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Learn how to spin up a new Lightning Network node in less than 15 minutes |
Using litd in integrated mode and the Neutrino backend, we are able to spin up a Lightning Network node, fully synced to chain and graph within 15 minutes on a fresh Ubuntu Virtual Private Server.
{% embed url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9svP0Fpp1ZQ" %} LND Speed Run {% endembed %}
We are using a VPS with 2GB of RAM and 1 vCPU running Ubuntu 22.04 LTS. It has 20GB of space on an SSD. We make sure the device is up to date with:
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade
We will download the latest litd binaries from their release page. Check for the latest version, manifest and gpg signatures as well as the key used to sign them.
First we will download the necessary files:
gpg --keyserver hkps://keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv-keys 187F6ADD93AE3B0CF335AA6AB984570980684DCC
wget https://github.com/lightninglabs/lightning-terminal/releases/download/v0.11.0-alpha/lightning-terminal-linux-amd64-v0.11.0-alpha.tar.gz
wget https://github.com/lightninglabs/lightning-terminal/releases/download/v0.11.0-alpha/manifest-v0.11.0-alpha.sig
wget https://github.com/lightninglabs/lightning-terminal/releases/download/v0.11.0-alpha/manifest-v0.11.0-alpha.txt
Finally we will verify whether the manifest is properly signed and whether the sha256 sum in the manifest matches the one we calculate.
gpg --verify manifest-v0.11.0-alpha.sig manifest-v0.11.0-alpha.txt
cat manifest-v0.11.0-alpha.txt
sha256sum lightning-terminal-linux-amd64-v0.11.0-alpha.tar.gz
Installing the binaries is as easy as moving them to a location where your operating system can find them.
cd lightning-terminal-linux-amd64-v0.11.0-alpha/
sudo mv * /usr/local/bin
We will have to create a directory and make a new configuration file
mkdir ~/.lit
nano ~/.lit/lit.conf
A sample configuration file might look like this. Don't forget to create a new password!
httpslisten=0.0.0.0:8443
uipassword=dont use this password you will use all your coins
lnd-mode=integrated
lnd.bitcoin.active=1
lnd.bitcoin.mainnet=1
lnd.bitcoin.node=neutrino
lnd.feeurl=https://nodes.lightning.computer/fees/v1/btc-fee-estimates.json
lnd.protocol.option-scid-alias=true
lnd.protocol.zero-conf=true
We can start litd with the command litd. Alternatively we can also use nohup to push the process into the background and observe its logs.
nohup litd > /dev/null 2> /home/ubuntu/.lit/err.log &
tail -f ~/.lit/logs/mainnet/litd.log
We will create a new wallet with the command:
lncli create
Follow the instructions on the screen, create a new seed phrase and write it down somewhere securely, ideally with a pencil on paper.
We will now wait for litd to sync. This should only take a few minutes. We can check on the progress with:
lncli getinfo
lncli getnetworkinfo
We will wait for "synced to chain" and "synced to graph" to both appear as true
Finally, we will navigate to your node's IP address at port 8443 to access the litd UI and connect to Lightning Terminal. This will require the password set in the litd.conf file, as well as a second, new password generated with your password manager.
We are now ready to deposit funds into our node, open channels and make payments. Congratulations!