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Lightning Network

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The Lightning Network is Bitcoin’s payment layer, a network of payment channels where transactions settle instantly off-chain and only the net result returns to the blockchain.

Lightning is a network of payment channels built on Bitcoin. 2 parties lock funds in a shared on-chain output, then exchange signed balance updates between themselves as often as they like, with no block to wait for. Payments to people you have no channel with are routed through intermediate nodes, hop by hop, using HTLCs.

The design keeps Bitcoin as the court of last resort. Either party can close a channel on its own and reclaim its funds on-chain. In exchange, Lightning asks users to stay online, manage liquidity and watch the chain, or to delegate those chores to a service. It is the most mature Bitcoin layer and the rail most other layers connect to.

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Definition reviewed on October 22, 2026

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