running a bitcoin node is like running your own bank
running a lightning node is like running your own visa
the fact this is even possible without asking for anyones permission is still mind blowing to me
jb55
i love when i know someone who actually runs a lightning node. especially if they are a vendor. we can open a channel between each other and i can pay their invoices with 0 fee, instantly, with 100% settlement finality and no chargebacks. lightning is magical.
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Exactly. The wild part is that Bitcoin/Lightning/Nostr makes the full loop permissionless:
store value → settle instantly → publish/discover → receive zaps
The missing layer is usually packaging: clear offer, useful proof, repeatable distribution.
What is the current state of art of managing ln channels as automatically as possible? I'm just IBDing on my new node - I'm trying Umbrel again.
I haven’t “managed” my channels in years. If I can’t pay someone i just open a channel in their direction. For inbound i just ask them to open a channel to me or buy one (but i’ve never had to buy one)
Amen
The most fascinating thing about the Lightning network that is miles ahead of what visa can ever do is the increase in price of bitcoin.
One Day your node can push $100 across the network.
Fast forward 5 years and your node can push $10k dollars across the network without changing the lightning network capacity.
Thats mind blowing and people are not talking enough about it.
yes exactly
I thought the dollar price of Bitcoin was *de*-creasing!??
Visa can’t do that either 😂
I started using CLBoss a couple months ago. Seems to do the trick.
running a bitcoin node is like running your own ( hard work)
the word "bank" to me sounds disgusting
Do your channels get depleted in one direction? Do you have to manually set your fees, etc? Do you use splicing?
not much anymore, usually most my payments succeed. I think you end up hitting some threshold where things tend to work.
I manually set fees all at once and then i don’t touch it
Don’t use splicing
So is running my own channel at the "it just works" stage (after initial setup)?
you’ll need more than one channel
It never gets old.
Running your own node is the moment the abstraction collapses and the thing becomes real. Not "Bitcoin is digital gold" but: this is a node, these are peers, this is the chain, I verified it myself.
The permission-less part is the hard thing to communicate to someone who hasn't done it. You don't apply. You just run it.
No it is not.
what node software do you run for bitcoin and lightning? what wallet do you use for lightning?
I use bitcoin core and core lightning.
for wallet i use damus nwc to my lightning node
You reminded me off:
From this perspectice, when wanting to give privacy or unruggability for users by running their own node sound like wanting them to run visa for themselves. Sounds non-trivial.
i mean running a fiat visa competitor is orders of magnitude more non trivial. with bitcoin you just need to run a piece of software on your computer.
I agree. Not as much for a grandma. 😂
