Lightning Node Alias

A Lightning node alias is a human-readable nickname a Lightning node advertises via the gossip protocol as part of its node_announcement message. It's a label, not an identity.

Examples: "ACINQ", "WalletOfSatoshi.com", "Bitfinex", "Satoshi's Coffee Shop", "🌩️ Lightning Bot 🌩️". Aliases are whatever the operator chooses, plus a 24-bit color value for UI rendering.

The important caveat: aliases are not authenticated. Anyone can advertise any alias. Multiple nodes can claim the same alias. Aliases can be impersonations of well-known nodes. The cryptographic identity of a Lightning node is its public key (33-byte secp256k1 pubkey); the alias is just a UX convenience.

What aliases are good for:

• Lightning explorer displays. When you see a routing graph visualization, aliases make it readable.
• Node-list UIs in wallets. "Connect to which peer?" is easier to answer if peers have meaningful aliases.
• Casual identification. "I opened a channel with WalletOfSatoshi" is shorter than the corresponding pubkey.
• Operator branding. Lightning node operators with public infrastructure (custodial wallets, exchanges, businesses) use aliases as part of their public-facing identity.

What aliases are not good for:

• Trust decisions. Never trust a node based on its alias alone. The pubkey is what matters cryptographically.
• Routing safety. A scam node calling itself "Coinbase" can't actually intercept Coinbase's payments because routing uses pubkeys.
• Long-term identity. Operators sometimes change aliases; aliases by themselves carry no historical accountability.

Treat aliases like Twitter display names: useful for human communication, but the underlying handle (public key) is the actual identity.