diff --git a/backend/src/rpc-api/core-lightning/jsonrpc.ts b/backend/src/rpc-api/core-lightning/jsonrpc.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..037dfff75
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/src/rpc-api/core-lightning/jsonrpc.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,249 @@
+'use strict';
+
+const methods = [
+  'addgossip',
+  'autocleaninvoice',
+  'check',
+  'checkmessage',
+  'close',
+  'connect',
+  'createinvoice',
+  'createinvoicerequest',
+  'createoffer',
+  'createonion',
+  'decode',
+  'decodepay',
+  'delexpiredinvoice',
+  'delinvoice',
+  'delpay',
+  'dev-listaddrs',
+  'dev-rescan-outputs',
+  'disableoffer',
+  'disconnect',
+  'estimatefees',
+  'feerates',
+  'fetchinvoice',
+  'fundchannel',
+  'fundchannel_cancel',
+  'fundchannel_complete',
+  'fundchannel_start',
+  'fundpsbt',
+  'getchaininfo',
+  'getinfo',
+  'getlog',
+  'getrawblockbyheight',
+  'getroute',
+  'getsharedsecret',
+  'getutxout',
+  'help',
+  'invoice',
+  'keysend',
+  'legacypay',
+  'listchannels',
+  'listconfigs',
+  'listforwards',
+  'listfunds',
+  'listinvoices',
+  'listnodes',
+  'listoffers',
+  'listpays',
+  'listpeers',
+  'listsendpays',
+  'listtransactions',
+  'multifundchannel',
+  'multiwithdraw',
+  'newaddr',
+  'notifications',
+  'offer',
+  'offerout',
+  'openchannel_abort',
+  'openchannel_bump',
+  'openchannel_init',
+  'openchannel_signed',
+  'openchannel_update',
+  'pay',
+  'payersign',
+  'paystatus',
+  'ping',
+  'plugin',
+  'reserveinputs',
+  'sendinvoice',
+  'sendonion',
+  'sendonionmessage',
+  'sendpay',
+  'sendpsbt',
+  'sendrawtransaction',
+  'setchannelfee',
+  'signmessage',
+  'signpsbt',
+  'stop',
+  'txdiscard',
+  'txprepare',
+  'txsend',
+  'unreserveinputs',
+  'utxopsbt',
+  'waitanyinvoice',
+  'waitblockheight',
+  'waitinvoice',
+  'waitsendpay',
+  'withdraw'
+];
+
+
+import EventEmitter from 'events';
+import { existsSync, statSync } from 'fs';
+import { createConnection, Socket } from 'net';
+import { homedir } from 'os';
+import path from 'path';
+import { createInterface, Interface } from 'readline';
+import logger from '../../logger';
+
+class LightningError extends Error {
+  type: string = 'lightning';
+  message: string = 'lightning-client error';
+
+  constructor(error) {
+    super();
+    this.type = error.type;
+    this.message = error.message;
+  }
+}
+
+const defaultRpcPath = path.join(homedir(), '.lightning')
+  , fStat = (...p) => statSync(path.join(...p))
+  , fExists = (...p) => existsSync(path.join(...p))
+
+class CLightningClient extends EventEmitter {
+  private rpcPath: string;
+  private reconnectWait: number;
+  private reconnectTimeout;
+  private reqcount: number;
+  private client: Socket;
+  private rl: Interface;
+  private clientConnectionPromise: Promise<unknown>;
+
+  constructor(rpcPath = defaultRpcPath) {
+    if (!path.isAbsolute(rpcPath)) {
+      throw new Error('The rpcPath must be an absolute path');
+    }
+
+    if (!fExists(rpcPath) || !fStat(rpcPath).isSocket()) {
+      // network directory provided, use the lightning-rpc within in
+      if (fExists(rpcPath, 'lightning-rpc')) {
+        rpcPath = path.join(rpcPath, 'lightning-rpc');
+      }
+
+      // main data directory provided, default to using the bitcoin mainnet subdirectory
+      // to be removed in v0.2.0
+      else if (fExists(rpcPath, 'bitcoin', 'lightning-rpc')) {
+        logger.warn(`[CLightningClient] ${rpcPath}/lightning-rpc is missing, using the bitcoin mainnet subdirectory at ${rpcPath}/bitcoin instead.`)
+        logger.warn(`[CLightningClient] specifying the main lightning data directory is deprecated, please specify the network directory explicitly.\n`)
+        rpcPath = path.join(rpcPath, 'bitcoin', 'lightning-rpc')
+      }
+    }
+
+    logger.debug(`[CLightningClient] Connecting to ${rpcPath}`);
+
+    super();
+    this.rpcPath = rpcPath;
+    this.reconnectWait = 0.5;
+    this.reconnectTimeout = null;
+    this.reqcount = 0;
+
+    const _self = this;
+
+    this.client = createConnection(rpcPath);
+    this.rl = createInterface({ input: this.client })
+
+    this.clientConnectionPromise = new Promise<void>(resolve => {
+      _self.client.on('connect', () => {
+        logger.debug(`[CLightningClient] Lightning client connected`);
+        _self.reconnectWait = 1;
+        resolve();
+      });
+
+      _self.client.on('end', () => {
+        logger.err('[CLightningClient] Lightning client connection closed, reconnecting');
+        _self.increaseWaitTime();
+        _self.reconnect();
+      });
+
+      _self.client.on('error', error => {
+        logger.err(`[CLightningClient] Lightning client connection error: ${error}`);
+        _self.emit('error', error);
+        _self.increaseWaitTime();
+        _self.reconnect();
+      });
+    });
+
+    this.rl.on('line', line => {
+      line = line.trim();
+      if (!line) {
+        return;
+      }
+      const data = JSON.parse(line);
+      logger.debug(`[CLightningClient] #${data.id} <-- ${JSON.stringify(data.error || data.result)}`);
+      _self.emit('res:' + data.id, data);
+    });
+  }
+
+  increaseWaitTime(): void {
+    if (this.reconnectWait >= 16) {
+      this.reconnectWait = 16;
+    } else {
+      this.reconnectWait *= 2;
+    }
+  }
+
+  reconnect(): void {
+    const _self = this;
+
+    if (this.reconnectTimeout) {
+      return;
+    }
+
+    this.reconnectTimeout = setTimeout(() => {
+      logger.debug('[CLightningClient] Trying to reconnect...');
+
+      _self.client.connect(_self.rpcPath);
+      _self.reconnectTimeout = null;
+    }, this.reconnectWait * 1000);
+  }
+
+  call(method, args = []): Promise<unknown> {
+    const _self = this;
+
+    const callInt = ++this.reqcount;
+    const sendObj = {
+      jsonrpc: '2.0',
+      method,
+      params: args,
+      id: '' + callInt
+    };
+
+    logger.debug(`[CLightningClient] #${callInt} --> ${method} ${args}`);
+
+    // Wait for the client to connect
+    return this.clientConnectionPromise
+      .then(() => new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+        // Wait for a response
+        this.once('res:' + callInt, res => res.error == null
+          ? resolve(res.result)
+          : reject(new LightningError(res.error))
+        );
+
+        // Send the command
+        _self.client.write(JSON.stringify(sendObj));
+      }));
+  }
+}
+
+const protify = s => s.replace(/-([a-z])/g, m => m[1].toUpperCase());
+
+methods.forEach(k => {
+  CLightningClient.prototype[protify(k)] = function (...args: any) {
+    return this.call(k, args);
+  };
+});
+
+export default new CLightningClient();