Nodebalance Plugin

A Core Lightning plugin to retrieve and display on-chain and channel balances, with optional fiat currency conversion using external APIs (CoinGecko, CoinPaprika, CoinCap).

Prerequisites

• Python 3.8+
• Core Lightning 24.11+
• Internet access for fiat currency conversion

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

git clone <repository-url>
cd nodebalance

2. Create and activate a virtual environment:

python -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate

3. Install dependencies:

# Install plugin dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Install test dependencies (optional)
pip install -r requirements-dev.txt

Usage

1. Ensure Core Lightning is running.

2. Start the plugin:

lightning-cli plugin start $PWD/nodebalance.py

3. Check balances or rates using the nodebalance command with optional modes and currencies.

Examples

1. Total Balance (default mode, default currencies: USD, MXN):

lightning-cli nodebalance

Output:

{
  "total_balance": {
    "btc": "0.00200000 btc",
    "sats": "200000 sats",
    "msats": "200000000 msats",
    "usd": "200.00 USD",
    "mxn": "4000.00 MXN"
  }
}

2. On-chain Balance with specific currencies:

lightning-cli nodebalance onchain usd,eur

Output:

{
  "onchain_balance": {
    "btc": "0.00197999 btc",
    "sats": "197999 sats",
    "msats": "197999000 msats",
    "usd": "197.99 USD",
    "eur": "183.68 EUR"
  }
}

3. Channel Balances:

lightning-cli nodebalance channels

Output:

{
  "channel_balance": {
    "btc": "0.00002000 btc",
    "sats": "2000 sats",
    "msats": "2000000 msats",
    "usd": "2.00 USD",
    "mxn": "40.00 MXN"
  }
}

4. Channel Details:

lightning-cli nodebalance channel-details usd

Output:

{
  "channels": [
    {
      "peer_id": "02f6725f9c1...",
      "short_channel_id": "123x456x7",
      "outbound_capacity": "1000000 msats",
      "inbound_capacity": "9000000 msats",
      "outbound_balance": {
        "btc": "0.00001000 btc",
        "sats": "1000 sats",
        "msats": "1000000 msats",
        "usd": "1.00 USD"
      },
      "inbound_balance": {
        "btc": "0.00009000 btc",
        "sats": "9000 sats",
        "msats": "9000000 msats",
        "usd": "9.00 USD"
      }
    }
  ]
}

5. Fiat Rates:

lightning-cli nodebalance rate usd,mxn,eur

Output:

{
  "rates": {
    "usd": "100000.00 USD",
    "mxn": "2000000.00 MXN",
    "eur": "92857.14 EUR"
  },
  "timestamp": "2025-05-13T14:35:00",
  "cached": true
}

Supported Currencies

The plugin supports the following fiat currencies for conversion (case-insensitive):

• AED, ARS, AUD, BDT, BHD, BMD, BRL, CAD, CHF, CLP, CNY, CZK, DKK, EUR, GBP, HKD, HUF, IDR, ILS, INR, JPY, KRW, KWD, LKR, MMK, MXN, MYR, NGN, NOK, NZD, PHP, PKR, PLN, RUB, SAR, SEK, SGD, THB, TRY, TWD, UAH, USD, VEF, VND, XAG, XAU, XDR, ZAR

Specify currencies as a comma-separated list (e.g., usd,mxn,eur). Invalid currencies will return "Rate unavailable" in rate mode.

Running Tests

The test suite uses Core Lightning’s test framework and requires a regtest environment. Run the following commands inside the plugin directory.

1. To run all tests:

pytest -vs

2. To run an individual test:

pytest -vs <name_of_the_test_file.py>

Manual Testing in Regtest

1. Start the regtest environment:

source ~/code/lightning/contrib/startup_regtest.sh
start_ln

2. Fund the nodes:

fund_nodes

3. Start the plugin (from the plugin directory):

l1-cli plugin start $PWD/nodebalance.py

4. Check balances or rates:

l1-cli nodebalance total usd,eur

or

l1-cli nodebalance rate usd,mxn

Plugin Configuration

The plugin accepts the following configuration options:

• nodebalance-mode: Default output mode (total, onchain, channels, channel-details, rate). Default: total.
• nodebalance-currencies: Comma-separated fiat currencies (e.g., usd,mxn,eur). Default: usd,mxn.
• nodebalance-api: Preferred API for fiat currency rates (coingecko, coinpaprika, coincap, or auto). Default: auto (tries CoinGecko, then CoinPaprika, then CoinCap).

Example:

lightningd --plugin=$PWD/nodebalance.py --nodebalance-mode=channels --nodebalance-currencies=usd,eur --nodebalance-api=coingecko

Notes

• The plugin fetches fiat currency rates from external APIs (CoinGecko, CoinPaprika, CoinCap) and caches them for 1 hour to reduce API calls.
• If an API fails or a currency is unsupported, the plugin falls back to the next API or uses default rates (e.g., 1 BTC ≈ 100,000 USD, 2,000,000 MXN).
• Rates are validated to ensure realistic values (1 BTC between 1,000 and 10,000,000,000 fiat). Invalid rates are skipped.

Contributing

1. Fork the repository.
2. Create a new branch for your feature.
3. Make your changes.
4. Run the test suite to ensure everything works.
5. Submit a pull request.