Lightning Explorer & Analytics
Understanding Lightning Network Data in Aggregate
Last updated
Understanding Lightning Network Data in Aggregate
Last updated
Network capacity refers to how much Bitcoin is present across all channels (and their connecting nodes) on the Lightning Network.
Channel capacity refers to the largest one time payment amount that could be transferred from one connected node to another. There are specifics of local vs remote liquidity that also play into this, and as routes involve multiple peers, capacity on the route becomes a limiting factor.
Capacity does not restrict total payment volume, however. For example, millions of satoshis could be transferred back and forth between payments as often as needed. So the total payment volume found on the Lightning Network is not limited by capacity.
Overall, Network Capacity offers a proxy for how large the network has grown, and by drilling down to individual channels and channel paths, we can glean insight on routing and how value can be transferred across the internet.
The Exponential Layers Lightning Explorer offers aggregated details for capacity. All data is synced and aggregated from the evolving Lightning Network graph every 20 minutes. The last update time is displayed (UTC).
Total Network Capacity: The sum of all non-deleted channels and their capacity.
Active Network Capacity: The sum of all active (non-deleted and with both nodes and their policies marked active) channels and their capacity.
Total Nodes: Nodes can exist on the network but they may be in an offline state or not connected via any channels. Total node count consists of all nodes seen on the network. Any nodes that were once present on the network but have since been deleted, are not included in this total.
Active Nodes: Refers to Nodes that are online with at least one connected and active channel.
Total Channels: The total number of non-deleted channels present in the Lightning Network Graph
Active Channels: The total number of non-deleted channels present in the Lightning Network Graph that have both Nodes and their policies marked as Active.
