I think I am slowly getting set up. Maybe you can give me a zap and I can see if it works? 🥹

I didn't realize that the only way to self-custody in lightning was to run an entire node. Stop me if I'm wrong, but it sure looks like Alby has my coins and I can only move them to another lightning address, not withdraw them to the chain.

I am excited to see Zeus is working on having an embedded lightning node though. Details at: nostr:nevent1qqsfpzmzygtpa5l26m6f5gskr48kxvjj3xu8lxedl6lra3w0fyv2jdqpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfdupzqdxj75n57x2clnfvkfrrm2l2mhu2y8uy4njzg8dg3qprhuzueqy4qvzqqqqqqyykj7fl

I'm very much looking forward to that. I'm all about usability for people who don't live and breathe crypto.

I'm also going to write something to help Amathest users get started because it was really rough. Gotta just roll up our sleeves and get some contributions in.

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Discussion

Alby is custodial

For onchain withdrawals from an Alby Account your can use services like boltz.exchange today and soon directly via the Alby Browser Extension.

Alby does hold those sats, so zapping amounts only.

Phoenix and breez both do non custodial lightning where the node is on your phone. That means it can't do ln addresses so no receiving zaps. (the node only runs when the app is open so it can only receive when the app is open)

Alby, Wallet of Satoshi, etc., fall under the category of custodial lightning wallets. These wallets handle the nodes and, consequently, manage and secure your funds. Consider them as akin to carrying cash in your pocket; however, you cannot move funds to an on-chain wallet. Being managed for you, they remain online consistently, or at least that's the intention :)

On the other hand, Phoenix and Breeze belong to the non-custodial wallets. They operate a self-contained Lightning node directly on your phone. For receiving payments, the node must stay online, requiring your app to be active. Phoenix, and potentially Breeze as well, might retain incoming payments until you come back online, though my knowledge here might be limited. Additionally, these wallets allow easy swapping between on-chain and lightning transactions.

The hosted nature of Alby and Wallet of Satoshi allows them to provide users with personalized lightning addresses, such as dr.hax@something.com.

Zeus, another non-custodial wallet, enables you to connect to your own node, but you'll need to run your node externally. However, a new version of Zeus is set to include an embedded node, eliminating the need for external setup.

Furthermore, you may want to explore the Mutiny wallet as well.

In conclusion, I recommend trying out all these wallets and using the one that best suits your specific use case!

Thanks for all the information!

I'd try Phoenix if it were on F-Droid. There is already a bug report about this: https://github.com/ACINQ/phoenix/issues/152

Breez has the same problem and a similar bug report: https://github.com/breez/breezmobile/issues/413

I have Zeus and I appear to have it connected to my Alby account. Plan on switching to self custody once Zeus supports it.

https://app.mutinywallet.com/ looks pretty interesting. The fees and liquidity seem like they're pretty confusing for thise people who have never used any cryptocurrency before. And that can't exactly be hidden since it costs about $15 to get started. Not a great look for a technology that makes it sound like it's good for buying a $2 cup of coffee.

I mean, I get that opening a channel requires taking money off chain (thus tying it up). And it looks like the fee for "opening a channel" is just a normal network fee, so like 60¢ as of yesterday.

When I get some sats, I'll send some your way because the documentation on lightning ( https://www.bitcoin.com/get-started/what-is-lightning-network/ ) is not at all actionable, but by reading to docs of all of these wallets combined, the picture is finally starting to emerge.

For any question related to Alby, I am here to help. :-)

Did you get the zap?

Oh, I did! And it shows up on Zeus too, so now I know that's working properly as well. Thanks for all the help in getting me started, both of you. 😁