# lightningnetwork/lnd

Lightning Network Daemon ⚡️

Repository: https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/lnd
Language: Go
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: bitcoin, lightning-network, blockchain, micropayments, lightning, protocol, cryptocurrency, cryptography, peer-to-peer, payments
Last push: 2026-08-25T13:10:42+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 94/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 85, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3882, "days_push": 8, "days_rel": 20, "gap_med": 36, "n_releases_24m": 14}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 8186, forks 2281 (observed 2026-08-28T04:10:19.519377+00:00)

## What it is
A complete implementation of a Lightning Network node written in Go, capable of opening and closing payment channels, routing onion-encrypted payments, and forwarding payments across the network. It supports pluggable Bitcoin backends (btcd, bitcoind, neutrino) and exposes gRPC/CLI interfaces plus reusable Lightning libraries.

## Use cases
- run a lightning network node
- send and receive bitcoin micropayments over lightning
- open and manage payment channels
- route payments as a lightning node operator
- build apps on top of lightning via gRPC api
- accept lightning payments for a service

## When to choose
- you want a full-featured, BOLT-compliant lightning node in Go
- you need a programmable lightning backend with gRPC and reusable libraries
- you want flexible chain backends including a light client (neutrino)

## When to avoid
- you only need a bitcoin full node without lightning
- you prefer a different lightning implementation ecosystem (e.g. Core Lightning, Eclair)
- you need a non-technical point-and-click wallet only

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: stable
- function: networking, cryptography, rpc, p2p, cli
- domain: blockchain, fintech, security
- platform: go, windows, cross-platform, cli
- tags: lightning-network, bitcoin, micropayments, payment-channels, onion-routing, golang, cryptocurrency, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- lightningnetwork/lnd (main) score 94

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:10:19.519377+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 2026-08-29T17:29:34.205338+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd (fetched 2026-08-28T04:10:19.519377+00:00, sha 9f94a749556c)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.