This is one of the reasons I asked for a software architecture diagram. Alby declined and instead sent me a lightning SDK with no information of how they used it.
Discussion
you can run your own relay, or use any relay you want...
Yes, I was planning on running my own relay. That's exsctly why I wanted a software architecture diagram.
For example, Alby Hub doesn't require a full bitcoin node. So where does it get it's block data? Whom would I be trusting? What signature checks are being done in Alby vs ones that would normally happen in your own full node.
Those are just some basic ones that an architecture diagram would answer. It'd also illustrate that you will depend on another server/service for your lightning address.
These diagrams are truely invaluable.
It doesn’t need a full node, but it still needs a LND node which can be a partial node. It gets the latest block data from that node and throws away older blocks as they come in. You would be trusting that LND instance if you self host.
Same goes for the lightning address, you would be trusting the provider of that domain to keep you active
Same with the relay, unless you run your own; you would be trusting the operator of that relay to be online 100% of the time to transact.
All of this can be done by yourself, just takes time and energy to set it up and stay online all the time. LNbits v1 is about to drop which will have NWC extensions
nevent1qqszdrgklvcgemeuvy6s9nrnpsf6phmu9xvkezn6lu2rledd6s0u4rczyrqlcam37hayrr7n43yjyxsc7xd59n9h5e3a4rcyewlkczxgp5stzqcyqqqqqqgh9269e