LDK Node, a new Lightning node library, has been announced, offering developers a simplified and ready-made solution for setting up a self-custodial Lightning node. Built using LDK and BDK, LDK Node provides a straightforward interface and an integrated on-chain wallet, allowing developers to quickly and easily build a Lightning node within a day.
Unlike its predecessor LDK, which offers many customization options but requires a deep understanding of protocol basics, LDK Node focuses on simplicity and ease of use. With a reduced API surface consisting of around 30 API calls, LDK Node simplifies the integration of self-custodial Lightning nodes in various use cases while hiding protocol complexities.
The first release of LDK Node includes many design options and modules. The integrated BDK wallet manages on-chain data, and chain data can be retrieved from the Esplora server, with support for Electrum and bitcoind RPC planned for the future. Gossip data can be obtained through Lightning’s peer-to-peer network or the Rapid Gossip Sync (RGS) protocol. LDK Node also offers ways to capture entropy for Lightning and on-chain wallets, as well as creating and persisting entropy bytes to disk.
The LDK Node is specifically designed to facilitate the integration of self-custodial Lightning nodes into mobile applications. Its features are tailored for mobile deployments, with integration options available for Swift, Kotlin, Python and Flutter. By offering language bindings and compatibility with mobile environments, LDK Node aims to simplify the process of deploying self-custodial Lightning nodes on end-user devices.
Looking ahead, the development team behind LDK Node has started working on the next release, which will introduce support for sourcing chain data from Electrum or bitcoind RPC and maintaining a Versioned Storage Service (VSS) backend. . Integration of the Language Server Protocol (LSP) specification is also underway. The team is actively considering adding server-grade modules in the future.
For developers interested in exploring LDK Node, the GitHub repository, API documentation, and Rust Crate provide additional resources. Additionally, there is a showcase called Monday Wallet, an example wallet built with LDK Node Swift bindings, which demonstrates the library’s capabilities in real-world applications.
