One-click Bitcoin Lightning networks for local app development & testing
Spend less time setting up your development environment, so you can spend more time building your next killer Lightning app.
Reduce Setup Time
Get started building on Lightning in minutes, instead of hours, or potentially days, if you setup a local network manually
Visual Experience
Say goodbye to the command line and config files. Say hello to a pleasing graphical interface with all of the same functionality
Improved Productivity
Spend more time building your app, and less time building your developer environment. Iterate faster so you can release faster
Open Source
The source code is open for all to view. Community contributions of code, suggestions or issues are welcomed and appreciated
RPC Connection info at your fingertips
What good are Lightning nodes if you don't know how to connect to them? Polar surfaces some of the most common pieces of RPC connection information, which you will need to connect from your app. You'll also have quick links to the API documentation for each node.
Credentials in many formats
The full file paths to the certificate and macaroons
Some SDKs require credentials in HEX format
Other SDKs require credentials in Base64 format
But the cool kids are using LNDConnect to make connecting to your node even easier
Visualize your entire network
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, how many terminal commands is a sexy Lightning Network graph worth?
Quickly identify channel balances
Save a ton of time, and key-strokes, by viewing channel balances in color. The green & blue lines shift as payments are sent from one node to another. Keep in mind, the green side is where the money started.
Drag-n-drop Actions
It couldn't be easier to open channels from one node to another by simply dragging and dropping. Move nodes around, into any layout that you prefer. You can also drag new nodes from the sidebar onto the canvas.
Create as many networks as you like
Have you ever been working on your app with a local network and wanted to quickly simulate a completely different scenario? Resetting your network, then bringing then state back is no walk in the park. With Polar, you can have as many network configurations as you can imagine. You can even have multiple of them running at the same time.
Manage your nodes with just a few clicks
Many of the most common actions you would perform on Lightning are made available right there in the UI.
What can I do?
The bitcoin nodes in your network act as faucets, so you can easily deposit regtest coins into any of the Lightning nodes with just a click.
Quickly open channels and pay invoices between multiple nodes
Start, stop and remove nodes from the network
For those command line ninjas, there's also a built-in terminal which gives you full access to the node's CLI commands
But wait, there's more...
Polar has a few more tricks up its sleeve to help make your Lightning development experience even more enjoyable
Easy Node Updates
When new versions of Lightning or Bitcoin node software is released, all it takes is a few clicks to begin using them. Our goal is to make new versions available within 24 hours after final builds are available
Simulate Chain Splits
With the ability to stop individual nodes, you can simulate a chain split by stopping one of three Bitcoin nodes, then mining on the other two separately, they will be operating on different chains.
Multiple Platforms
Polar was built with cross-platform support in mind from the beginning. Using tools like Electron and Docker, you can speed up your workflow whether you are on Mac, Windows or Linux.
Multiple Languages
Available for English, French, German, Spanish, Russian, Italian, Chinese Simplified, Portuguese-Brazilian, Japanese, Korean. Help translate more by contributing to the Crowdin project.
Multiple Bitcoin and Lightning nodes can be mixed and matched in a network to simulate many scenarios for testing. Here are the latest versions supported.
v0.20.x
LND
v25.x
Core Lightning
v0.13.x
Eclair
v30.x
Bitcoin Core
What Bitcoiners Are Saying
Polar has received some great feedback from the community. Here's what some Lightning developers and enthusiasts have to say about it...
Supported By
Polar stays fast and free thanks to the contributions from the community. Thank you for helping builders ship Lightning apps faster.
- Lightning + Bitcoin donations with a self-custody flow
- Everyone appears on the supporters list by tier
- GitHub, Twitter, or Nostr for your support
Contributors
Some of the people who help keep Polar going.
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to commonly asked questions, which will likely lead to them being asked a bit less frequently. Interesting...
How much does it cost?
Polar is open source and 100% free. Sorry, but you're going to have to spend your stacked sats somewhere else.
What information do you collect?
We do not collect any usage or analytics information when you view this website or use Polar on your computer. While it would be really helpful to understand how you are using the app, your privacy is far more important.
What are the system requirements?
- Polar is actively tested on Mac OS Catalina, Windows 10 and Linux (Ubuntu & Arch). While other platforms are not being tested regularly, it should run where ever Electron and Docker are supported.
- Docker and Docker Compose are required to run the network nodes. On Mac and Windows, you can just install Docker Desktop. On Linux, you need to install Docker Server and Docker Compose
Can I use it on mainnet or testnet?
Unfortunately, Polar was built to improve the experience of developers building applications for Lightning and Bitcoin. To obtain the immediate feedback loop necessary to be productive, you'll need to be able to mine blocks as fast as possible. Waiting 10 minutes for your channel to open just won't cut it.
Which Lightning and Bitcoin nodes are supported?
The goal is to support the node implementations most commonly used by application developers building on Lightning. We will attempt to support the latest 3 versions of each implementation to allow developers to continue to test their apps on older versions.
Can I contribute to the project?
- If you use Polar to develop on Lightning, then any feedback you have would be greatly appreciated.
- If you develop apps on Lightning and do not use Polar, then we'd love to know why it doesn't work for you.
- If Polar saves you time, consider donating to the project to help keep it fast and free.
- If you know Typescript, React, Electron or Docker, then Pull Requests are a great way to give back.
Still have a question?
Please head on over to the project's GitHub repo to let us know what's on your mind.