Lightning Payments on Testnet for Bitrefill
As a key bitcoin merchant serving people all over the world the top two requests we get are faster processing times and cheaper transaction fees. Lightning is a promising technology currently in development that will enable people to do instant bitcoin transactions at almost zero cost.
We’re happy to announce that we’ve completed integration with the lightning protocol, currently available for testing in testnet mode. Once Lightning becomes available for mainstream use on mainnet (with real bitcoins) we will stand ready to support users using Lightning immediately.
For the somewhat technically savvy users (you currently need to use a command line) — here are instructions for how to try this out on testnet. It’s safe to say there is still much to be done on the user experience of this, but it‘s enough to give you a feeling for what it will be like. There’s even a promo at the bottom for those that go through all the steps!
Check back at this page, we will update it with new developments, clients and tutorials as those become available. New things are coming out every day :)
Happy refilling!
Instructions: Try out lightning payments with Bitrefill on Testnet.
Disclaimer we have closed are testnet node and are now running on mainnet, please visit this link for mainnet instructions: https://medium.com/@bitrefill/mobile-instructions-lightning-on-bitrefill-8f21bbb0cc3
Note: Testnet is not real bitcoin, and real refills are not delivered this way.
Step 1) Install LND
Installation instructions are provided here: http://dev.lightning.community/guides/installation/
Step 2) Use LND as a light client using Neutrino
lnd --bitcoin.active --bitcoin.testnet --neutrino.active --noencryptwallet --no-macaroonsStep 3) Fund and Connect to our Lightning Node
Important: Wait until the sync above is complete.
Then generate an address:
lncli newaddress np2wkh
{
“address”: “2NBgf1QumPDq1PH5iNyrMwqq7bLm8VUU7sU”
}Get some free testnet coins here: https://testnet.manu.backend.hamburg/faucet
Then connect to our node:
lncli connect 0387f3227bda3aeec3d21ce718706daf5a4a652628d75ce56f8d8a6a3451c40061@lnd.bitrefill.comStep 4) Open a channel to our Lightning Node
After the funds from the faucet have confirmed in your lightning wallet:
lncli openchannel --node_key 0387f3227bda3aeec3d21ce718706daf5a4a652628d75ce56f8d8a6a3451c40061 --local_amt 16000000 --push_amt 0This opens a channel with 16,000,000 satoshis that can be sent over this channel instantly.
(note in the feature we envision most of this happening in the background, but for the sake of demoing we are doing it manually)
Step 5) Visit our Test Lightning Website
To create a testnet lightning transaction visit: bitrefill.com
You can use this test number provided including the plus: +923012345678
But if you’re in a supported country you can actually just go ahead and use your own phone number!
Click on See Prices button and you’ll see the page below:
Choose a package and enter an email address.
Click the checkbox and click the to payment button.
Step 6) Copy and Pay the Invoice
Copy the invoice and pay on the command line or GUI below without brackets:
lncli sendpayment --pay_req <invoice-here>
User Demos!
Promo! Get a free refill voucher!
Send us a video or gif of your successful lightning refill and we’ll give you a voucher for some free refills! First 50 to do this will get $20 USD worth of refills. Email to lightning@bitrefill.com
IMPORTANT: The Lightning Network is still being implemented, anything shown above is purely a work in progress before it is ready on mainnet, but rest assured we will deploy live payments when stable enough. If you have any issues feel free to join LND Community Slack for assistance. Ping justin for help about the Bitrefill parts.
This tutorial is accurate as of lnd version with commit hash: 5dbf5084e7d87dd60b040cdaec8be6d3fe15ab85
Thanks for recharging with Bitrefill
Bitrefill Team
