# Opening Your First Lightning Channel
A channel is what connects your node to the Lightning Network. This guide covers the choices you'll make when opening one. If channels are new to you, read Lightning Basics first.
# Before You Start
- Bitcoin must be fully synced and your Lightning wallet created.
- Save a copy of your seed phrase, and read Backing Up a Lightning Node.
# Step 1: Fund Your On-chain Wallet
Channels are funded from LND's on-chain wallet, so send it some bitcoin first. The MyNode Lightning page shows a deposit address in its Balances section, or you can generate one in Ride the Lightning under "On-chain".
Wait for the deposit to confirm before you continue. Your funds will appear as your On-chain Balance. Leave some extra in the wallet to cover the fees for opening the channel, and to keep the small on-chain reserve LND holds back.
# Step 2: Pick a Peer
A peer is the node on the other side of your channel. Your peer can't take your funds, but it does affect how well your payments work. A good first peer:
- Is online reliably. You can't use a channel while your peer is offline, and an unreliable peer can lead to a force close.
- Is well connected. A peer with many channels gives you more routes to the rest of the network.
- Has a good reputation. Check how long it has been running and whether it keeps its channels open for long periods.
- Accepts your channel size. Many larger nodes set a minimum channel size, sometimes on the order of millions of sats. Check before you try.
- Is reachable from your node. Tor nodes can connect to both clearnet and Tor peers. A peer that's only reachable through Tor can't be reached by a node with Tor turned off.
You can research nodes on explorers like Amboss (opens new window), 1ML (opens new window) and mempool.space (opens new window). You can also ask in the MyNode community.
You'll need the peer's URI, which looks like this:
pubkey@address:port
# Step 3: Choose a Channel Size
There's no single correct size. These are the limits and tradeoffs to consider:
- Minimum: LND won't accept channels smaller than 20,000 sats by default, and many peers require much more.
- Maximum: MyNode uses LND's default limit of 16,777,215 sats (about 0.167 BTC) per channel. You can open more than one channel.
- On-chain costs: Each channel costs an on-chain fee to open and another to close. In a very small channel, those fees can use up a large share of the balance, especially when network fees rise.
- Payment size: A channel can't send more than its outbound balance. LND can split a payment across several channels when the receiver supports it, but larger channels are more reliable.
A single medium-sized channel with a well-connected peer is usually a better start than several very small ones. Only commit what you're comfortable having on a hot wallet.
# Step 4: Choose an On-chain Fee
Your channel's funding transaction is a normal Bitcoin transaction, so it needs a fee. Check a fee estimator like mempool.space (opens new window) and choose a rate that should confirm within your timeframe.
If you pick a fee that's too low, the channel can stay pending for a long time. It's usually cheaper to wait until network fees are low unless you need the channel right away.
# Step 5: Choose Public or Private
| Public | Private (unannounced) | |
|---|---|---|
| Visible in the network graph | Yes | No, though it can still be seen by the peer and by anyone who gets an invoice that reveals it |
| Forwards payments for others | Yes | Generally no |
| Receiving | Others find routes to you through the graph | Your invoices must include route hints |
Choose a public channel if you want to forward payments or be easy to pay. Choose a private channel if you only plan to send and receive your own payments. If you're unsure, the default of public works for most people.
# Step 6: Open the Channel
Ride the Lightning and Thunderhub can both open channels. For RTL:
- Add your peer under "Lightning", then "Peers/Channels", then "Peers".
- Go to "Channels", and click "Open Channel".
- Select your peer, enter the amount and your fee, and confirm.
The Ride the Lightning guide has screenshots of these steps. If you'd rather use another interface, see Thunderhub or Zeus.
# Step 7: Wait for Confirmations
The channel shows as pending until the funding transaction confirms. LND usually needs between 3 and 6 confirmations depending on the channel's size, so expect this to take around 30 to 60 minutes after the transaction enters a block. Your peer can ask for more.
Once it's active, the channel appears in the Channels section of the MyNode Lightning page, where a bar shows how its balance is split between you and your peer.
If the channel stays pending for much longer, look up its funding transaction on a block explorer to see whether it has confirmed. A low-fee transaction just needs more time. See Closing Lightning Channels for what else "pending" can mean.
# After It Opens
Download a new copy of your channel backup. The file changes every time you open or close a channel. See Backing Up a Lightning Node.