Welcome Alby Hub ✨Lightning Sovereignty For Everyoneblog.getalby.com/what-is-alby-hub/
22.1k sats \ 38 comments \ @0xbitcoiner 24 Jul lightning
Get on Alby Hub Waitlist: Your next open-source, self-custodial Lightning wallet with integrated node. Run your own Bitcoin apps, manage channels easily, and take full control of your funds - all in one intuitive interface. Simple, sovereign, and accessible for everyone.
https://m.stacker.news/41453
...read more at blog.getalby.com
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4 replies \ @Alby 24 Jul
Anybody has any questions about the Hub?
We'll gladly answer them here 🐝
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116 sats \ 3 replies \ @Coinsreporter 24 Jul
Wen Android app?
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39 sats \ 0 replies \ @saunter 24 Jul
Soon :)
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54 sats \ 1 reply \ @flat24 24 Jul
I use it on my Android without problems in conjunction with blue wallet. and it's going fantastic,,🤠👍
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @0xbitcoiner OP 24 Jul
firefox extension ?
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211 sats \ 13 replies \ @beorange 24 Jul
This looks promising. Really excited about it.
One question...
Its software can be run by you on a desktop or a server or even on a Raspberry Pi for free, or in the Alby Cloud for 21,000 sats per month. This approach combines the security of self-custody with the convenience of a self-custodial Lightning wallet ready to be adopted by masses.
With Alby Cloud you don’t even need to buy any hardware or code anything - for a fair monthly price you can install Hub with one click, and Alby hosts your Hub for you.
With the cloud hosted option, how is the self-custody ensured? how are the keys "protected" from Alby?
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200 sats \ 12 replies \ @saunter 24 Jul
The keys are encrypted by users password. Alby cannot reset the password or access funds in any way
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100 sats \ 11 replies \ @beorange 24 Jul
Forgive my ignorance, but can a lightning node work properly without access to the keys (I mean while the user is logged out, which would mainly be used to receive LN transactions)?
I know this kind of scheme works well for on-chain stuff, but I was under the impression that LN nodes have a more active role/job (such as monitoring channels and acting when the other end is acting maliciously).
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210 sats \ 10 replies \ @saunter 24 Jul
Keys are in the cloud with wallet running 24/7. Access to the wallet is restricted by password
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413 sats \ 5 replies \ @supertestnet 24 Jul
Keys are in the cloud...running 24/7
That doesn't seem compatible with this:
The keys are encrypted by users password...Alby cannot....access funds in any way
If the keys are "active" 24/7, signing transactions and processing NWC requests, then they must be in plaintext, at the very least stored in the virtual machine's RAM, because an encrypted key can't sign anything, a key can only sign stuff once it's decrypted. And if the keys are stored unencrypted in RAM on your server so that the node can sign transactions then what's stopping you from reading that RAM?
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100 sats \ 3 replies \ @bumi 24 Jul
All data is encrypted and only decrypted to start the node in memory; nothing is on disk. But yes, this is similar to any hosting provider. If one has access to the machine and can read the RAM one could find keys. This gets a bit in the direction that if you don't build the software stack yourself and ideally build the hardware yourself nothing can be trusted. You might not use a hosting setup for your bitcoin stash - that's probably on a hardware wallet from a trustworthy vendor, potentially in a multisig. But it's a solution for your accessible lightning wallet to do all the exciting lightning things. Generally I guess the hosting is a bit comparable to voltage. Phoenixd also goes in the direction of an always-on, server node (afaik they don't encrypt the seed on disk).
We put a lot of work in to make it possible to run the Alby Hub everywhere that users can choose what works for them: this can be a Raspberry Pi Zero (some $20 hardware!), your desktop computer, your own server (e.g. we have docker and one-click deploys for hosters, too), etc.
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166 sats \ 2 replies \ @supertestnet 24 Jul
I think that's all wonderful and different solutions will work best for different folks. I am glad you are offering this service and I hope you make a lot of money from it and get a lot of users. But don't advertise it like voltage did early on: they frequently said their cloud-hosted option was self-custodial, but since they had an unencrypted copy of each user's private keys in their server's ram, these advertisements were lies. Similarly, I recommend not advertising the cloud-hosted option as self-custodial as long as you guys have an unencrypted copy of each user's private keys in your server's ram.
