{"slug": "lightning-network", "name": "Lightning Network", "category": "networking", "category_name": "Networking and VPN", "description": "", "recommenders": 3, "commenters": 7, "warners": 2, "score": 1.315, "rising": -0.98, "first": "2025-11-22", "latest": "2026-06-16", "why": "Lightning is actually the only truly scalable solution we have for micropayments", "why_is_quote": true, "has_verdict": false, "sentiment": {"recommend": 3, "neutral": 2, "compare": 0, "warn": 2}, "spark": [0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0], "listed": true, "loved": [], "caveat": "", "short_quote": "Lightning is actually the only truly scalable solution we have for micropayments", "kind": "", "icon": false, "domain": null, "github_repo": null, "official_url": "https://lightning.network/", "pricing": "", "aliases": ["Lightning Network"], "verdict": null, "praise": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 776937456, "item_id": 48558591, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48558591", "by": "Overpower0416", "date": "2026-06-16", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "It can scale without any changes and if there is demand it will surpass Visa and MC", "excerpt": "It literally says this in the website your linked > Current actual throughput is significantly lower, estimated at around 300 TPS, because the network is still growing. However, Lightning's architecture scales horizontally: as more nodes and channels are added, capacity increases without any protocol changes. The network's total value locked has grown past $500 million, with over 15,000 active nodes and 50,000+ payme", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "SpaceX Is Buying Cursor"}, {"id": 759386320, "item_id": 47461645, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47461645", "by": "kkfx", "date": "2026-03-20", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Lightning is actually the only truly scalable solution we have for micropayments", "excerpt": "Honestly, those who lost money did so because they were aiming for profits, not for The Network State, or for having non-seizable money etc. On the other hand, for those who got in early because they were online and curious at the time, with a small amount of money back then has made them billionaires today, an extremely low risk. If they arrived a bit later, millionaires, still with a really soft risk. Then of cours", "context": "", "use_case": "Micropayments", "switched_from": "", "story": "I'm OK being left behind, thanks"}, {"id": 752806704, "item_id": 47050419, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47050419", "by": "sph", "date": "2026-02-17", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Lightning will come to the rescue.", "excerpt": "It's good to have an alternative to fall back on when inevitably cash will be outlawed in Europe and we will need to solve the problem of paying for illegal stuff (drugs, bribes, etc.) Lightning will come to the rescue.", "context": "", "use_case": "Bitcoin payments", "switched_from": "", "story": "Wero \u2013 Digital payment wallet, Made in Europe"}]}], "caveats": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 776920529, "item_id": 48557533, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48557533", "by": "ben_w", "date": "2026-06-16", "version": null, "stance": "warn", "quote": "estimated at around 300 TPS", "excerpt": "\"Can\" != \"does\". The current actual throughput of the Lightning Network is estimated at around 300 TPS: https://www.spark.money/tools/lightning-vs-visa Also, everything on level 2 needs to be ultimately balanced on level 1; BTC doesn't have enough throughput to balance all the banks in the world, and lo Lightning appears to be consolidating into fewer nodes. Also also, everything level 2 (including Lightning) necessa", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "SpaceX Is Buying Cursor"}, {"id": 766589440, "item_id": 47911840, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47911840", "by": "subscribed", "date": "2026-04-26", "version": null, "stance": "warn", "quote": "it only \"preserves privacy\" when you're extremely careful with how you use it", "excerpt": "You said bitcoin, not lighting - you don't seriously expect me to trawl through all your posts in sibling threads to try to guess that you said one thing and meant another? And you seem to be really really convinced that bitcoin is the way, by going the quite a length and bringing some contraptions to say they're bitcoin-based solutions somewhat providing what other coins/network already offer - better. And concernin", "context": "", "use_case": "Bitcoin payments", "switched_from": "", "story": "The operating cost of adult and gambling startups"}]}], "who": [], "tags": [], "use_cases": ["bitcoin payments", "micropayments"], "compared": [{"slug": "bitcoin", "name": "Bitcoin", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48554215", "title": "SpaceX Is Buying Cursor", "mentions": 2}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47889279", "title": "The operating cost of adult and gambling startups", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47454341", "title": "I'm OK being left behind, thanks", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47038965", "title": "Wero \u2013 Digital payment wallet, Made in Europe", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46181371", "title": "I wasted years of my life in crypto", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46016249", "title": "The privacy nightmare of browser fingerprinting", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {"neutral": 1}, "2025-12": {"neutral": 