The Lightning HTTP 402 protocol, also known as L402, is a way to charge fees for services and authenticate users in distributed networks. It combines two powerful tools – Macaroons and, of course, the Lightning Network.
Macrons are special symbols used for authentication. It includes permissions and can be verified using a root key. the documentation It states that this is important for systems where we want to avoid or cannot look up the validity of each token.
Lightning is a second level solution for making fast and secure bitcoin payments. The L402 leverages the capabilities of Macaroons and Lightning to create a mechanism that allows users to authenticate and make payments without the need for a central database.
In the L402, Macaroon includes payment hashing. In order to be valid, the user needs to provide Macaroon and the corresponding raw image of the payment hash to Macaroon. Preimage is obtained by paying the Lightning Network bill.
A newly introduced program called slot It acts as an intermediary between the user and the service’s API. It forwards requests with a valid L402 to the relevant API endpoint and can issue new Macaroons and Lightning invoices to new users.
L402 allows for scaled APIs that services can charge for use without requiring logins or passwords. Macaroon ensures, in addition to preimage, that the payer has made the payment.
The L402 specification includes various properties such as the version of Macaroon, the unique user ID, and the payment hash that associates Macaroon with Lightning billing. Macaroon may also include caveats that limit access to certain Services, service capabilities, and service restrictions.
When checking the L402, the server uses the root key to verify that the Macaroon has been issued by the appropriate authority and that each warning has been modified correctly. Preimage is also checked against payment hashes to ensure all outstanding invoices are paid.
In short, L402 is a protocol that combines Macaroons with the Lightning Network to enable charging for services and user authentication. Allows secure payment and authentication without relying on a central database. Aperture is software that helps handle the process and allows services to bill Macaroons and Lightning Network.