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Learn how to withdraw Bitcoin from your Spark wallet to the Lightning Network. This guide covers paying Lightning invoices, fee estimation, and the complete withdrawal process.
Withdraw to Lightning

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Lightning Withdrawal Flow

The complete process for withdrawing Bitcoin from Spark to the Lightning Network:
1

Get Lightning Invoice

Obtain a Lightning invoice from the recipient or Lightning service.
// Example Lightning invoice
const invoice = "lnbcrt1u1pnm7ammpp4v84f05tl0kzt6g95g056athdpp8f8azvg6d7epz74z562ymer9jqsp5nc50gazvp0e98u42jlu653rw0eutcl067nqq924hf89q4la4kd9sxq9z0rgqnp4qdnmwu8v22cvq9xsv2l05cn9rre7xlcgdtntxawf8m0zxq3qemgzqrzjqtr2vd60g57hu63rdqk87u3clac6jlfhej4kldrrjvfcw3mphcw8sqqqqrj0q7ew45qqqqqqqqqqqqqq9qcqzpgdq5w3jhxapqd9h8vmmfvdjs9qyyssqj7lf2w4m587g04n4t0ferdv0vnwftzca0xuc9yxycng78cnhrvmyw2mzaa8t76jskpypqnwqhp9xh0vnwxz90jytd34vrmhcngsnl8qplz7ylk";
console.log("Lightning invoice:", invoice);
2

Estimate Fees

Get a fee estimate for the Lightning payment to understand costs.
const feeEstimate = await wallet.getLightningSendFeeEstimate({
  encodedInvoice: invoice
});
console.log("Fee estimate:", feeEstimate);
3

Pay Invoice

Send the Lightning payment with appropriate fee limits.
const payment = await wallet.payLightningInvoice({
  invoice: invoice,
  maxFeeSats: 5, // Maximum fee to pay
  preferSpark: true // Prefer Spark transfers when possible
});
console.log("Payment initiated:", payment);
4

Monitor Payment

Track the payment status until completion.
const paymentStatus = await wallet.getLightningSendRequest(payment.id);
console.log("Payment status:", paymentStatus.status);

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Pay Lightning Invoice

Send Bitcoin from your Spark wallet to any Lightning Network invoice. payLightningInvoice(params) Pays a Lightning invoice using your Spark wallet balance. 
const payment = await wallet.payLightningInvoice({
  invoice: "lnbcrt1u1pnm7ammpp4v84f05tl0kzt6g95g056athdpp8f8azvg6d7epz74z562ymer9jqsp5nc50gazvp0e98u42jlu653rw0eutcl067nqq924hf89q4la4kd9sxq9z0rgqnp4qdnmwu8v22cvq9xsv2l05cn9rre7xlcgdtntxawf8m0zxq3qemgzqrzjqtr2vd60g57hu63rdqk87u3clac6jlfhej4kldrrjvfcw3mphcw8sqqqqrj0q7ew45qqqqqqqqqqqqqq9qcqzpgdq5w3jhxapqd9h8vmmfvdjs9qyyssqj7lf2w4m587g04n4t0ferdv0vnwftzca0xuc9yxycng78cnhrvmyw2mzaa8t76jskpypqnwqhp9xh0vnwxz90jytd34vrmhcngsnl8qplz7ylk",
  maxFeeSats: 5,
  preferSpark: true,
  amountSatsToSend: 1000 // Only for zero-amount invoices
});

console.log("Payment Response:", payment);

​
Get Fee Estimate

Estimate the fees for a Lightning payment before sending. getLightningSendFeeEstimate(params) Gets an estimated fee for sending a Lightning payment. 
const feeEstimate = await wallet.getLightningSendFeeEstimate({
  encodedInvoice: "lnbcrt1u1pnm7ammpp4v84f05tl0kzt6g95g056athdpp8f8azvg6d7epz74z562ymer9jqsp5nc50gazvp0e98u42jlu653rw0eutcl067nqq924hf89q4la4kd9sxq9z0rgqnp4qdnmwu8v22cvq9xsv2l05cn9rre7xlcgdtntxawf8m0zxq3qemgzqrzjqtr2vd60g57hu63rdqk87u3clac6jlfhej4kldrrjvfcw3mphcw8sqqqqrj0q7ew45qqqqqqqqqqqqqq9qcqzpgdq5w3jhxapqd9h8vmmfvdjs9qyyssqj7lf2w4m587g04n4t0ferdv0vnwftzca0xuc9yxycng78cnhrvmyw2mzaa8t76jskpypqnwqhp9xh0vnwxz90jytd34vrmhcngsnl8qplz7ylk"
});

console.log("Estimated fee:", feeEstimate);

