Published on: 2019-10-25T10:05:48+00:00
The Lightning Network is a system that facilitates two-way transactions in a circular manner, ensuring atomicity between Lightning hops through the use of HTLCs. To ensure conflict resolution, special attention must be given to the state updating mechanism and its properties. One way to achieve this is by including sequence numbers or the hash of the previous state in the cryptographic process.However, there is also the possibility of forking the channel to manipulate the evidence. This can be resolved semantically. Additionally, contracts involving three or more parties and the merging and joining of contracts in state updates are advanced concepts that come with their own challenges.During the Lightning Conference in Berlin, Rusty requested use cases and feature requests for the next-generation Lightning invoicing. One contributor shared their previous work on an interactive protocol that enables direct communication between the payer and payee. They proposed viewing the payer/payee interaction as a virtual payment channel that can be updated by both parties. This approach offers desirable properties such as the ability to update the state, provide full or partial refunds, and make updates to the goods to be delivered.Again, the state updating mechanism plays a crucial role in facilitating conflict resolution within this proposal. The advanced ideas mentioned earlier, such as contracts involving multiple parties and the merging and joining of contracts in state updates, add complexity to the system.Overall, the Lightning Network continues to evolve, with discussions at the Lightning Conference highlighting innovative approaches to improving the invoicing process. These discussions explore the potential benefits of interactive protocols, virtual payment channels, and advanced contract concepts in achieving efficient and secure transactions.
Updated on: 2023-07-31T22:12:57.263652+00:00