# The Lightning Network - [Overview](https://docs.lightning.engineering/the-lightning-network/overview.md): Learn how the Lightning Network functions. Get comfortable with its topology, channels, invoices and routing. - [Payment Channels](https://docs.lightning.engineering/the-lightning-network/payment-channels.md): Payment channels are multisignature contracts between peers. Payments are made inside these payment channels and can be settled on the Blockchain. - [Lifecycle of a Payment Channel](https://docs.lightning.engineering/the-lightning-network/payment-channels/lifecycle-of-a-payment-channel.md) - [Watchtowers](https://docs.lightning.engineering/the-lightning-network/payment-channels/watchtowers.md): Watchtowers help secure your channels against breaches. Learn how they function and how to run your own watchtower. - [Understanding Sweeping](https://docs.lightning.engineering/the-lightning-network/payment-channels/understanding-sweeping.md): Sweeps are transactions from specialized scripts back into your main wallet. They are used in various contexts throughout the Lightning Network. - [Etymology](https://docs.lightning.engineering/the-lightning-network/payment-channels/etymology.md): Understand how channels might differ from each other and how we describe their characteristics. - [The Gossip Network](https://docs.lightning.engineering/the-lightning-network/the-gossip-network.md) - [Identifying Good Peers on the Lightning Network](https://docs.lightning.engineering/the-lightning-network/the-gossip-network/identify-good-peers.md): Learn how to best select other Lightning Nodes for opening channels. - [Pathfinding](https://docs.lightning.engineering/the-lightning-network/pathfinding.md) - [Finding routes in the Lightning Network](https://docs.lightning.engineering/the-lightning-network/pathfinding/finding-routes-in-the-lightning-network.md) - [Channel Fees](https://docs.lightning.engineering/the-lightning-network/pathfinding/channel-fees.md) - [Multipath Payments (MPP)](https://docs.lightning.engineering/the-lightning-network/pathfinding/multipath-payments-mpp.md): Splitting a payment into smaller parts and route each part separately. - [Lightning Network Invoices](https://docs.lightning.engineering/the-lightning-network/payment-lifecycle.md) - [Understanding Lightning Invoices](https://docs.lightning.engineering/the-lightning-network/payment-lifecycle/understanding-lightning-invoices.md): Learn how to identify, decode and create Lightning invoices - [Making Payments](https://docs.lightning.engineering/the-lightning-network/multihop-payments.md) - [The Payment Cycle](https://docs.lightning.engineering/the-lightning-network/multihop-payments/the-payment-cycle.md) - [Timelocks](https://docs.lightning.engineering/the-lightning-network/multihop-payments/timelocks.md): Timelocks allow for limits on when bitcoin can be spent. There are absolute and relative timelocks, existing on the transactional and UTXO level. - [Hashed Timelock Contract (HTLC)](https://docs.lightning.engineering/the-lightning-network/multihop-payments/hash-time-lock-contract-htlc.md): HTLCs are the centerpiece of every Lightning Network payment. Learn how they are formed to create secure multi-hop transactions. - [Payment Etymology](https://docs.lightning.engineering/the-lightning-network/multihop-payments/etymology.md): Learn the essentials of payments in the Lightning Network. - [What Makes a Good Routing Node](https://docs.lightning.engineering/the-lightning-network/multihop-payments/what-makes-a-good-routing-node.md): To successfully route bitcoin in the Lightning Network, a node needs to provide five basic functions. - [Understanding Submarine Swaps](https://docs.lightning.engineering/the-lightning-network/multihop-payments/understanding-submarine-swaps.md): Submarine swaps allow to exchange off-chain and on-chain Bitcoin safely without counterparty risk. - [Instant Submarine Swaps](https://docs.lightning.engineering/the-lightning-network/multihop-payments/instant-submarine-swaps.md): Instant submarine swaps are a form of atomic swap that makes onchain funds immediately available without needing to wait for block confirmations. - [Liquidity](https://docs.lightning.engineering/the-lightning-network/liquidity.md): Learn about liquidity, capacity and how to manage the capital