Umbrel LNBits app - Description and basic use

Guides
1

LNURL + LN node + LNDHUB + NFC + merchant support = anyone with sats and a LN channel being able to self issue their own “debit card” against their own “checking account.”

Description

LNBits it’s an amazing app that is adding a suite of features to Umbrel node and users can adapt to their needs. This app is using the node liquidity (onchain and LN) and is adding a separate database for management. You can use it for multiple wallets, as a LNDhub or specific usage for merchants, content creators, web content, LN ATMs and many others.

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LNBits Links:

NOTES:

  • This Umbrel app works only behind Tor, so any extension you add/use/create QRs, you will need to use it from the .onion address provided. Do not share this onion address!
  • If you want to use it on clearnet, here is an amazing guide to follow.
  • Also you can configure your LNbits to be visible on clearnet with Freetunnel extension + ngrok.io Github here by Supertestnet
  • Once you open/create a new LNBits wallet, save that address link into your bookmarks. There’s no other way (for the moment) to recover that wallet or login again. The address contain the key to the wallet. Do not share this address!
  • LNBits is still beta phase, so take that in consideration and do not use it in “production” scenario.
  • Here you have also a great Wordpress/Woocommerce plugin so you can start accepting BTC/LN using your LNbits instance from your Umbrel node.
  • To be able to have free fee, internal txs between your LNDhub LNbits wallets, add this line in your lnd.conf file: allow-circular-route=1

Functionalities – extensions

From app extensions we mention:

  • LNDHub – create various LND wallets, for family, employees, customers with different levels of access

  • LNurl-pay – a simple way to have a static non-expiring LN QR code for receiving

  • LNurl-withdraw – nice way to create vouchers loaded with sats and others can just scan and withdraw to their LN wallets

  • TPoS – virtual LN PoS for small shops

  • LNURL PoS offline - Cheap, offline(!), DIY bitcoin lightning-network PoS

  • LNURLVend - offline vending machine with LNURL

  • LNURL PoS app - mobile version of the PoS offline

  • DJ Livestream – create your own jukebox paid with sats

  • Streamer Copilot - amazing extension for streamers to accept tips onscreen and show vary monikers

  • Create onchain and LN charges

  • Offline Shop – Receive payments for products offline

  • Events – Sell and register event tickets

  • Captcha – Create captcha to stop spam, paid with sats

  • Paywall – Create paywalls for content

  • Sats Dice - Create and play dice with friends using LNURL

  • SatsPayServer - Create onchain and LN charges

  • Split Payments - Split incoming payments across wallets

  • Spotify Jukebox - Spotify jukebox middleware

  • Stream Alerts - Bitcoin donations in stream alerts

  • Tip Jar - Accept Bitcoin donations, with messages attached!

  • Subdomains – Sell subdomains of your domain

  • Support tickets – LN support ticket system

  • Watch only – Add your cold wallets in watch-only mode with total privacy and security

  • User Manager – Generate users and wallets

  • Bleskomat – Connect a Bleskomat LN ATM to an lnbits.Tutorial how to build FOSSA LN ATM

  • DIY Bleskomat LN ATM and here more examples

  • Demo how to use a LN ATM

  • Here is an open source documentation about how to build your own LN ATM and then connect it to your LNBits server for management.

Usage example

This is just an example of how to connect LNbits wallet, for more using examples please consult LNBits Youtube channel

  • Install in Umbrel the app LNBits. This will activate the option to create various LNDhub wallets on your node. Remember, these are empty LN wallets and will not display your node channels funds. But will USE your node liquidity. Are just a separate accounting system, on top of your node.
  • Create an aaccount in your LNbits instance. Then activate the LNDHUB extension and link it to a new LNbits wallet. Use the onion address for this procedure, NOT the local IP or umbrel.local. The wallet have to be visible over internet and the only way is through Tor.
  • You can create various users with various wallets inside and activate for each account the extensions you want.
  • Save in your browser bookmarks that account address, because is the only way to open it again, the link contain the key to the wallet. New LNbits releases will have a login/authentification page, but for the moment save that account link.
  • Open your Bluewallet or Zeus on your mobile, go to add wallet, click import and scan the QR code displayed on your LNbits LNDHUB. You have two options: as admin (full rights over the wallet) or invoicing only (limited rights only for creating invoices).
  • REMEMBER: Use Bluewallet /Zeus with Tor service otherwise will not read that QR code.
  • Done. Now you can use that wallet as a normal LN wallet in Bluewallet/Zeus, no need for opening channels etc it’s all linked with your LN node, so it depends of your node liquidity. This is a good option if you have a small shop with employees that can charge using LN, without having full permissions to your node.
  • Sending/receiving between internal LNBits wallets can be allowed with this line in your lnd.conf file: allow-circular-route=1 (restart lnd after edit). With this, you can use LNbits wallets with internal 0 fee, in direct payments, but in the limits of your node liquidity.
  • To fund these new LNDhub wallets, you will need to use an external LN wallet, is not possible to send from your own LN node funds.
  • To save a backup of your LNbits instance (including tx history, wallets, accounts), you can save the database folder located in:/umbrel/app-data/lnbits/dataIn special the database.sqlite3 file, but is good to save the entire data folder.
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