Hello, World! We’re Voltage and today we are excited to share a new way to connect with the Lightning Network. Voltage offers noncustodial Lightning node hosting with complete user control. With our platform, you can provision a dedicated Lightning node in less than two minutes. You are the only one with access to the node's seed and passphrase so the keys stay with you. We’ll handle the uptime, backups, version upgrades, networking, and more. Now you can get the full power of the Lightning Network with zero hassle.
The Lightning Network was developed to unlock new possibilities with Bitcoin. While it is certainly accomplishing its goals, the hurdle to achieve more widespread adoption still exists. This is partially due to the difficulties of running your own node. We aim to reduce this barrier that hinders Lightning Network adoption by enabling fast and easy Lightning node deployments.
The Problem
Currently, there are 3 primary methods of connecting to the Lightning Network. A custodial wallet service, a noncustodial application with a node included, or running your own remote node. Each option has its own benefits and drawbacks.
- Custodial wallets enable easy onboarding and simple use. However, you don’t have access to the private keys holding your funds or the ability connect to their node's APIs. You are essentially a number in a database on their central node(s).
- Noncustodial applications offer similar ease of use, but you control the funds and the channels. Yet, the channels can’t easily be shared between devices and API access is difficult. These applications are also only online when you have them open, requiring you to open the app to receive payments.
- Running your own remote node gives you control of funds and channels while also allowing API access and channel sharing between devices. Nevertheless, it requires technical knowledge to setup and maintain the node. Not to mention the hundreds of dollars you need to spend on equipment to get started.
In summary, to get the most out of the Lightning Network you need to have your own node. However, it's not easy to setup and maintain a node yourself, especially for less technical users. While these options are sufficient for some, there needs to be a way to get all the benefits of a node with the ease of a custodial wallet.
Our Solution
What if there was a way to get the simplicity of a custodial wallet while having the capabilities of your own node? Well, that’s what Voltage is! With our product, you can provision a Lightning node, running LND, dedicated to you from the Voltage dashboard. You have total control over your node through the dashboard and APIs.
We expose the gRPC and/or REST APIs so you can connect from your favorite applications. There is a list of Settings that allow you to adjust your node just how you want it. To ensure privacy and security, Tor is supported out of the box. You’re even able to start and stop your node on the fly. Finally, we give you access to all files on your node, including databases, logs, certificates, and more. Transparency is key, so we show you everything.
Whether you want to run a Lightning node for yourself or your business, Voltage gives you the power. Connect to your node from anywhere, anytime and let us worry about the maintenance. As the Lightning Network grows, so do the opportunities that it brings. Be a part of this growing network and provision your own Voltage node.
Voltage is currently under development. We are hard at work preparing to accept users. To get additional information about Voltage see our homepage or contact us at hello@getvoltage.io. Enter your email below or on the homepage to get notified of updates and when we’re accepting signups. There's a lot more to come.
#StackSats
UPDATE
We have now launched the Voltage platform. You can create your own Lightning Node quickly and easily from our dashboard.