Cowrie Research

blocktank-primary-sources-2026-05-02

2 min read

Blocktank primary sources — 2026-05-02

Project status in this pass

  • No canonical standalone whitepaper or litepaper surfaced.
  • The clearest current source of truth was the Blocktank homepage, the Synonym-hosted API reference pages, and the first-party lsp-client and lsp-server-old READMEs.
  • The materials consistently frame Blocktank as Lightning Service Provider infrastructure for channel purchasing and lifecycle management.

Primary-source snapshots

1) Homepage

  • URL: https://blocktank.to/
  • Key excerpt:
    • The page headline is “Your gateway to the Lightning Network.”
    • The visible public page is sparse, but it clearly brands Blocktank as a Lightning access layer rather than a retail wallet.

2) API reference: service info

  • URL: https://synonym.readme.io/reference/nodeinfo
  • Key excerpt:
    • The docs describe a GET https://blocktank.synonym.to/api/v1/node/info endpoint.
    • The page says it “Returns information about Blocktank Lightning node and services on offer.”
    • In this environment, a direct fetch to the underlying API URL returned {"error":"GEO_BLOCKED"}, which suggests live endpoint availability may vary by geography even though the documentation remains publicly visible.

3) API reference: LNURL channel connect

  • URL: https://synonym.readme.io/reference/lnurlconnect
  • Key excerpt:
    • The docs describe a GET https://blocktank.synonym.to/api/v1/lnurl/channel endpoint.
    • The page labels it “LNURL Connect” and documents order_id, k1, and remote_id query parameters.
    • That is a strong signal that Blocktank is exposing programmable channel-acquisition and node-connectivity flows, not just static node hosting.

4) Client library README

  • URL: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/synonymdev/lsp-client/master/README.md
  • Key excerpt:
    • The README calls the package a “Client side wrapper library for interacting with the Blocktank LSP server.”
    • It says Blocktank is “an LSP that allows businesses, apps, or online platforms to integrate, automate, and monetize services from your Lightning node.”
    • The example flow fetches node info, creates an order with requested balances and expiry, pays using onchain or BOLT11, polls the order, and then opens the channel to a specified remote node.

5) Server README

  • URL: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/synonymdev/lsp-server-old/master/README.md
  • Key excerpt:
    • The README says “The Blocktank project gives you everything you need to become your own LSP.”
    • It documents microservice workers for channel ordering, channel opening, LNURL handling, invoice and address watching, exchange rates, node info, order retrieval, admin close/refund actions, and related automation.
    • It also describes dependent Bitcoin, Lightning, and router worker repos, which reinforces that Blocktank is an operations stack for Lightning liquidity services rather than a thin frontend.

Working conclusion

Blocktank is best cataloged as Lightning liquidity and channel-lifecycle infrastructure: an LSP control plane that turns channel sales, node connection, and related operational workflows into a programmable service surface for wallets, apps, and other operators.

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