in your Lightning node. - [Understanding Liquidity](https://docs.lightning.engineering/the-lightning-network/liquidity/understanding-liquidity.md): Liquidity in the Lightning Network is highly contextual. Learn what this means and how you can optimize your node's liquidity. - [Managing Liquidity on the Lightning Network](https://docs.lightning.engineering/the-lightning-network/liquidity/manage-liquidity.md): Learn about the concept of liquidity in the context of the Lightning network and how to best open, manage, balance and close your channels. - [Liquidity Management for Lightning Merchants](https://docs.lightning.engineering/the-lightning-network/liquidity/liquidity-management-for-lightning-merchants.md): Learn how to manage your channels as a merchant receiving payments on the Lightning Network - [How to Get Inbound Capacity on the Lightning Network](https://docs.lightning.engineering/the-lightning-network/liquidity/how-to-get-inbound-capacity-on-the-lightning-network.md): To receive payments on the Lightning Network, you need inbound capacity. This article explains capacity and how you can acquire it. - [Lightning Service Provider](https://docs.lightning.engineering/the-lightning-network/liquidity/lightning-service-provider.md): A Lightning Service Provider (LSP) deploys liquidity in the Lightning Network on behalf of others. - [L402: Lightning HTTP 402 Protocol](https://docs.lightning.engineering/the-lightning-network/l402.md): L402 is the standard for selling and buying digital resources. L402 allows services to charge for API endpoints in a way that is easy for AI agents to participate. - [Macaroons](https://docs.lightning.engineering/the-lightning-network/l402/macaroons.md): Macaroons are fancy cookies for distributed applications. - [L402](https://docs.lightning.engineering/the-lightning-network/l402/l402.md): Lightning API keys (L402) are Macaroons that include a payment hash. For the L402 to be valid, it must be presented together with the preimage corresponding to the payment hash. - [Protocol Specification](https://docs.lightning.engineering/the-lightning-network/l402/protocol-specification.md) - [L402 Quickstart](https://docs.lightning.engineering/the-lightning-network/l402/l402-quickstart.md): Turn any HTTP endpoint into a profit center. Buy resources from any L402-gated API. - [Implementations and Links](https://docs.lightning.engineering/the-lightning-network/l402/implementations-and-links.md): Projects using L402 today, code examples and further reading - [Taproot Assets](https://docs.lightning.engineering/the-lightning-network/taproot-assets.md): A Taproot-powered protocol for issuing assets on bitcoin that can be transferred over the Lightning Network for instant, high-volume, low-fee transactions. - [Taproot Assets Protocol](https://docs.lightning.engineering/the-lightning-network/taproot-assets/taproot-assets-protocol.md): Taproot Assets is primarily an on-chain protocol. Assets are issued on the bitcoin blockchain using taproot transactions. - [Taproot Assets on Lightning](https://docs.lightning.engineering/the-lightning-network/taproot-assets/taproot-assets-on-lightning.md): Taproot Assets can be deposited into Lightning Network channels and transacted instantly. - [Edge Nodes](https://docs.lightning.engineering/the-lightning-network/taproot-assets/edge-nodes.md): An Edge Node is a Taproot Assets-aware Lightning Node that routes payments between Taproot Assets channels and Bitcoin channels. - [Taproot Assets Trustless Swap](https://docs.lightning.engineering/the-lightning-network/taproot-assets/trustless-swap.md): Taproot Assets can be swapped for Bitcoin or other assets through swaps that do not require the two parties to trust each other. The swap completes atomically. - [FAQ](https://docs.lightning.engineering/the-lightning-network/taproot-assets/faq.md): Frequently asked questions about the Taproot Assets Protocol. - [Glossary](https://docs.lightning.engineering/the-lightning-network/taproot-assets/glossary.md): Taproot Assets make use of several novel concepts, all of which we attempt to briefly define here. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.lightning.engineering/the-lightning-network.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. 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