Definition
A Lightning Address is an email-like identifier in the form username@domain.com that anyone can pay over the Lightning Network without first being handed a fresh invoice. It is defined by LNURL specification LUD-16 and is the most user-friendly way to receive sats, because the address is static and reusable while the underlying invoices are generated on demand.
How resolution works
When a wallet is given satoshi@example.com, it splits the address into a name and a domain and performs an HTTPS GET request to https://example.com/.well-known/lnurlp/satoshi. The server responds with a standard LNURL-pay payload containing a callback URL plus minSendable and maxSendable amounts in millisatoshis. The wallet then requests an invoice from the callback for the chosen amount and pays it. Because the flow reuses the existing LNURL-pay machinery, any LNURL-pay-capable wallet supports Lightning Addresses with no extra code.
Why it matters for sovereignty
A Lightning Address ties your receiving identity to a domain you can control rather than to a custodian's username namespace. Running your own LNURL endpoint, or self-hosting one alongside a node, means no third party sits between a payer and your channels. Usernames are restricted to lowercase alphanumerics plus hyphen, underscore, and period, which keeps addresses unambiguous across wallets.
For background on the protocol it sits on, see LNURL; the same address scheme also underpins Nostr Zaps when a Nostr profile advertises a Lightning Address. D-Central documents these standards for miners who want to take payment in bitcoin directly.
In Simple Terms
A Lightning Address is an email-like identifier in the form username@domain.com that anyone can pay over the Lightning Network without first being handed a fresh…