Lightning Network isn’t Bitcoin

I've been seeing this idea floating around a lot online, from forums to Twitter and even here on this forum, where some big names are pushing it. It’s kind of wild how scammers jump on the claim that 'Bitcoin can't scale' just to hype up their own token or some other useless coin that claims to be quicker or better at scaling Bitcoin. So I thought I'd break it down for folks who might be lost about what the Lightning Network really is and how it functions. First off, Lightning isn't its own separate network like those built by trash coins with their own tokens to sell. It's actually an extension of Bitcoin. Think of it as software that works directly with the Bitcoin software. Lightning can't function without Bitcoin; it depends entirely on the Bitcoin network and software. There are two main software versions: Core Lightning and LND. Transactions on Lightning happen off-chain, so they don't get logged directly on the Bitcoin blockchain. The only on-chain transaction is the one that opens a channel between two Bitcoin nodes. After that, you can move Bitcoin back and forth as much as you want. Your Bitcoin stays safe and under your control, and you can close the channel whenever to access your funds on-chain. Bitcoin in the Lightning Network is genuine Bitcoin, secured by smart contracts until you close the channel. Only the two Bitcoin nodes involved in the channel can open or close it. If you really want to grasp Bitcoin better, running your own Bitcoin node is a great idea. There are tutorials out there that guide you through setting up a budget-friendly DIY Bitcoin node, installing, and running the software.

This is incorrect, Lightning can operate on any currency system that supports HTLCs. For example, Litecoin has its own Lightning Network: https://1ml.com/litecoin/

But it will be good to point out that bitcoin lightning network is totally different from litcoin lightning network. Litcoin has been a carbon copy of bitcoin, including the blockchain and many updates like segwit, but we can not say that bitcoin blockchain and litecoin blockchain are the same while referring to bitcoin. What BitGoba wants to prove wrong are people that are saying bitcoin that has been moved to the off chain layer are not bitcoin and which is not true. But only what should be used to defend it is that lightning network is part of bitcoin improvement protocol.

Wow, this is the first time I’ve heard about it. But it seems that LLN is barely used. The page at https://1ml.com/litecoin/  as well as any other on this site doesn’t show any active channels. Most of the listed channels are 2-3 years old and already closed. So I can conclude that the LLN has had very limited adoption and will probably never take off the way BLN did.

Just as I have said, litecoin is bitcoin carbon copy. Litcoin does not need lightning network at all because litcoin transaction fee is very cheap. No one will be encouraged to use the off chain layer because the reason for the off chain should be for lower transaction fee but litcoin transaction fee is very cheap to the point that you can not think of using LLN.

I used to say frequently: altcoins that say they are a solution to the scaling problem wish they had a scaling problem to deal with. They dream of a congested network that isn't filled with rubbish and spam txs. Bitcoin is fine, and it solved scaling a long time ago. You can't say LN isn't Bitcoin and disagree that shitcoins aren't proper crypto.

Litecoin is better than many Bitcoin forks as it has its own name that does not contain the word "Bitcoin" like Bitcoin forks. At least Litecoin stands for itself, not like other altcoins that try to parasite with Bitcoin in their names, and with buzz words for marketing like Bitcoin forks. Even just a project name, Litecoin has more value than Bitcoin forks. How Many Bitcoin Forks Are There? You will be surprised!!!

You are incorrect, don't play semantic games here unnecessarily. What people usually call Lightning is the L2 layer on Bitcoin, not the technology that is being used for it. Very few people talk about the technology and how it operates because very few people are familiar with it or are working on it, most are just using it. Therefore, it is absolutely correct to state that Lightning cannot operate without Bitcoin as it is referring to the Bitcoin L2. Bitcoin that are on Lightning are true Bitcoins, there is no wrapping or other shenanigans that some fake decentralized networks use.   It is an useless experiment, there is no need for Litecoin to have a Lightning Network or other layer 2s aside from using them as a testing ground. Litecoin does not need to exist really anyway, it could have been its own testnet. Altcoins are completely centralized, full of spam transactions and bugs, and whenever you need them the most they get congested and fail. Therefore those scams are for the most weak minded and least educated crypto users. They don't tend to learn their lesson until they lose a lot of money, as they have been in 2025 and now in 2026. Most altcoins are down really bad. This is a completely meaningless post. Bitcoin forks are irrelevant and scams, and Litecoin is irrelevant too. An irrelevant thing being better than some other irrelevant thing is meaningless. Next time ask ChatGPT to write a post for you, it will produce smarter content than this.

There's also "eclair" by ACINQ. At my time studying lightning, ACINQ had the lightning node with the most liquidity. A channel can also be unilaterally closed by just one of the nodes. This is what makes it easier to claim that lightning is bitcoin, since anyone running a lightning node can leave the network without the permission of any other node.

What about "Taproot Assets" by Lightning Labs which sends tokens such as Tether with Lightning? LDK and Electrum are other implementations as well.

I like the Lightning Network and think it's important/valuable, definitely. Would be nice to see it used more. With that said, when it comes to helping secure the network through transaction fees, it's not very helpful.

The Lightning Network is simply a part of Bitcoin. It helps facilitate small transactions on the Bitcoin network without incurring high gas fees. These numerous microtransactions do not require validation from node one by one. The transactions are processed off-chain once the payment channel is opened. When the channel is closed the original on-chain transaction is executed. The final process is processed on the original Bitcoin blockchain, where it means that the Lightning Network is Bitcoin. However the process is slightly different from normal transactions. Many people use it as a benchmark for other altcoins. And others question the speed required for daily transactions. I personally have also seen this narrative appear on the internet. They often question Bitcoin's scalability for small transactions. So they often question the transaction speed that can be achieved on the Bitcoin network for daily transactions in its use as a medium of exchange. And they don't seem to know about the Lightning Network. I think they need to read up on it.

Oh poor LightningGoba... how long are you going to push this stupid narrative, when it's obvious that Lightning Network can be anything developers want it to be? They already announced stablecoin crap is coming soon to lightning network, and even litecoin, monero and other coins have lightning related projects. Lightning Network is NOT Bitcoin!

Lightning doesn’t replace Bitcoin, it extends it. Channels are enforced by Bitcoin’s base layer and funds can always be settled back on-chain. The real debate isn’t whether Lightning “is Bitcoin”but how much convenience users are willing to trade for sovereignty.

Feeling strange with the title of this thread, even though the sats on the Lightning Network, initially Bitcoin only switched networks, and vice versa sats on the Lightning Network can be swapped again into Bitcoin on-chain. Then you say the Lightning Network is not Bitcoin. Lol Have you never learned about layer2? Btw, When it comes to the current Bitcoin Liquidity on the Lightning Network the largest is Bitfinex, ACINQ is 5th for now. Meanwhile, ACINQ is the most popular channel with a total of 1949 channels. Source: amboss.space