Blockstream, a prominent Bitcoin technology Startup, has introduced a service designed to make setting up a node on the cryptocurrency’s Lightning Network a snap. The startup claims that the new greenlight Lightning Node service lets users maintain complete control over their BTC while setting up a node on its cloud infrastructure.
The private keys for both on-chain and off-chain transactions never leave the custody of the user; rather, users interact with their nodes via a simple user interface managed by Blockstream.
“Getting started with Lightning can be a challenge for some, especially the more technical aspects like operating channels or creating backups and watchtowers,” explained Christian Decker, Core Tech Engineer at Blockstream. “As a result, many people prefer custodial services, who manage the technical side for them, but do so at the cost of trusting the service operator with their private keys. At Blockstream, we think there’s a better way with Greenlight, which lets users operate a node while also having control over their private keys and bitcoin, leaving the intricacies of node operation up to the professionals.”
About Greenlight Lightning Node Service
Greenlight is built on top of c-lightning, an implementation of the Lightning Network protocol optimized for performance and extendibility. The use of c-lightning results in very low operational costs. The savings are passed on to its users. It also enables sharing of a single node among any number of front-ends. This saves on-chain fees for the user and reducing the fragmentation of funds.
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Currently, Greenlight is available through Lightning-powered technology companies Sphinx and Lastbit. With an incremental rollout planned for the greater public after the initial beta phase. Both platforms enable visitors to spin up a c-lightning node on demand without the overhead of syncing with the blockchain, installing a node, or setting up infrastructure.
