Lightning Network
Bitcoin Layer 2 Payment Network Live Status
Network Capacity
BTC
🖥️
Nodes
🔗
Channels
₿
Network Capacity (BTC)
💰
Avg Fee Rate (ppm)
Detailed Stats
| Nodes | --- |
| Channels | --- |
| Network Capacity | --- |
| Avg Channel Size | --- |
| Avg Fee Rate | --- |
| Median Fee Rate | --- |
| Avg Base Fee | --- |
On-Chain vs Lightning Comparison
| On-Chain | Lightning | |
|---|---|---|
| Processing Speed | 10–60 min | Instant (~1 sec) |
| Fee | $1–$50+ | Under $0.001 |
| Throughput (TPS) | ~7 tx/sec | Millions tx/sec |
| Minimum Amount | 546 satoshis | 1 satoshi |
| Privacy | Public (on blockchain) | Private (peer-to-peer) |
| Best For | Large payments, long-term storage | Micropayments, everyday transactions |
What is the Lightning Network?
The Lightning Network is a Layer 2 payment protocol built on top of Bitcoin. It opens payment channels between two parties to process unlimited transactions off-chain (outside the blockchain), recording only the final result on the blockchain.
This enables instant payments, extremely low fees, and high throughput. It is the key technology that makes everyday use of Bitcoin possible, from buying a cup of coffee to international remittances.
Key Features
Instant Payment
Payment completed in milliseconds
Ultra-Low Fees
Fees under $0.001
Privacy
Off-chain private payments
Scalability
Capable of millions of TPS
Data Provider: mempool.space · Auto-refresh every 60 seconds