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Before using ZEUS

To start using ZEUS you will need to be running your own Bitcoin lightning node. You can either run a node on your phone using the embedded node option or choose to use a remote connection.

For those that just started with Bitcoin, we recommend you read these resources about Bitcoin's Lightning Network before spinning up your own node. It is very important to understand these new concepts and technical terms that you will encounter while using ZEUS.

ZEUS supports the LND and CLN implementations, as well as lndhub accounts. Below you will find more documentation about these LN implementations and information on running a Lightning node.

What is a Bitcoin Lightning Network (LN) node?​

A Bitcoin node is a computer that connects to Bitcoin network and uses a peer-to-peer protocol that allows nodes to communicate with each other within the network as well as spreading information on transactions and blocks. Information is distributed among such nodes and they are what the blockchain network consists of. See more details here.

The Lightning network is the additional payment protocol (Layer 2), a layer embedded on top of a blockchain to enable users to send or receive payments instantly and at almost zero cost. It involves the use of peer-to-peer payment channels that mean users can defer broadcasting their transactions to the blockchain, making it scale. It is intended to help Bitcoin to scale. See more details here.

In short:

  • Bitcoin network Layer 1 (onchain) is the base settlement network
  • Lightning network Layer 2 (LN) is the payment network

Here is a list of resources that will explain in detail what is, how it works, what you should do as a node LN operator, how to manage your LN node.

LN implementations supported by ZEUS​

  1. LND - Lightning Network Daemon: GitHub | Documentation
  2. CLN - Core Lightning: GitHub | Documentation
  3. LNDHub: GitHub | Documentation