Route reliability<->fee trade-off control parameter



Summary:

In Lightning pathfinding, the two main variables to optimize are routing fee and reliability. Routing fee is the amount paid when a payment succeeds, while reliability is expressed as a probability of a route being successful. When comparing different route options during pathfinding, the trade-off between fees and reliability depends on user preference. A patient user may opt for a cheaper route with lower reliability, while a time-sensitive payment requires a more reliable but expensive route. To offer a simple way of controlling this selection process, a single [0, 1] value can be used. At 0, fees are optimized and probabilities are ignored, while at 1, reliability is optimized and fees are ignored. However, choosing a value between 0 and 1 requires a formula that balances both factors. The author is looking for a simple formula with a sound probability-theoretical basis.


Updated on: 2023-06-03T06:31:44.668781+00:00