I Built a Pay-Per-Call Crypto Signal API with x402 — Here's the Architecture

TL;DR: I shipped a live crypto signal API where every call costs $0.01 in USDC. No subscriptions, no API keys, no signup friction. Just pay-per-call on Base mainnet. Here's how it works.

The Problem with API Monetization

Every developer who's tried to monetize an API hits the same wall:

Stripe integration = weeks of work + KYC + chargeback risk