Frightening network 👻

Like the lightning network but you'll probably lose all your money

Is this real life?

No because it doesn't really work yet. It's an in-progress implementation of something like the lightning network in vanilla javascript.

Something like the lightning network? What does that mean?

Well, originally I wanted to write an actual lightning implementation, but then I started reading the bolts. And I found them confusing and daunting to both understand and then implement. So I decided to make something else, something easier. I flipped to page 23 of the lightning network whitepaper and decided to just implement that my own way. So it works like the lightning network but it doesn't follow any of the bolt specs.

Why are you doing this?

For fun. Also because there are some things about the lightning network that I want to change and it will be easier to do that if I have my own version.

Why does it not work?

Most of the stuff that happens in the current version happens in the browser console. And some of that doesn't work either. Also, it's all running on regtest, not even testnet, and certainly not mainnet yet, so it's very hard to get this running. Maybe eventually it will work more fully.

Does any of it work right now?

If you can connect it to your own regtest node the following things work:

• two users can create one or more channels
• fund them
• create commitment transactions
• send as many second layer payments as they like to and from one another
• and then force close any channel. Also,
• second layer payments are compatible with the "real" lightning network, so you can do stuff like:
• have the first user send the second user a payment only if the second user pays a real lightning invoice
• have the first user "accept" a real lightning payment via the second user, who gets to settle the real lightning payment only if they forward an equal amount to the first user

What doesn't work?

• neither party detects cheating attempts [though they do have justice transactions ready to broadcast if you manually detect a cheating attempt]
• cooperative closures don't work
• user balances are not yet displayed
• channel history isn't saved so don't refresh the page
• there are no buttons for doing anything listed in the section on stuff that works

Due to the last issue, to use this app you sort of have to sift through the source code and identify some esoteric commands. But it's all good, I'm just throwing this stuff up on github early so people can see what I'm working on in the open. Stay tuned for more.

Message types

An important aspect of the frightening network is that message types are indicated numerically. Here are the numbers currently in use and what they mean:

0. Paul sends Vicky info on how to open a channel with him. Includes his pubkey, a publication hash, and a revocation hash
1. Vicky sends Paul info indicating she wants to open a channel with him. Inludes her utxo and key data to indicate what utxo she will fund the channel with
2. Paul sends Vicky info establishing a "refund state" i.e. the initial state of the channel. Includes 3 signatures.
3. Unused
4. Unused
5. Paul sends Vicky info requesting a payment. Includes a payment hash.
6. Vicky sends Paul info requesting a payment. Includes a payment hash.
7. Vicky sends Paul info informing him she wants to pay someone through him. Includes an invoice from whoever she wants to pay.
8. Unused
9. Unused
10. Vicky sends Paul info intiating a state change. Includes a new publication hash, a new revocation hash, and an amount.
11. Unused
12. Unused
13. Unused
14. Unused
15. Paul sends Vicky info advancing the state change. Includes a new publication hash, a new revocation hash, and a bitcoin address where the amount should be sent if the transaction ends up on the base layer.
16. Unused
17. Unused
18. Unused
19. Unused
20. Vicky sends Paul info advancing the state change. Includes 3 signatures.
21. Unused
22. Unused
23. Unused
24. Unused
25. Paul sends Vicky info finalizing the state change. Includes 3 signatures.
26. Unused
27. Unused
28. Unused
29. Unused
30. Vicky sends Paul info revoking the old state. Includes a revocation preimage.
31. Unused
32. Unused
33. Unused
34. Unused
35. Paul sends Vicky info revoking the old state. Includes a revocation preimage.
36. Unused
37. Unused
38. Unused
39. Unused
40. Paul sends Vicky info to prompt Vicky to initiate another state change to resolve an outstanding htlc that pays Paul. Includes a payment preimage.
41. Unused
42. Unused
43. Unused
44. Unused
45. Vicky sends Paul info to prompt him to expect another state change to resolve an outstanding htlc that pays Vicky. Includes a payment preimage.