Lightning Address

There are essentially two types of Lightning Addresses that appear similar but function very differently behind the scenes. Each has its own pros and cons and is obtained through different methods.

Lightning Addresses based on the LNURL protocol

This is the original method, which relies on a web server to handle the payment process. Essentially, you authorize the server to create invoices on your behalf. When someone attempts to pay your Lightning Address, their wallet contacts the server, which in turn connects to your node or wallet to generate an invoice. That invoice is then sent back to the sender. The major drawback here is that the server sees all the payment details—resulting in poor privacy.

How to get one

You have to use a web service that supports this type of Lightning Addresses, such as lnaddress.me or getalby.com. Alternatively, you can run your own service, using your own domain and avoiding any third-party privacy concerns. This can be done with LNbits’ lnaddress extension or by self-hosting satdress. A lot of wallets offer built-in solutions with their own servers, so users get a Lightning Address without much effort. BitBanana, though, puts privacy first—and that means not running a server that could see your payment activity.

Pros & Cons

✔ Widely Supported: Almost all major wallets and services support it ✕ Poor privacy: The web server can see your payment activity and payment details, like amount, comments, etc. (Unless you decide to self-host, which gets more complicated.)

Lightning Addresses based on DNS Records (Bip353)

This is the newer, privacy-focused way of handling Lightning Addresses, as defined in BIP353. It still uses the familiar email-style format (like [email protected]), but skips the web server entirely. Instead, the sender’s wallet looks up your payment info using DNS, which is then used to initiate an end-to-end encrypted Lightning transaction directly with your node or wallet.

How to get one

Setting up a BIP353-compatible Lightning Address requires publishing a DNS record that others can query. This record contains a static payment code (BOLT12 offer), which you can host via a third-party service like twelve.cash—or self-host it running twelvecash on your own domain.

Pros & Cons

✔ Good privacy ✕ Limited Support (for now): Only a few wallets (like Zeus or Phoenix) support sending to such an address. ✕ Limited Availability (for now): Setting one up requires BOLT12 support, which currently only works with Core Lightning when using BitBanana.