# What StampDEX is

What StampDEX does, what it deliberately does not do, why it does not call itself non-custodial, and where it sits in the Bitcoin Universe ecosystem.

> Source: bitcoinuniverseio/stampdex (private application source), product scope, legal/custodyClaims, terms of service copy. Applicable release continuous deployment, verify with GET /api/version. Last verified 2026-09-01. Chain bitcoin/mainnet.

StampDEX is a marketplace and explorer for two Bitcoin protocols, at
[stampdex.fun](https://stampdex.fun).

## What you can do there

- Browse every SRC-20 token with its market data, deployment identity, and mint
  progress. No wallet needed.
- Trade SRC-20 tokens against real signed listings, with every number shown before you
  sign.
- Explore Bitcoin Stamps and their collections, and buy through Counterparty
  dispensers.
- Track a wallet's holdings, open orders, and activity.
- Read the same data the site reads, from a public API with no key.

## What it is not

**It is not a custodial exchange.** You do not have a StampDEX account, a StampDEX
balance, or a deposit address. There is nothing to withdraw.

**It is also not fully non-custodial, and StampDEX does not claim to be.** An SRC-20
purchase routes your payment through an escrow address StampDEX controls until the
tokens reach you. The application repository carries a test that fails the build if
product copy calls StampDEX a non-custodial exchange or a trustless marketplace,
precisely so the claim cannot creep back in. The
[custody page](/docs-stampdex/concepts/custody/) draws exactly where the money sits at
every stage.

**It is not a wallet.** It never holds your keys or your recovery phrase, and it never
asks for either.

**It is not a financial advisor.** It shows identity and market facts and builds
transactions. The decision is yours.

## What makes it different

- **Named sources.** Every market number names the service it came from, and a live
  status endpoint reports the index source, its lag behind the Bitcoin tip, and its
  operator. See [Data provenance](/docs-stampdex/concepts/data-provenance/).
- **Unknown is never zero.** A number no source answered shows as unknown. See
  [Unknown is not zero](/docs-stampdex/concepts/unknown-is-not-zero/).
- **Full identity.** Tokens show their deployment transaction and block. Stamps show
  their number, asset id, creator, and file hash. A name alone never stands in for
  identity.
- **You sign what you see.** Trades are PSBTs your own wallet reviews and signs.
- **A quiet market looks quiet.** No invented volume, no countdown theatre, no fake
  urgency.

## Where it sits in Bitcoin Universe

The Bitcoin Universe ecosystem registry records both `stamps` and `src20` as
marketplace-owned by StampDEX, `availability: enabled`, `mode: external-execution`.
Other Universe products can display a stamp or a token balance; the order book, the
matching, and the settlement are StampDEX's. See
[What you can and cannot do](/docs-stampdex/capabilities/).

## Next

- [Start here](/docs-stampdex/start-here/)
- [Bitcoin Stamps](/docs-stampdex/concepts/bitcoin-stamps/)
- [SRC-20](/docs-stampdex/concepts/src20/)