended Integrations

• Federated Addresses: Resolve readable names with Stellar SDK; fallback to truncated keys.
• Account Creation: Use SDK for frictionless onboarding; integrate Freighter for connections.

Document integrations in submissions with screenshots and links to demo addresses.

Technology Stack

• Frontend: Next.js 14, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS (neumorphic theme)
• UI: Radix UI, shadcn/ui
• Backend: NestJS, Prisma (PostgreSQL)
• Blockchain: Soroban CLI, Stellar SDK (Rust)
• Other: AI via OpenAI API (configurable)

Future Enhancements

• Full CRUD for invoices and client portals
• Advanced AI analytics and suggestions
• Multi-asset/fiat support
• Reporting dashboards
• Automated PDF exports and notifications

Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please adhere to our guidelines:

1. Fork the repository.
2. Create a feature branch: git checkout -b feature/your-feature.
3. Commit: git commit -m "feat: describe changes".
4. Push: git push origin feature/your-feature.
5. Open a Pull Request with detailed description.

See CONTRIBUTING.md for more details. Report issues via GitHub.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see LICENSE for details.

Acknowledgments

• Stellar – Fast, inclusive blockchain
• Next.js – React framework
• Tailwind CSS – Utility-first CSS
• Radix UI – Accessible components
• Soroban – Smart contracts on Stellar

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