Stronghold is a distributed exchange built on the Stellar network. Lumens (XLM) are the digital asset used to transfer value on the Stellar network.

Unlike centralized exchanges, our order book is transparent — both users and non-users can view activity on the Stellar ledger. We built our wallets on the network, so no dealing with pesky memo ID’s. Swapping currencies has never been easier.

This tutorial will go over how to buy Stellar Lumens with Bitcoin.

(To see the full process from USD to XLM, view the updated post on the Stronghold blog)

Login to your Stronghold account.

2. Go to your ‘Wallet’ page. In this example, we will be buying Lumens (XLM) with Bitcoin (BTC), but you can follow the same steps to buy Lumens with Ether (ETH).

3. Click ‘Receive’ by the corresponding asset (in this case, Bitcoin) to bring up your QR code and address to send your Bitcoins to.

4. Copy this address or scan the QR code to transfer funds from your Bitcoin wallet. The minimum deposit is 0.001 Bitcoin.

5. Once your account is funded, go back to your wallet and click ‘Trade’ near the top of the screen. You should see a screen like the one below.

6. Click the “XLM/BTC” market to buy Lumens with Bitcoin (Use XLM/ETH for Ether) and fill out the order form on the right. Click the green ‘Buy’ button to push your order live.

Here is a sample order to buy 100 Lumens. Note that Stellar uses 7 decimal places as opposed to 8 in Bitcoin.

Please note that these are limit orders. This means the trade will only execute if someone is willing to sell at that ask (price) according to the order book.

A quick glance at the order book shows the lowest ask (lowest price someone is willing to sell Lumens) is 0.000001150 BTC.

This leaves two options: place an order at the desired price and hope it gets filled or raise my selling price to the lowest ask.

7. After your order is placed, you will see it in ‘Open Orders’ on your trade page. Your order will remain there until it is filled. Once filled, the funds will appear in your wallet.

You can always view your past orders under “My Trade History” on the “Trade” page.

Remember, if your order remains open and does not get filled, you may need to adjust your price.

If you want your order to execute immediately, raise your price to the lowest ask.

View the updated (and more extensive) post on the Stronghold blog.