Η χωρητικότητα του Lightning Network έφτασε νέο άνοιγμα τον Απρίλιο – Εδώ είναι άλλες αξιοσημείωτες ενημερώσεις του LN

Existing as a second-layer protocol on Bitcoin, the Lightning Network (LN) typifies an off-chain scaling solution of sorts that allows for fast and cheap transactions by creating payment channels between two parties that can be used to conduct transactions. These channels are established by initiating transactions on the blockchain and anchored by committing an amount of Bitcoin. When the payment channel opens, the parties can exchange Bitcoin (BTC), with each transaction only recorded between the pair. The final state of the payment channel is then broadcast to the Bitcoin network, effectively settling the transaction on the blockchain.

Το Lightning Network του Bitcoin

The LN conceptually network congestion by conducting transactions off-chain, which reduces transaction fees and increases the speed of transactions. It also allows for increased privacy, as transactions can be conducted off-chain without being publicly recorded on the Bitcoin blockchain. The perks of this new network of payment channels make it ideal for micropayments and similar small transaction use cases.

Πρσθέσεις/κλεισίματα καναλιών Lightning ανά μπλοκ. Πηγή:TXStats

Though the LN has only been adopted as a rough and ready solution for the most part thus far, its δυναμικό has been hailed as the missing jigsaw piece to make Bitcoin an all-encompassing ecosystem. The LN has tracked significant milestones since it was first proposed under a white paper titled ‘The Bitcoin Lightning Network: Scalable Off-Chain Instant Payments’ published in 2015. The release of Lightning Network Daemon (LND) version 0.4.0-beta later in 2018 marked the launch of its first version on Bitcoin’s mainnet. In recent years, developers have added more updates and improvements to the protocol to make it a go-to solution for merchants and Bitcoin users.

Για να μάθετε περισσότερα για το Lightning Network, δείτε τον οδηγό μας για το Lightning Network guide.

Η χωρητικότητα των καναλιών ξεπέρασε τα 5.600 BTC τον Απρίλιο

The Bitcoin blockchain processes up to 5 transactions per second (TPS) which is comparatively lower than Ethereum and other recent blockchain projects, hence the need for LN. Thus far, LN has stood out as a reliable option to transact Bitcoin (mostly in Satoshis) at a significantly reduced fee, evidenced by accelerated growth in its channel capacity this year.

Η κατάσταση του LN

Το LN είναι σημαντικά φθηνότερο από το MasterCard και τη Visa

In a recent αναφορά, blockchain and analytics platform Glassnode noted that the LN offers users a much more convenient transaction experience than legacy payment systems. The likes of Visa (V ) and MasterCard are at least 1000 times more expensive when transacting than when navigating via the LN. James Check, head analyst, observed that the median fee for sending 1 BTC via the Network is 3,000 Satoshis, equal to $0.84. This is barely 0.003% of the value of one token at the current price of $29,285.

Dylan LeClair separately highlighted on Nostr that the fee rate for transfers over the LN is significantly lower than what major credit card companies charge – the median fee rate on the LN is just 0.003%, a stark contrast to alternative rates of between 1.5% and 3.5%. Despite its promising utility, the layer two protocol has thus far struggled to attain mainstream adoption. The stunted adoption of the LN protocol has mostly been chalked up to the complexities in the network.

Η Lightning Labs κυκλοφορεί νέα έκδοση της σουίτας εργαλείων διαχείρισης κόμβων

Last month, Lightning Labs, one of the development teams behind LN, ανακοίνωσε the latest release of its Litd node management tool. The San Francisco-based startup manages Lightning Terminal, a tool that simplifies Lightning node management. The latest upgrade shipped with automation fee management and better control of Lightning Node Connect (LNC) permissions as notable features. It also brings custodial off-chain accounts, among other features whose incorporation was requisitioned mostly by the developers and node operators.

“Το Litd ενώνει τη βασική έκδοση της υλοποίησής μας Lightning με υπηρεσίες ρευστότητας όπως Loop και Pool, μια διεπαφή διαχείρισης κόμβου μέσω web με Terminal, τη δυνατότητα απομακρυσμένης σύνδεσης κόμβων με Lightning Node Connect, και ένα σύνολο λογιστικών λειτουργιών με Faraday σε ένα ενιαίο πακέτο λογισμικού,” Michael Levin, Head of Product Growth, παρατήρησε σχετικά με την ενημέρωση.

Ο Levin επανέλαβε ότι η προσέλκυση περισσότερων χρηστών στο δίκτυο παραμένει προτεραιότητα, επισημαίνοντας τη «ρευστότητα» ως ένα από τα μεγαλύτερα εμπόδια UX για όσους θέλουν να δοκιμάσουν το LN. Στο πλαίσιο αυτό, η ενημέρωση θα προσφέρει καλύτερη εμπειρία πλοήγησης σε χρήστες που επιδιώκουν να αλληλεπιδράσουν με το Order Board Pool.

Η Lightning Labs δεν είναι η μόνη ομάδα ανάπτυξης με επίκεντρο το Bitcoin που εντείνει τις προσπάθειες για να κάνει την έκδοση δεύτερης στρώσης του Bitcoin πιο εύχρηστη. Η εταιρεία υποδομών Lightspark, που εξυπηρετεί επιχειρήσεις, ανακοίνωσε νωρίτερα αυτόν τον μήνα μια έτοιμη πλατφόρμα με στόχο την ενσωμάτωση επιχειρήσεων στο Lightning.  Block subsidiary Spiral also previously revealed plans to improve the processing and handling of payments made on Bitcoin. Specifically, further advancement of Lightning Development Kit (LDK), an LN implementation whose roadmap focuses on improving payments on the Bitcoin blockchain. LDK’s lightweight but high-performance aspects allow easy integration of Lightning features to wallets.  In a Twitter Spaces session on Mar 21, the project team presented and spoke on the upcoming tech improvements to the Lightning Dev Kit.

Ο διευθύνων σύμβουλος της Coinbase δηλώνει ότι η ανταλλακτική πλατφόρμα θα προσθέσει υποστήριξη για το LN

In a separate April 9 Twitter thread, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong blamed an auto-delete feature that clears his tweets after a while when queried about his seeming lack of support for the LN. In reply to Bitcoin bull Wicked, Armstrong επήρε the settlement layer as something great. He added that the exchange plans to integrate it soon, though not giving any more information. If Coinbase pursues this plan (though it could take a while, according to some skeptics), it will join the ranks of OKX, Bitfinex, and Kraken. The latter δήλωσε in Δεκέμβριος 2020 that it was working on adding the ability to deposit and withdraw Bitcoin through the Lightning Network on its exchange platform.

Η MicroStrategy μετατρέπει τα εταιρικά email των στελεχών για να λαμβάνουν Satoshis μέσω του LN

Earlier this month, MicroStrategy and Bitcoin diehard Michael Saylor, who serves as the Executive Chairman of the business intelligence and analytics firm, revealed he leveraged the LN’s Lightning Address πρωτόκολλο to integrate his work email address for Bitcoin transactions. The protocol works such that users can convert a standard Lightning invoice or payment request into a unique identifier, such as the email in this case, rather than having to deal with clunky wallet addresses. Per his tweet, the billionaire said he’d been receiving 21 Satoshis from various persons via his corporate email address.

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