Cowrie Research

lightningnetwork-plus

3 min read

LightningNetwork+

  • Name: LightningNetwork+
  • URL: https://lightningnetwork.plus/
  • Category: Lightning node-operations coordination platform / liquidity-matching marketplace / watchtower-coordination infrastructure
  • Tags: bitcoin-ecosystem
  • Summary: LightningNetwork+ is a coordination layer for Lightning operators. The point is ring swaps, liquidity credits, ratings, and watchtower reciprocity—not another node directory.
  • What it does:
    • Coordinates multi-party liquidity swaps (including triangles, squares, pentagons, dual-funded channels, and BOS-assisted group opens) so node operators can gain incoming liquidity in return for opening outbound channels
    • Runs a liquidity-pool system where operators earn or buy internal liquidity credits and exchange those credits for incoming channels from other nodes
    • Matches node operators into reciprocal watchtower arrangements so each side monitors the other for malicious channel closures
    • Exposes node profiles, rankings, ratings, connection-type metadata, and direct-message flows that help operators vet counterparties before entering liquidity or security agreements
    • Publishes a JSON API that covers authentication, account management, swap creation and participation, notifications, ratings, and node information
    • Maintains adjacent community surfaces including a Lightning-focused marketplace and an educational resource called Layers Academy
  • Key claims:
    • The homepage says LN+ offers “Free social tools by a passionate community” for “Increased node efficiency, profitability & security” and highlights Liquidity Swaps, Liquidity Pool, Watch Swaps, and Layers Academy as core products
    • The About page says Lightning Network Plus is a complimentary web application designed to help Lightning node operators collaborate, establish liquidity, and improve node security
    • The About page says users can authenticate with a lightning-node signature, a Nostr pubkey, or an email address, while noting node-signature auth is preferred and required for the full LN+ experience
    • The About page says liquidity swaps are also known as Rings of Fire and describes 3-to-5-user circular channel-opening arrangements that aim to create both incoming and outgoing capacity without duplicated channels
    • The swaps index says the platform guides users through a four-step flow of signing in, applying to swaps, opening channels once the swap fills, and rating participants afterward; the public page showed 19,730 liquidity swaps at fetch time in this pass
    • The About and pool pages say liquidity-pool credits are earned by opening channels or purchased with satoshis, and that operators can then spend those credits to attract incoming channels from other nodes
    • The watch-swaps page says LN+ helps operators find reciprocal watchtower partners using LND watchtower or Eye of Satoshi-style setups so nodes remain protected when offline
    • The public API docs say JSON API v2.3 supports authentication, account management, swap creation, swap participation, ratings, notifications, and node information, confirming LN+ is also a machine-facing coordination surface rather than only a browser UI
  • Whitepaper: No canonical standalone LightningNetwork+ whitepaper or litepaper surfaced in this pass. The clearest current source of truth was the official site, its About and product pages, and the public API documentation; see ../whitepapers/lightningnetwork-plus-primary-sources-2026-05-03.md.
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