A Lightning node is a piece of software that links to the main blockchain network and the Lightning Network, itself.

A node is software that connects to the blockchain network and exchanges the most up-to-date blockchain data. Its main goal is to keep track of every transaction on the blockchain network, making it immutable, transparent and decentralized. There are different nodes in each blockchain network; for instance, the Full node and Light node are the key Bitcoin (BTC) nodes.

A Lightning node (LN) links to the main blockchain network such as Bitcoin, Litecoin (LTC) and the Lightning Network, itself. The Lightning Network's nodes differ from those on the Bitcoin network in a number of ways, the most notable of which is the way they verify transactions. For example, the Bitcoin network requires nodes to validate every transaction on the blockchain, but the Lightning Network only requires nodes to verify transactions that connect directly with it.

But what are the benefits of running a Lightning node? To fully explore and appreciate the pros of LN technology, you must have at least one node up and running. Regardless of their network, anyone can run a node thanks to decentralization. So, how many lightning nodes are there? The number of public lightning nodes and merchants' payments over the Lightning Network is increasing regularly.