Lightning Network

In plain words

Lightning is a payment network built on Bitcoin. Two people lock coins into a shared channel with one on-chain transaction, then pay each other instantly, thousands of times, for almost nothing — only the final balance ever touches the blockchain. Channels link into a network: you pay strangers through strangers, and the math sees to it that none of them can steal.

Why it matters

• The speed problem solved without touching the base rules.
• Fees under a cent make tiny payments real.
• Settlement in about a second — no ten-minute wait.

Not to be confused with

• An altcoin — Lightning moves real bitcoin; there is no separate token.

Go deeper

• Payment channels
• Lightning invoices
• Lightning vs on-chain