<p>The Lightning Network is much more than an implementation of a payment channel. It is a peer-to-peer network whose core purpose is to route payment through a set of multiple payment channels.</p>
<p>Then, I think you are confused with regard to the quote: &quot;many others&quot; here refers to
<em>people</em> not projects. See the <a href="https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Payment_channels" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Payment Channels</a> wiki page for mentions of some of them.</p>
<p>Finally, as you mention Elements is defining <a href="https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/sidechains">sidechains</a> (a peer-to-peer network whose core purpose is to update a block chain that is somehow pegged to Bitcoin) which are not &quot;building on the concept of payment channels&quot;.<br />
However, payment channels may (not yet deployed) be a good abstraction for interconnecting sidechains with Bitcoin or in-between them.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-22T21:54:57.900Z
2024-08-29T13:50:31.650Z
2024-08-29T13:50:31.650Z
Antoine Poinsot
<p>I know the <a href="https://lightning.network/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Lightning Network</a> (which <a href="https://electrum.org/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Electrum</a> wallet experimentally supports) is an implementation of a payment channel, but <a href="https://github.com/bitcoinbook/bitcoinbook#chapters" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><em>Mastering Bitcoin</em></a> (2<sup>nd</sup> ed.) ch. 12, § &quot;<a href="https://github.com/bitcoinbook/bitcoinbook/blob/develop/ch12.asciidoc#routed-payment-channels-lightning-network" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Routed Payment Channels (Lightning Network)</a>&quot; says:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The Lightning Network <a href="https://lightning.network/lightning-network-paper.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">was first described by Joseph Poon and Thadeus Dryja in February 2015</a>, building on the concept of payment channels as proposed and elaborated upon by many others.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>What are the &quot;many others&quot;? Is the <a href="https://elementsproject.org/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Elements Project</a>'s &quot;pegged sidechains&quot; &quot;building on the concept of payment channels&quot; too?</p>

<lightning-network><sidechains><micropaymentchannels><mastering-bitcoin>
What are all the payment channels implementations?
Geremia
# What are all the payment channels implementations?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-02-22)

I know the [Lightning Network](https://lightning.network/) (which [Electrum](https://electrum.org/) wallet experimentally supports) is an implementation of a payment channel, but [*Mastering Bitcoin*](https://github.com/bitcoinbook/bitcoinbook#chapters) (2nd ed.) ch. 12, § "[Routed Payment Channels (Lightning Network)](https://github.com/bitcoinbook/bitcoinbook/blob/develop/ch12.asciidoc#routed-payment-channels-lightning-network)" says:

> The Lightning Network [was first described by Joseph Poon and Thadeus Dryja in February 2015](https://lightning.network/lightning-network-paper.pdf), building on the concept of payment channels as proposed and elaborated upon by many others.

What are the "many others"? Is the [Elements Project](https://elementsproject.org/)'s "pegged sidechains" "building on the concept of payment channels" too?

**Tags:** lightning-network, sidechains, micropaymentchannels, mastering-bitcoin


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2021-02-22. Score: 3

The Lightning Network is much more than an implementation of a payment channel. It is a peer-to-peer network whose core purpose is to route payment through a set of multiple payment channels.

Then, I think you are confused with regard to the quote: "many others" here refers to
*people* not projects. See the [Payment Channels](https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Payment_channels) wiki page for mentions of some of them.

Finally, as you mention Elements is defining [sidechains](https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/sidechains) (a peer-to-peer network whose core purpose is to update a block chain that is somehow pegged to Bitcoin) which are not "building on the concept of payment channels".  
However, payment channels may (not yet deployed) be a good abstraction for interconnecting sidechains with Bitcoin or in-between them.


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