The easiest way to convert main-chain bitcoin to lightning sats is the use Muun wallet. With that you simply send bitcoin to it and from then on you can send out both bitcoin main-chain and Lightning payments from the same wallet. This is how I top up my Alby wallet for use with Nostr.
Discussion
How do you go from lightning to on chain bitcoin in Muun, I DL’d it, but don’t see the option
Same way but in reverse. If you send funds via Lightning to Muun you can then send funds out to a main-chain bitcoin address. Muun uses a unified balance - the total of both main-chain and lightning bitcoin.
So let’s say I have 1000 sats I got via lighting tips, I just send it to a bitcoin wallet and it’ll register as on chain BTC? Something sounds fishy about that
Not fishy at all. Muun uses submarine swaps to move from lightning to main-chain and reverse. It's what make Muun a very popular wallet - great for everyday use. I wouldn't be without it.
Ok, will try this, but wild that it just automatically converts fom lightning to on-chain automatically
It doesn't “convert automatically”. Muun runs a Lightning node and does all LN transactions on behalf of users, with an additional on-chain transaction every time. It's a terrible idea, because the whole point of Lightning is to avoid on-chain transactions (fees & block space). I would never recommend Muun except maybe as a swap-in service.
So don’t use it as a primary lighting wallet, but ok to use in/out of lightning network?
I wouldn't use it for either, but using it for swap-in is not a terrible idea. Whatever LN wallet you're using should already have it's own swap-in mechanism. Usually there will be some screen or address with a label similar to "receive on-chain funds into Lightning". I just use that. Send on-chain, receive off-chain, very simple.
Using Muun for swapping BTC and Lightning might theoretically give you some better privacy just by adding another hop between your on-chain wallet and your LN wallet. Muun will just see the total amount going in and out, rather than individual payments, and your LN wallet will only see that funds come and go through Muun so they won't have your on-chain address.
But for Lightning payments, it simply doesn't make any sense. Why would you want to do on-chain transactions every time you do a Lightning payment? Plus Muun keeps track of your on-chain funds in Muun, so it's not like you get any additional privacy benefits or something.
I am collecting payments via lightning, and I have accumulated a substantial amount. I haven’t found myself needing to swap bitcoin into lightning, just the other way around. I’m just looking for a way out of lightning and back to on-chain to bank my earnings…
How are the fees? The way I understand it, pretty much all tx's from muun are on chain, even lightning tx's. But it is no doubt the most convenient
testing Phoenix apk, ZAP win , blixt lnd apk - similar fn. - is it called submarine swap? LOL
Love Muun, and used it to top up my Alby wallet. BUT, I can't seem to get alby lightning address to work with zaps.
When I try to zap myself, or others try to zap my alby wallet, they get an error.
Mind trying to see what I mean?
simple bitcoin wallet does that too. can be downloaded from fdroid if you use a phone or an android emulator. sbw is self custodial, compare fees