Crypto glossary
Lightning address
A Lightning address is an email-like identifier, such as [email protected], that lets anyone pay you over Lightning without asking for a new invoice each time.
Lightning invoices are single-use and expire, which makes them awkward for tips, donations or regular payments. A Lightning address solves that by mapping a human-readable name to a web server. When a wallet pays [email protected], it contacts example.com behind the scenes using the LNURL-pay protocol, which generates a fresh invoice for the amount chosen and returns it for payment.
Introduced in 2021, Lightning addresses spread quickly through custodial wallets, exchanges and social apps, especially Nostr, where profiles display them for tips. They are easy to share on social media or business cards and look familiar to people used to email.
The convenience relies on a web server and domain, so whoever runs the domain can see incoming payment requests and could censor or redirect them. Many addresses point to custodial wallets. Self-custodial users need a server that is online or a provider that supports them. Newer approaches based on BOLT12 offers and DNS records aim to provide similar usability with fewer trust assumptions.
Example
A podcaster puts [email protected] in the episode notes; listeners type it into any compatible wallet, pick an amount, and the payment arrives in seconds without the host creating invoices.