# Lightning Loop
Lightning Loop is a non-custodial service offered by
[Lightning Labs ](https://lightning.engineering/ ) that makes it easy to move
bitcoin into and out of the Lightning Network.
## Features
- Automated channel balancing
- Privacy-forward non-custodial swaps
- Opportunistic transaction batching to save on fees
- Progress monitoring of in-flight swaps
## Use Cases
- Automate channel balancing with AutoLoop ([Learn more](https://github.com/lightninglabs/loop/blob/master/docs/autoloop.md))
- Deposit to a Bitcoin address without closing channels
- Convert outbound liquidity into inbound liquidity
- Refill depleted Lightning channels
## Installation
Download the latest binaries from the [releases ](https://github.com/lightninglabs/loop/releases ) page.
## Execution
The Loop client needs its own short-lived daemon to facilitate swaps. To start `loopd` :
```
loopd
```
To use Loop in testnet, simply pass the network flag:
```
loopd --network=testnet
```
By default `loopd` attempts to connect to the `lnd` instance running on
`localhost:10009` and reads the macaroon and tls certificate from `~/.lnd` .
This can be altered using command line flags. See `loopd --help` .
## LND
Note that Loop requires `lnd` to be built with **all of its subservers** . Download the latest [official release binary ](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/releases/latest ) or build `lnd` from source by following the [installation instructions ](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/blob/master/docs/INSTALL.md ). If you choose to build `lnd` from source, use the following command to enable all the relevant subservers:
```
make install tags="signrpc walletrpc chainrpc invoicesrpc"
```
## Usage
### AutoLoop
AutoLoop makes it easy to keep your channels balanced. Checkout our [autoloop documentation ](https://github.com/lightninglabs/loop/blob/master/docs/autoloop.md ) for details.
### Loop Out
Use Loop Out to move bitcoins on Lightning into an on-chain Bitcoin address.
To execute a Loop Out:
```
loop out < amt_in_satoshis >
```
Other notable options:
- Use the `--fast` flag to swap immediately (Note: This opts-out of fee savings made possible by transaction batching)
- Use the `--channel` flag to loop out on specific channels
- Use the `--addr` flag to specify the address the looped out funds should be sent to (Note: By default funds are sent to the lnd wallet)
Run `loop monitor` to monitor the status of a swap.
### Loop In
Use Loop In to convert on-chain bitcoin into spendable Lightning funds.
To execute a Loop In:
```
loop in < amt_in_satoshis >
```
## API
The Loop daemon exposes a [gRPC API ](https://lightning.engineering/loopapi/#lightning-loop-grpc-api-reference )
(defaults to port 11010) and a [REST API ](https://lightning.engineering/loopapi/index.html#loop-rest-api-reference )
(defaults to port 8081).
The gRPC and REST connections of `loopd` are encrypted with TLS and secured with
macaroon authentication the same way `lnd` is.
If no custom loop directory is set then the TLS certificate is stored in
`~/.loop/<network>/tls.cert` and the base macaroon in
`~/.loop/<network>/loop.macaroon` .
The `loop` command will pick up these file automatically on mainnet if no custom
loop directory is used. For other networks it should be sufficient to add the
`--network` flag to tell the CLI in what sub directory to look for the files.
For more information on macaroons,
[see the macaroon documentation of lnd. ](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/blob/master/docs/macaroons.md )
**NOTE**: Loop's macaroons are independent from `lnd` 's. The same macaroon
cannot be used for both `loopd` and `lnd` .
## Build from source
If you’ d prefer to build from source:
```
git clone https://github.com/lightninglabs/loop.git
cd loop/cmd
go install ./...
```
## Development and Support
The [GitHub issue tracker ](https://github.com/lightninglabs/loop/issues ) can be
used to request specific improvements or register and get help with any
problems. Community support is also available in the
[LND Slack ](https://lightning.engineering/slack.html ).