Facing a problem is never fun. This document explains the most common workflow and steps you should take to easier identify the issue you're having and hopefully solve it yourself or with community help.
Identifying the problem is crucial.
First and foremost, try to determine when the issue happens. Try to replicate the problem. If you think it will describe your issue better, take a screenshot.
Logs can provide an essential piece of information. In the next few paragraphs, we will describe how to get the log information for various parts of BTCPay.
Since the v1.0.3.8, you can easily access BTCPay Server logs from the front-end. If you are a server admin, go to Server Settings > Logs and open the logs file. If you don't know what a particular error in the logs means, make sure to mention it when troubleshooting.
Use the following if you're having a problem with the Lightning Network.
There are a few ways to access your LND logs when using Docker.
sudo su -
docker ps
Find the LND container ID.
docker logs 'add your container ID here'
alternatively, use this
docker logs --tail 40 btcpayserver_lnd_bitcoin
If for any reason you need more logs
sudo su -
cd /var/lib/docker/volumes/generated_lnd_bitcoin_datadir/_data/logs/bitcoin/mainnet/
inside that directory do ls
You will see something like lnd.log lnd.log.13 lnd.log.15 lnd.log.16.gz lnd.log.17.gz
To access uncompressed logs of those logs do cat lnd.log or if you want another one, use cat lnd.log.15
To access compressed logs in .gzip use gzip -d lnd.log.16.gz (in this case we're accessing lnd.log.16.gz)
This should give you a new file, where you can do cat lnd.log.16
In case the above does not work, you may need to use install gzip first sudo apt-get install gzip
sudo su -
docker ps
Find the c-lightning container ID.
docker logs 'add your container ID here'
alternatively, use this
docker logs --tail 40 btcpayserver_clightning_bitcoin
You can also get log information with c-lightning cli command.
bitcoin-lightning-cli.sh getlog
Even though setups differ, the chances that someone else experienced the same issue as yours are pretty high. Take a few moments, Google around and see if you can solve it yourself.
We try to document the most common issues on the Frequently Asked Questions page. Take a look there and see if your question is recorded.
When there's an advanced technical issue, users usually open an issue on GitHub. Take a look at the BTCPay GitHub repository and browse search the closed issues.
Mattermost chat platform is great for similar issues, other users experienced before you. On the top right-hand corner, click on the search and enter your query.
If you're unable to solve the problem yourself, do not worry. There's an amid community ready to help you.
The better you describe the problem, the higher are the chances of getting a timely fix. Be concise and provide as much relevant information as possible. Be sure to include the version you're using and describe your BTCPay Deployment Setup. Try to explain what you're trying to do and what's the issue. If you can provide the logs. If you think it's relevant, feel free to include a screenshot.
Here's a good example of how to ask a question.
I'm having a problem with XYZ. I can replicate the problem. My BTCPay version is 0.100.31, and I deployed my server on Digital Ocean by following Docker deployment guide. I've searched through the FAQ and closed GitHub issues, but there's no solution to my problem. My BTCPay Setup is XYZ, and the issue is occurring when I do XYZ. Here are the logs I was able to get from my BTCPay instance. You can see the error in the image I attached.
For quick answers to fundamental problems, it's best to post a question in #support channel on BTCPay Mattermost.
If you have a custom build setup and are facing a complex problem, open an issue on GitHub so that developers can help you out.
Some community members provide paid support. If you want a quicker help, check out the list of members providing premium support.
If you're facing a technical problem with your Lightning Network implementation, you may want to ask questions in their respective communities.
- c-lightning GitHub
- #lightning-dev on IRC