BOLT 12 Offerings have been officially integrated into the specification of Bitcoin’s second-layer network protocol, Lightning Network. This advancement enables a more private and user-friendly way to send and receive funds via Lightning.
BOLT 12 introduces a set of improvements and new functionalities, among which the Offers stand out (or in English Offers).
This technology allows users to create reusable payment requests and permanent in QR code format, instead of generating a new invoice for each transaction, creating an offer that can be used multiple times. This could be useful for donations, subscriptions, and other recurring payments.
The news has been received with enthusiasm by the community of Lightning Network developers and users. In a recent post on X, user niftynei, a leading figure in Lightning development and a professor at Base58, projection the importance of improving privacy and usability on the network.
“Big news: BOLT12 has officially been merged into the BOLTS repository and is now part of the official Lightning specification. currently three implementations support it: core-lightning, LDK and éclair/phoenix. “This is the first new BOLT added since 2017!”
Niftynei, X user.
BOLT Basics of Lightning Technology) is a series of documents that describe the technical specifications of the Lightning Network protocol, similar to the Bitcoin Best Proposals (BIP).
What does BOLT 12 offer to the Lightning Network?
BOLT 12 update introduces various features that facilitate transactions on the Lightning network. In addition to reusable payment requests, this tool leads to a improvement in the privacy of the recipient of the transaction.
It achieves this through the use of what is known as “blinded routes.” This technique hides the identity of the recipientprotecting your personal and financial information from potential observers.
On the other hand, it also provides greater resistance to censorship. The new specification facilitates the receiving payments without the risk of blocking by centralized payment services. This is especially important in contexts where financial censorship is a concern.
In short, BOLT 12 offerings are more adaptable and reusable than conventional invoices, enabling automatic invoices, recurring payments, and greater privacy.