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141 sats \ 1 reply \ @bumi 24 Jul
I agree. this word has a bit of different meanings for different people. Ultimately it is a bit of a range and imo also it's about the context of usage and goal. I think so far the focus is on the Hub here I guess. The cloud hosting is an offer we provide. And the talk about unencrypted memory is a bit tricky imo and also quite different to persisted storage. but yes, it's a cloud setup where hosters put servers somewhere and run it for you.
I really appreciate this feedback we have to try to be very clear here and explain things well to users. thanks!
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100 sats \ 0 replies \ @saunter 24 Jul
Let me get someone technical to answer that 🙃
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22 sats \ 1 reply \ @beorange 24 Jul
I guess Alby has access to the keys then
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78 sats \ 0 replies \ @saunter 24 Jul
No, we don’t. We can request invoices that your node will pay. You can stop NWC connection to stop paying but then after some time we will close your cloud instance. You still can migrate your funds though with your keys.
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100 sats \ 1 reply \ @031ef7d322 24 Jul
The upgrade page says this about the monthly subscription fee:
Amount will be deducted from your wallet balance once a month
How does that work?
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310 sats \ 0 replies \ @saunter 24 Jul
Cloud subscription is based on NWC connection.
If you run it on your own device/server, there's no subscription of course.
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247 sats \ 0 replies \ @MoritzK 24 Jul freebie
Now I can pay for upvotes directly from my own node. Alby Hub + Stacker News 💛
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117 sats \ 8 replies \ @ACYK 24 Jul
What is the fee structure?
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205 sats \ 0 replies \ @saunter 24 Jul
No fees If you run it yourself.
Subscription If you want to deploy it in Alby Cloud. No transaction fees by Alby charged
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205 sats \ 0 replies \ @EntropyBearer 24 Jul
Its software can be run by you on a desktop or a server or even on a Raspberry Pi for free, or in the Alby Cloud for 21,000 sats per month.
AFAIK for the channel fees, from my previous deployment 1 early this month, they offered ZEUS/Olympus and Voltage as Integrated LSPs, so the fees are from those LSPs, not Alby.

Footnotes

  1. https://github.com/getAlby/hub ↩
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32 sats \ 1 reply \ @Signal312 24 Jul
From the site - looks like the Alby Cloud version comes with a monthly fee:
With Alby Cloud you don’t even need to buy any hardware or code anything - for a fair monthly price you can install Hub with one click, and Alby hosts your Hub for you.
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190 sats \ 0 replies \ @EntropyBearer 24 Jul
https://m.stacker.news/41488
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21 sats \ 3 replies \ @0xbitcoiner OP 24 Jul
from blog post:
https://m.stacker.news/41455
I'm not sure if it will always be like this. @Alby probably give you a more definitive answer.
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100 sats \ 2 replies \ @ACYK 24 Jul
Doubt they’re paying for the channel opens, and providing unlimited inbound liquidity to everyone’s self-custodial node. Has to be some fees somewhere. I also looked through the blog post and didn’t find an answer. Exciting new option though, the more options the better.
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205 sats \ 0 replies \ @rolznz 24 Jul
You need to pay for your own channels and liquidity, but you might get some liquidity as part of the Alby Cloud subscription package if you choose this option
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42 sats \ 0 replies \ @0xbitcoiner OP 24 Jul
good point
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420 sats \ 1 reply \ @Satoshi__Nakamoto 24 Jul
https://m.stacker.news/41465
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420 sats \ 0 replies \ @0xbitcoiner OP 24 Jul
DNA: The Ultimate Data-Storage Solution https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/dna-the-ultimate-data-storage-solution/
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0 sats \ 1 reply \ @Bee_Aye 25 Sep
is there a guide on how to setup a sub wallet aka an uncle jim wallet? i just got albyhub on my start9 and playing around with it connected to my LND node
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Bee_Aye 25 Sep
nvm, figured it out! would be nice if the sub account has ability to have receive only nwc strings created for it, for say connecting for send n receive to stacker news!
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @2053456d48 25 Jul
Can't wait no more for Alby account
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @krispy_donkey 24 Jul
Looks awesome, but before that how is the Alby Wallet waitlist progressing ? I have been waiting so long.
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @5e5d0604a5 24 Jul outlawed
stackers have outlawed this. turn on wild west mode in your /settings to see outlawed content.
0 sats \ 0 replies \ @77edb424fc 24 Jul outlawed
stackers have outlawed this. turn on wild west mode in your /settings to see outlawed content.
0 sats \ 0 replies \ @5d586573ac 25 Jul outlawed
stackers have outlawed this. turn on wild west mode in your /settings to see outlawed content.