# lnbook/lnbook

Mastering the Lightning Network (LN)

Repository: https://github.com/lnbook/lnbook
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/lnbook
Language: AsciiDoc
License: CC-BY-SA-4.0
License Family: other
Topics: lightning-network, ln, c-lightning, lnd, bitcoin, blockchain, blockchains, peer, p2p, payments
Last push: 2024-08-09T18:07:00+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 23/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 0, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2568, "days_push": 754, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 2959, forks 658 (observed 2026-08-28T04:07:32.303534+00:00)

## What it is
The open manuscript of 'Mastering the Lightning Network', an O'Reilly book by Antonopoulos, Osuntokun, and Pickhardt, licensed CC-BY-SA 4.0. It is a technical reference explaining the Lightning Network, a peer-to-peer micropayment protocol built on Bitcoin.

## Use cases
- learn how the lightning network works
- understand payment channels and HTLC routing
- study lightning network protocol internals
- learn to operate a lightning node
- understand onion routing and pathfinding in lightning
- review bitcoin fundamentals before learning lightning

## When to choose
- you want a free, in-depth technical explanation of the Lightning Network
- you already understand Bitcoin basics and want protocol-level detail
- you are developing or operating Lightning node software like lnd or c-lightning

## When to avoid
- you need a beginner introduction to Bitcoin itself
- you want up-to-date coverage of protocol changes after 2021
- you need hands-on code or tooling rather than a book manuscript

## Facets
- artifact type: learning-resource
- maturity: maintenance
- function: documentation
- domain: blockchain, tutorials, networking
- platform: cross-platform
- tags: lightning-network, bitcoin, book, open-access, payments, p2p, cryptocurrency

## Member repositories
- lnbook/lnbook (main) score 23

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:32.303534+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T07:32:10.961189+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/lnbook/lnbook (fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:32.303534+00:00, sha 1f8f748bfbfc)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.