1}, "2026-01": {}, "2026-02": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-03": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-04": {"warn": 1}, "2026-05": {}, "2026-06": {"warn": 1, "recommend": 1}, "2026-07": {}, "2026-08": {}, "2026-09": {}, "2026-10": {}}, "versions": [], "version_unnamed": 0, "family_ref": null, "runs_on": null, "lines": [], "quotes": [{"id": 776937456, "item_id": 48558591, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48558591", "by": "Overpower0416", "date": "2026-06-16", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "It can scale without any changes and if there is demand it will surpass Visa and MC", "excerpt": "It literally says this in the website your linked > Current actual throughput is significantly lower, estimated at around 300 TPS, because the network is still growing. However, Lightning's architecture scales horizontally: as more nodes and channels are added, capacity increases without any protocol changes. The network's total value locked has grown past $500 million, with over 15,000 active nodes and 50,000+ payme", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "SpaceX Is Buying Cursor"}, {"id": 776920529, "item_id": 48557533, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48557533", "by": "ben_w", "date": "2026-06-16", "version": null, "stance": "warn", "quote": "estimated at around 300 TPS", "excerpt": "\"Can\" != \"does\". The current actual throughput of the Lightning Network is estimated at around 300 TPS: https://www.spark.money/tools/lightning-vs-visa Also, everything on level 2 needs to be ultimately balanced on level 1; BTC doesn't have enough throughput to balance all the banks in the world, and lo Lightning appears to be consolidating into fewer nodes. Also also, everything level 2 (including Lightning) necessa", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "SpaceX Is Buying Cursor"}, {"id": 766589440, "item_id": 47911840, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47911840", "by": "subscribed", "date": "2026-04-26", "version": null, "stance": "warn", "quote": "it only \"preserves privacy\" when you're extremely careful with how you use it", "excerpt": "You said bitcoin, not lighting - you don't seriously expect me to trawl through all your posts in sibling threads to try to guess that you said one thing and meant another? And you seem to be really really convinced that bitcoin is the way, by going the quite a length and bringing some contraptions to say they're bitcoin-based solutions somewhat providing what other coins/network already offer - better. And concernin", "context": "", "use_case": "Bitcoin payments", "switched_from": "", "story": "The operating cost of adult and gambling startups"}, {"id": 759386320, "item_id": 47461645, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47461645", "by": "kkfx", "date": "2026-03-20", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Lightning is actually the only truly scalable solution we have for micropayments", "excerpt": "Honestly, those who lost money did so because they were aiming for profits, not for The Network State, or for having non-seizable money etc. On the other hand, for those who got in early because they were online and curious at the time, with a small amount of money back then has made them billionaires today, an extremely low risk. If they arrived a bit later, millionaires, still with a really soft risk. Then of cours", "context": "", "use_case": "Micropayments", "switched_from": "", "story": "I'm OK being left behind, thanks"}, {"id": 752806704, "item_id": 47050419, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47050419", "by": "sph", "date": "2026-02-17", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Lightning will come to the rescue.", "excerpt": "It's good to have an alternative to fall back on when inevitably cash will be outlawed in Europe and we will need to solve the problem of paying for illegal stuff (drugs, bribes, etc.) Lightning will come to the rescue.", "context": "", "use_case": "Bitcoin payments", "switched_from": "", "story": "Wero \u2013 Digital payment wallet, Made in Europe"}, {"id": 739043584, "item_id": 46190224, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46190224", "by": "copirate", "date": "2025-12-08", "version": null, "stance": "neutral", "quote": "With the Lightning network, L2 is basically a database", "excerpt": "With the Lightning network, L2 is basically a database between only 2 parties that are required to be online during the transaction. It's not possible to double spend in that situation. There's the possibility of double spending by committing to the bitcoin blockchain an old version of your \"database\", but then you would face the penalty of having your entire balance confiscated by the other party. More details here:", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "I wasted years of my life in crypto"}, {"id": 736293682, "item_id": 46018355, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46018355", "by": "beeflet", "date": "2025-11-22", "version": null, "stance": "neutral", "quote": "Even without the lightning network and just direct 1-to-1 payment channels", "excerpt": "I think it is a technical problem. If you could integrate payment channels on top of private cryptocurrencies that would be enough. Even without the lightning network and just direct 1-to-1 payment channels, it would work. The article you lists assumes a \"conventional\" credit card system with chargebacks, massive fees, etc. which makes micropayments ecosystem impractical in the first place. Proposals for micro-paymen", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "The privacy nightmare of browser fingerprinting"}]}