24.08 - Steel Backed-up Channels

We are pleased to announce the 24.08 release of Core Lightning, named by @Lagrang3. For a list of all changes, please see the changelog.

Highlights for Users

• pay now checks for sufficient spendable capacity before computing a route and returns a clear error message if there isn't enough capacity.
• offers can now self-fetch and self-pay BOLT12 offers and invoices.
• offers automatically adds a blinded path from a peer if we have no public channels, and supports setting a blinded path for invoicerequest if we're an unannounced node.
• renepay now prunes the network by disabling undesired channels, un-reserves routes after use, and introduces a new exclude option for channels & nodes to be excluded from routing.
• Whitespace at the end of (most) options will not complain anymore.
• I/O optimizations to significantly speed up larger nodes.

Highlights for the Network

• pay can now pay to bolt12 invoices if entry to blinded hop is specified as a short_channel_id.
• We can now open unannounced channels with LND nodes again.
• Onion messages are now supported by default and can be forwarded using short_channel_id.
• We now request all gossip from the first peer and immediately send updated gossip to current peers instead of waiting for reconnections.
• Recurring offers had incompatible changes, it will not work against older versions.

Highlights for Developers

• New experimental plugin askrene accesses min-cost-flow route calculations.
• pay plugin now includes enhanced logging and improved error codes, and emits channel_hint_updated notifications to share inferred balances across payments.
• New reckless-rpc plugin allows to issue commands to reckless over rpc.
• Plugin manager reckless now supports installing Rust plugins, accepts JSON array input and, provides JSON output with the -j/--json option flag.
• bookkeeper now listens for two new custom events: utxo_deposit and utxo_spend.

Since 24.05, we've had 378 commits by 21 authors in 85 days!

A special thanks to the eight first time contributors:

• michael1011
• Epic Curious
• Tommy Volk
• Pavol Rusnak
• Max Rantil
• Jose Storopoli
• Joseph Goulden
• jackstar12

~ @endothermicdev, @cdecker, @nepet, @ShahanaFarooqui, @niftynei and @rustyrussell

v24.08rc3

Release Candidate 3 for v24.08.

v24.08rc2

Release candidate 2 for v24.08.

v24.08rc1

Release candidate 1 for v24.08

24.05 - The Infinitely Divisible Satoshi

We are pleased to announce the v24.05 release of Core Lightning, code named "The Infinitely Divisible Satoshi" - named by CLN contributor @daywalker90. For a full list of the changes, please see the changelog

Highlights for Users

• New rune restrictions can now be applied to invoices with the pinv restriction!
• Documentation is more thorough and up-to-date as much of it is now generated from the schemas.
• Stability fixes to gossip and anchor channel spends.
• Increased file descriptor limits for large nodes.
• Pruned node operation is better supported by bcli with more robust block fetching.

Highlights for Developers

• A plethora of grpc methods have been backfilled!
• Pay can now pay part of an invoice with the partial_msat parameter. Get someone else to pay the remainder!
• Check can now be used to validate setconfig settings and values. It can also check for approval by the hsmd of keysend payments.

Highlights for the Network

• Offers will now make an outgoing connection if necessary to reply to an invoice request.
• Offer invoices now correctly use the node_id and the final cltv delta in blinded paths.

Since the 24.02 release, there have been 380 commits in 109 days by 21 authors!

A special thanks to three first time contributors!
@Se7eNz
@snoppy
@bstin

~ @endothermicdev, @cdecker, @nepet, @ShahanaFarooqui, @niftynei and @rustyrussell

v24.05rc2

release candidate 2 for v24.05

v24.05rc1

release candidate for v24.05

24.02.2 - 2024-04-06: "uint needs signature"

This point release addresses a [small incompatibility][#7174] in the gossip protocol.

v24.02.1 -- uint needs signature

A few minor fixes, and an improvements in the cost function of the routing algortithm.

Changed

• Plugins: pay route algorithm doesn't bias against our own "expensive" channels any more. (#7127)
• pay: Prevent repeating the preapproveinvoice check (#7121)

Fixed

• Plugins: pay would occasionally crash on routing. (#7127)
• Plugins: pay route algorithm fixed and refined to balance fees and capacity far better. (#7127)
• renepay: bugfix situation with htlcmax=htlcmin

v24.02 uint needs signature

We're pleased to announce the 24.02 release of Core Lightning, named by @ErikDeSmedt. For a list of all changes, please see the changelog.

Highlights for Users

• The recover plugin can now detect dataloss and guide you through the recovery process, making emergency recoveries less stressful.
• The logic of the anchor channels has been overhauled and channel fundings and closing should now be more flexible and reliable.
• reckless, our plugin manager, now knows how to create python virtualenvs for each plugin. This allows running multiple plugins with conflicting dependencies. Furthermore it can be told an exact version or commit to install.

Highlights for the Network

• ⚠️ This release includes a patch for libwally which is used for parsing Bitcoin blocks and transaction. It failed parsing a large transaction on testnet. This is now addressed in this release, and we want to encourage everyone to upgrade.
• Dual-funding has been merged into the Lightning Specification! This is a major milestone for more efficient channel management.
• The gossip_store file can now be shared with others, since it no longer contains local unpublished gossip.
• Optimizations in the way we process blocks means that we can sync with the blockchain 50% faster than before

Highlights for Developers

• CLN now has a --no-reconnect-private, which tells lightningd not to reconnect private peers. This is useful for service-providers and LSPs if the majority of peers is flaky.
• The newest version of the splicing proposal was implemented. Though experimental we encourage anyone to try it out, as it informs the specification process as well.

Since 24.02, we've had 418 commits by 36 authors in 91 days!

A special thanks to the 13 first time contributors, a new record for us:

• @vacwmX
• @evansmj
• @saisuraj27
• @yaslama
• @Vayras
• @ssantos21
• @singlebeam
• @shuoer86
• @royalpinto007
• @ok300
• @Harshit933
• @gkrizek
• @bitcoin-lightning

~ @cdecker, @nepet, @ShahanaFarooqui, @endothermicdev, @niftynei and @rustyrussell