products / node-launcher
Getting paid on Lightning needs a wallet that can receive around the clock. Node Launcher deploys your own non-custodial LND node on a VPS you control, in minutes; you hold the keys, and bolthub can never touch the funds.
what you get
Deploy to Hetzner, DigitalOcean, Vultr, Scaleway, or LunaNode, or bring your own VPS.
Buyers hit your API while you’re asleep, so the wallet that creates invoices must be online 24/7. Phone wallets aren’t built for that. A node on a small VPS is: it answers every invoice request, keeps your keys in your hands, and works with both the hosted platform and a self-hosted Pay SDK setup. Already running LND, LNbits, or an always-on NWC wallet like Alby Hub? Connect that instead; the launcher is for everyone who isn’t.
A brand-new node has no channels yet, so the first thing it needs is inbound capacity. The launcher walks you through it: order a channel and we open it for you, then keep an eye on it so you don’t quietly stop receiving.
Pick a capacity tier, or take the 1-click starter channel. Pay the one-time setup invoice by QR or on-chain, and the channel opens automatically, brokered across providers with fallback.
We check your channels every few minutes and email you before capacity runs low, a peer drops, or you fill up. A diagnostics view shows why a payment didn't land.
An encrypted channel backup refreshes automatically, and we can't read it. If the VM ever dies, restore from your seed and the backup in two guided steps.
The VPS bill goes to your provider, not to us. If you order inbound liquidity, the one-time channel fee (about 1–2%) goes to the liquidity provider, not to us either. The launcher exists so “I don’t run a Lightning node” never stands between you and charging for your tools.
Real-world use
An API owner wants to charge per call but has never touched Lightning. They deploy a node from the dashboard over a coffee, the seed generated in their own browser, order a starter channel so it can receive, then point their gateway at it. First invoice is paid the same day, into a wallet only they control, and the VPS costs them about the price of one coffee a month.
start selling
Self-host the SDK free, or start on the hosted platform: 1-month free trial, usage-based billing after that.