In the first part of this book we introduced the main concepts of the Lightning Network and worked through a comprehensive example of routing a payment and setting up the tools we can use to explore further. In the second part of the book we will explore the Lightning Network in a lot more technical detail, dissecting each of the building blocks.
In this section we will outline the components of the Lightning Network in more detail and provide a “big picture” perspective to guide you through the following chapters.
The Lightning Network Protocol Suite
The Lightning Network is composed of a complex collection of protocols that run on top of the internet. We can broadly classify these protocols into five distinct layers that make up a protocol stack, where each layer builds upon and uses the protocols in the layer below. Also, each protocol layer abstracts the underlying layers and “hides” some of the complexity.
The architecture diagram shown in Figure 6-1 provides an overview of these layers and their component protocols.
Figure 6-1. The Lightning Network protocol suite
The five layers of the Lightning Network, from the bottom up, are:
Network connection layer
This contains the protocols that interact directly with the internet core protocols (TCP/IP), overlay protocols (Tor v2/v3), and internet services (DNS). This layer also contains ...
Become an O’Reilly member and get unlimited access to this title plus top books and audiobooks from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers, thousands of courses curated by job role, 150+ live events each month, and much more.
O’Reilly covers everything we've got, with content to help us build a world-class technology community, upgrade the capabilities and competencies of our teams, and improve overall team performance as well as their engagement.
Julian F.
Head of Cybersecurity
I wanted to learn C and C++, but it didn't click for me until I picked up an O'Reilly book. When I went on the O’Reilly platform, I was astonished to find all the books there, plus live events and sandboxes so you could play around with the technology.
Addison B.
Field Engineer
I’ve been on the O’Reilly platform for more than eight years. I use a couple of learning platforms, but I'm on O'Reilly more than anybody else. When you're there, you start learning. I'm never disappointed.
Amir M.
Data Platform Tech Lead
I'm always learning. So when I got on to O'Reilly, I was like a kid in a candy store. There are playlists. There are answers. There's on-demand training. It's worth its weight in gold, in terms of what it allows me to do.
O’Reilly covers everything we've got, with content to help us build a world-class technology community, upgrade the capabilities and competencies of our teams, and improve overall team performance as well as their engagement.
