App Development
Build a lightning application using Core Lightning APIs.
Interacting with CLN Node
There are several ways to connect and interact with a Core Lightning node in order to build a lightning app or integrate lightning in your application.
- Using JSON-RPC commands if you're building an application in the same system as the CLN node.
- Using REST APIs if you're building an application in a remote client and want to connect to the CLN node over a secure network using REST interface.
- Using gRPC APIs if you're building an application in a remote client and want to connect to the CLN node over a secure network using gRPC interface.
- Using Commando Plugin to connect to a CLN node over the lightning network and issue commands.
- Using WSS Proxy to connect to a CLN node over web secure socket proxy.
- Third-party libraries that offer JSON over HTTPS or GraphQL (deprecated) frameworks to connect to a CLN node remotely.
CLN connection URIs
This section outlines the standard URI formats for connecting to Core Lightning (CLN) nodes via different protocols.
Commando WebSocket Connection
commando+<protocol>://<cln-host>:<ws-port>?pubkey=<pubkey>&rune=<rune>&invoiceRune=<invoice-rune>&certs=<combined-base64-encoded-clientkey-clientcert-cacert>
Parameters:
- protocol: ws or wss (WebSocket or secure WebSocket)
- cln-host: Hostname or IP address of the CLN node
- ws-port: WebSocket port
- pubkey: Node's public key (hex encoded)
- rune: Authentication rune for general commands
- invoiceRune: Specific rune for invoice creation (optional)
- certs: Base64-encoded concatenation of client key, client cert, and CA cert
Example:
commando+wss://cln.local:5001?pubkey=023456789abcdef&rune=8hJ6ZKFvRune&invoiceRune=5kJ3ZKFvInvRune&certs=LS0tLS1CRUdJTiBQUklWQVRFIEtFWS0t
REST API Connection
clnrest+<protocol>://<rest-host>:<rest-port>?rune=<rune>&certs=<combined-base64-encoded-clientkey-clientcert-cacert>
Parameters:
- protocol: http or https
- rest-host: Hostname or IP address of the REST interface
- rest-port: REST API port (typically 3010)
- rune: Authentication rune for REST API access
- certs: Base64-encoded concatenation of client key, client cert, and CA cert
Example:
clnrest+https://cln.local:3010?rune=8hJ6ZKFvRune&certs=LS0tLS1CRUdJTiBQUklWQVRFIEtFWS0t
gRPC Connection
clngrpc://<grpc-host>:<grpc-port>?pubkey=<pubkey>&protoPath=<path-to-proto>&certs=<combined-base64-encoded-clientkey-clientcert-cacert>
Parameters:
- grpc-host: Hostname or IP address of the gRPC interface
- grpc-port: gRPC port (typically 9736)
- pubkey: Node's public key (hex encoded)
- protoPath: Path to protocol buffer definition file (typically https://github.com/ElementsProject/lightning/tree/master/cln-grpc/proto)
- certs: Base64-encoded concatenation of client key, client cert, and CA cert
Example:
clngrpc://cln.grpc:9736?pubkey=023456789abcdef&protoPath=/path/to/cln.proto&certs=LS0tLS1CRUdJTiBQUklWQVRFIEtFWS0t
Image of available API interfaces and transport protocols

A visual chart of available API interfaces and transport protocols for interacting with a CLN node
Updated 13 days ago