The core network of the Bitcoin micro-transaction protocol, Lightning Network (LN), started operations in mid-January 2018. Since then it has not stopped growing. It currently has 2,448 nodes, 5,794 channels and an exchange capacity equivalent to about 230,000 dollars.
The developers have focused on building a network where microtransactions are almost instantaneous, to help free up the congestion of the blockchain of the most dominant cryptocurrency in the market. For this they have had to lift the structure and prepare its operation from scratch, a job that includes the development of compatible portfolios to use this network.
Despite being used both in the testnet (test network) and in the mainnet (main network) to make payments among LN users, the portfolios developed so far have been criticized for the technical difficulties they present . Although, according to the UX designer Patricia Estevao , these tools have evolved in a positive way, trying to better serve the end user.
In this article we give you a review of the options that exist in the market to use Lightning Network .
WALLETS FOR PC
ZAP
Available for Windows, Linux and Mac operating systems, its creator, Jack Mallers, explained that "Zap was created to make a connection between the Lightning Network technical protocol and the billions of potential users, but we have not reached this stage yet." To these comments, the developer added: "We try to make things as simple as we can, but it is an ongoing process." Zap was released in January 2018, with the possibility of being used in both the testnet and the mainnet. Mallers also said that his goal is to develop a tool that is intuitive and lighten as much as possible the technical burden for the user.
It was originally conceived for users to experience the microtransaction network first-hand, but other features were added in June. Now, users can configure and customize various functions, including Zap Desktop, Zap Mobile (for iOS) and a widget named Lightning iMessage. Maller described each of them in a thread of tweets published on Friday, June 15.
In addition, the portfolio has a new feature called Zap Connect . This feature allows a node to accept incoming connections from other devices, such as a cell phone, by simply scanning a QR code; which means that the user can have an LN node in their phone (through Zap Mobile, which will be launched for iOS devices) or connect to any node remotely using the QR code.
HTLC.ME
Although no further work has been shown in its development, this wallet was created to quickly test Lightning payments in the Bitcoin test network without having to download an application, since the wallet is hosted on the web and has an extremely simple interface .
The user should only know an LN address of the testnet and try to send some test satoshis that are received and are available to the user just by opening their wallet. The purpose of this application is for users to become familiar with the operation and transaction requirements of this microtransaction network. The wallet is available for Windows, Linux and Mac, and was released in October 2017. Lightning Labs was the team of developers who took charge of its creation.
LIGHTNING DESKTOP APP
Although it has been discontinued, the Lightning Desktop App can not be overlooked, since it is the first wallet created for LN for personal computers. Reason why it is included in this list, as an honorable mention given the meaning it has in the development of this type of software. Its official launch was in October 2017, with functionality in the testnet. The development of the application was carried out by Lightning Labs. The application, with an intuitive and simple interface, facilitates the creation of channels with the Autopilot tool, through which users can open their payment channels automatically.
The tool handled the opening of channels through the analysis of different variants. It showed the message Pending-Open (pending) when the transaction had been issued, but was awaiting confirmation and Active (active) when they were open both to send and to receive transactions. The portfolio was available for Windows, Linux and Mac.
MOBILE WALLETS
ECLAIR
The French company ACINQ, focused on the work related to Bitcoin scalability, announced the launch of its Eclair wallet in 2017. The tool has been praised for the care that developers have taken to create a user-friendly interface that will Allow your funds to be available through your mobile devices easily . It was released in July 2017 and works in both the test network and the main one.
"In designing this portfolio, we wanted to make the experience as pain-free and transparent as possible. That's why the functionality of LN is optional, which means that by default the portfolio behaves like a regular SPV portfolio in the blockchain, " the French company published in the official release note of Eclair. Users of tools such as Satoshi's Place, the collaborative blackboard with payments in LN, have expressed that this is one of the most used options for drawing on the board.
You can visit our tutorial to use Eclair by clicking here .
SHANGO
The first week of June 2018 was launched this wallet , available for iOS and Android in order to be used in the testnet. Its main feature is that it gives access to a complete node of the Lightning network , to provide greater security and stability. Shango connects to an LDN node based on the cloud, but it is possible to choose to connect to a personal node on a PC or server chosen by the user. To test the wallet it is necessary to request an invitation from the developers, who belong to the team known as Neogeno.
After Shango is installed, the user must confirm that the node is already available, because the first time the application connects to the service, a complete Lightning node is assigned, which is previously synchronized. The company reported that it is estimated that the official launch of this tool will take place during the summer of this year.
RAWTX
On May 9, the Lightning Labs development team announced the launch of RawTX. Then, it was only available for Android devices, but in mid-June the iOS version of this wallet came on the market. RawTX has been developed with LN Daemon, a software created by Lightning Labs that allows the use of the LN micro-payment network.
The application allows the use of multiple wallets and each of these consists of two types of accounts : one for payments and one for savings. In the first, the funds are managed in the LN network; while, in the second, the funds are handled directly in the Bitcoin blockchain.
COINCLIP
In May, Valcour Games created CoinClip , a wallet available for iOS that is in beta and allows transactions in the Bitcoin test network. The members of the Valcour Games developer team were responsible for announcing the launch through the social network Twitter .
For its presentation, the developers made a video where the tool was used to pay for a coffee. IOS devices, like iPad and iPhone (except for the iPhone 5) can use this tool in the testnet.
LIGHTNING WALLET
Created in May of this year and developed by Anton Kumaigorodski to work in the main Bitcoin network, this application has a built-in Lightning node, fully functional. Atom Lightning Wallet allows the sending and receiving of regular transactions in the chain of blocks, as well as Lightning payments outside the chain. It is available for Android in its Beta version, so they recommend not doing transactions that involve a lot of funds.
There are other projects such as SwiftLightning , Cipherbook , ShockWallet and CoinOs that are in the development phase, but that have already been recognized as valid development projects for this microtransaction protocol.
USABILITY AND DESIGN REVIEW
The news of this network was part of the topics discussed during the Building On Bitcoin event , in which the community dedicated to the technological development of the blockchain that supports the original cryptocurrency participated. There, the specialist Patricia Estevao shared her research on the portfolios for LN, its usability and what she called the "mental model" that Bitcoin users have about portfolios and their use.
For Estevao, the success of the second layer solution proposed by LN for Bitcoin scalability depends on users really enjoying these applications and taking advantage of all the potentials of micropayments. That portfolios take advantage of the mental model of Bitcoin users can guarantee greater adoption. The usability and design of the wallets will be a key factor.
The Lightning micro-payment network has an important potential to solve the problems of scalability in Bitcoin, but for it to succeed, developers must take advantage of the familiarity that users of this blockchain may have with the tools to maintain and manage their cryptocurrencies.
In addition, to encourage large-scale adoption, portfolios could develop more user-friendly interfaces , where some processes-such as opening channels or selecting a node-are automated or coded, so that they are as simple as possible to average users. Education campaigns about the potential of the network , the capacity it has for the exchange of funds and the nature of the transactions, can also encourage greater acceptance. In addition, the adoption by merchants of this system of instant payments can also be of help to leverage their success.