'\" t
.\"     Title: lightning-invoice
.\"    Author: [see the "AUTHOR" section]
.\" Generator: DocBook XSL Stylesheets v1.79.1 <http://docbook.sf.net/>
.\"      Date: 01/16/2018
.\"    Manual: \ \&
.\"    Source: \ \&
.\"  Language: English
.\"
.TH "LIGHTNING\-INVOICE" "7" "01/16/2018" "\ \&" "\ \&"
.\" -----------------------------------------------------------------
.\" * Define some portability stuff
.\" -----------------------------------------------------------------
.\" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
.\" http://bugs.debian.org/507673
.\" http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/groff/2009-02/msg00013.html
.\" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
.ie \n(.g .ds Aq \(aq
.el       .ds Aq '
.\" -----------------------------------------------------------------
.\" * set default formatting
.\" -----------------------------------------------------------------
.\" disable hyphenation
.nh
.\" disable justification (adjust text to left margin only)
.ad l
.\" -----------------------------------------------------------------
.\" * MAIN CONTENT STARTS HERE *
.\" -----------------------------------------------------------------
.SH "NAME"
lightning-invoice \- Protocol for accepting payments\&.
.SH "SYNOPSIS"
.sp
\fBinvoice\fR \fImsatoshi\fR \fIlabel\fR \fIdescription\fR [\fIexpiry\fR]
.SH "DESCRIPTION"
.sp
The \fBinvoice\fR RPC command creates the expectation of a payment of a given amount of milli\-satoshi: it returns a unique token which another lightning daemon can use to pay this invoice\&.
.sp
The \fImsatoshi\fR can be the string "any", which creates an invoice that can be paid with any amount\&.
.sp
The \fIlabel\fR must be unique; it is never revealed to other nodes on the lightning network, but it can be used to query the status of this invoice\&.
.sp
The \fIdescription\fR is a short description of purpose of payment, e\&.g\&. \fI1 cup of coffee\fR\&. This value is encoded into the BOLT11 invoice and is viewable by any node you send this invoice to\&.
.sp
The \fIexpiry\fR is optionally the number of seconds the invoice is valid for\&. If no value is provided the default of 3600 (1 Hour) is used\&.
.SH "RETURN VALUE"
.sp
On success, a hash is returned as \fIpayment_hash\fR to be given to the payer, and the \fIexpiry_time\fR as a UNIX timestamp\&. It also returns a BOLT11 invoice as \fIbolt11\fR to be given to the payer\&. On failure, an error is returned and no invoice is created\&. If the lightning process fails before responding, the caller should use lightning\-listinvoice(7) to query whether this invoice was created or not\&.
.SH "AUTHOR"
.sp
Rusty Russell <rusty@rustcorp\&.com\&.au> is mainly responsible\&.
.SH "SEE ALSO"
.sp
lightning\-listinvoice(7), lightning\-delinvoice(7), lightning\-getroute(7), lightning\-sendpay(7)\&.
.SH "RESOURCES"
.sp
Main web site: https://github\&.com/ElementsProject/lightning