BITCOIN 101

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🎧 How to Get a Lightning Address for SOUND HSA Move to Earn Challenges

If you’re ready to start earning Bitcoin while you move, the first thing you need is a Lightning Address. A Lightning Address works like an email address—just type it in and the network knows exactly where to send you sats, without the hassle of QR‑codes or copy‑pasting long strings of numbers.

Below is a step‑by‑step guide to grab a Lightning Address in the fastest, most beginner‑friendly way using three of the most popular services that already integrate Lightning Addresses out of the box:

Service	Why it’s a good fit for the challenge	How you get a Lightning Address	KYC (Know your customer) Required? Custodial?
Primal	Simple UI, ready‑made Lightning Address (yourname@primal.net), built‑in wallet for receiving payouts.	1️⃣ Sign‑up → 2️⃣ Verify email → 3️⃣ Open “Lightning Address” tab → 4️⃣ Choose your name (e.g., alice@primal.net).	KYC-lite, custodial wallet balance up to 1 million satoshis.
Strike	No on‑chain Bitcoin needed, instant sign‑up with a phone number, Lightning Address looks like yourname@strike.me.	1️⃣ Download the Strike app (iOS/Android) → 2️⃣ Register with phone/email → 3️⃣ Tap Profile → Lightning Address → 4️⃣ Pick a unique handle.	Full KYC, custodial wallet, no limits. A custodial service means Strike ultimately holds the private keys.
Wallet of Satoshi(WoS)	“Instant wallet” – you never touch private keys, perfect for first‑time earners. Lightning Address format yourname@wos.sol.	1️⃣ Install the Wallet of Satoshi app → 2️⃣ Create an account → 3️⃣ Go to Settings → Lightning Address → 4️⃣ Claim your alias.	No KYC, noncustodial service (you hold the keys).

Below you’ll find a unified walkthrough that works for any of the three services, followed by a quick Lightning Network primer so you understand what’s happening under the hood.

📚 Unified Walkthrough – From Zero to Lightning Address

1. Choose Your Provider

Pick one of the three services above. All of them are free to create an address and can receive payouts from the Sound HSA challenge.

Tip: If you already have a Lightning‑compatible self-cusotidal wallet (e.g., Phoenix, Breez) you can still create a Lightning Address with Primal/Strike/WoS and forward the funds to your own wallet later.

2. Install / Register

Provider	Platform	Steps
Primal	Web & Mobile (iOS/Android)	• Visit https://primal.net or download the app.<br>• Click “Sign Up”, enter email, set a password.<br>• Verify the email link sent to you.
Strike	Mobile only (iOS/Android)	• Get the app from the App Store / Play Store.<br>• Tap “Create Account”, input phone number and email.<br>• Confirm via a one‑time code.
Wallet of Satoshi	Mobile only (iOS/Android)	• Install the app.<br>• Press “New Wallet”, choose a PIN (no seed phrase needed).<br>• You’re ready – the app automatically creates a Lightning node for you.

3. Claim Your Lightning Address

Navigate to the Lightning Address screen (usually under “Profile”, “Settings”, or a dedicated “Lightning Address” tab).
Pick a unique alias – this becomes the part before the “@”.
- Example: alice → alice@primal.net or alice@strike.me.
Save/confirm. The app will instantly generate the address and bind it to your internal Lightning node.

Note: Once set, the address cannot be changed without creating a new account, because the alias is tied to your on‑chain funds. Choose something you’ll keep using!

4. Submit your Address in the SOUND HSA App

Click “connect a wallet” and type in your Lightning Address on the Profile tab of the SOUND HSA app. If you chose the Primal option, we will automatically sync your Lightning Address once you’ve claimed it in Primal since both apps are built on Nostr.

🎉 Ready, Set, Earn!

Pick Primal, Strike, or Wallet of Satoshi – whichever feels most comfortable.
Create and claim your Lightning Address (yourname@primal.net, yourname@strike.me, or yourname@wos.sol).
Submit that address to the SOUND HSA app for the “Move‑to‑Earn” challenge.

You’re now all set to start earning Bitcoin instantly every time you move. Good luck, and happy stepping! 🚀

If you run into any hiccups, each service has a built‑in FAQ or live chat. Feel free to reach out to our support team as well (support@soundhsa.com) – we’re here to help you make the most of your bitcoin earnings!

⚡️ Quick Primer: How Bitcoin’s Lightning Network Works

Lightning is a second‑layer protocol that lets you send Bitcoin instantly and for pennies (or less) by moving funds off‑chain between two parties, while still relying on the main Bitcoin blockchain for security.

The Tradeoffs with On‑Chain Bitcoin

Settlements are slow (10‑minute blocks, up to an hour for confirmations).
Fees can spike during network congestion, making tiny payments uneconomical.

The Lightning Solution

Opening a Channel – Two users (or a user and a service) lock up a certain amount of Bitcoin in a multisigtransaction on the main chain. This transaction is called a channel opening.
Off‑Chain Updates – Inside that channel, both parties exchange signed balance updates for every payment. These updates are cryptographically valid but never broadcast to the Bitcoin network.
Instant, Low‑Cost Payments – Because the updates are just data signed by the participants, sending a payment is essentially a matter of exchanging a new signed state. No waiting for blocks, no mining fees.
Closing the Channel – When either side wants to settle, they broadcast the most recent signed state to the blockchain. The network then redistributes the locked funds according to the final balance.

Why Lightning Addresses Make Life Easy

Traditionally you’d need the long BOLT‑11 invoice (lnbc1...) to receive a payment.
A Lightning Address (e.g., alice@primal.net) is essentially a human‑readable alias that maps to a server‑side endpoint which automatically creates a fresh BOLT‑11 invoice behind the scenes.
Result: Senders can simply type the address into any Lightning‑compatible wallet, just like an email address, and the receiver gets the funds instantly.

Key Safety Guarantees

Trust‑less: Even though payments happen off‑chain, the underlying Bitcoin protocol guarantees that no party can cheat – they would need to broadcast an older state, which is punishable by the other side claiming all the locked funds.
Scalable: Thousands of transactions can be processed per second across the network, far beyond what the Bitcoin base layer can handle.
Interoperable: Lightning nodes worldwide can route payments through a mesh of channels, so you don’t need a direct channel with every possible sender.

Things to Keep in Mind for Self-Custodial Lightning

Aspect	What to watch for
Channel Capacity	Your Lightning address can receive up to the amount you (or the service) have locked in the channel. Most custodial services (Primal, Strike, WoS) automatically manage this for you, so you rarely run into limits.
Liquidity Rebalancing	If a channel runs low on outbound capacity, incoming payments may be delayed. Custodial services usually rebalance automatically, but large spikes can cause brief hiccups.
Backup	For non‑custodial wallets, you must back up the seed phrase. For Primal/Strike/WoS, the service holds the channel keys, so you only need to protect your login credentials.