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Monitor Payment Status

Track the status of your Lightning payment. getLightningSendRequest(id) Gets a Lightning send request by ID to check payment status. 
const paymentStatus = await wallet.getLightningSendRequest(paymentId);
console.log("Payment status:", paymentStatus.status);
console.log("Payment amount:", paymentStatus.amountSats);

// Check if payment is complete
if (paymentStatus.status === "completed") {
  console.log("Payment completed successfully!");
}

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Zero-Amount Invoices

Spark supports paying zero-amount Lightning invoices, which allow you to specify the amount when making the payment.
Zero-amount invoices are not widely supported across the Lightning Network. Some exchanges, such as Binance, currently do not support them.

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Paying Zero-Amount Invoices

When paying a zero-amount invoice, you need to specify the amount using the amountSatsToSend parameter: 
// Pay a zero-amount invoice with a specific amount
const payment = await wallet.payLightningInvoice({
  invoice: "lnbc...", // Zero-amount Lightning invoice
  maxFeeSats: 5,
  amountSatsToSend: 1000, // Specify the amount to send (in satoshis)
});

console.log("Zero-amount Payment Response:", payment);
The amountSatsToSend parameter is only used for zero-amount invoices. For regular invoices with a fixed amount, this parameter is ignored.

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Spark Transfer Preference

When paying Lightning invoices, you can enable Spark transfer preference to automatically use Spark transfers when possible. 
// Pay with Spark preference enabled
const payment = await wallet.payLightningInvoice({
  invoice: "lnbc...", // Lightning invoice (potentially with embedded Spark address)
  maxFeeSats: 5,
  preferSpark: true, // Defaults to false
});

console.log("Payment Response:", payment);
When preferSpark is set to true, Spark wallets will:
  • Initiate a Spark transfer instead of a Lightning transfer if a valid Spark address is found in the invoice
  • Fall back to regular Lightning payment if no Spark address is found

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Real-time Payment Monitoring

Monitor Lightning payments using event listeners. 
// Listen for transfer events (Lightning payments trigger transfer events)
wallet.on("transfer:claimed", (transferId, updatedBalance) => {
  console.log(`Transfer ${transferId} claimed. New balance: ${updatedBalance} sats`);
});

// Monitor specific payment status
const checkPaymentStatus = async (paymentId) => {
  const paymentStatus = await wallet.getLightningSendRequest(paymentId);
  
  switch (paymentStatus.status) {
    case "completed":
      console.log("Lightning payment completed!");
      return true;
    case "failed":
      console.log("Lightning payment failed");
      return false;
    default:
      console.log("Lightning payment pending...");
      setTimeout(() => checkPaymentStatus(paymentId), 5000); // Check again in 5 seconds
      return false;
  }
};

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Fee Recommendations

We recommend setting the maximum routing fee to whichever is greater:
  • 5 sats (minimum fee)
  • 17 bps × transaction amount (0.17% of the transaction)
// Calculate recommended fee
const amountSats = 10000; // Your payment amount
const recommendedFee = Math.max(5, Math.ceil(amountSats * 0.0017)); // 17 bps = 0.17%

const payment = await wallet.payLightningInvoice({
  invoice: "lnbc...",
  maxFeeSats: recommendedFee
});

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Error Handling

Implement proper error handling for Lightning payment operations. 
async function payLightningSafely(invoice, maxFeeSats) {
  try {
    // 1. Get fee estimate first
    const feeEstimate = await wallet.getLightningSendFeeEstimate({
      encodedInvoice: invoice
    });
    
    console.log("Estimated fee:", feeEstimate);

    // 2. Check if fee is within limits
    if (feeEstimate > maxFeeSats) {
      throw new Error(`Estimated fee (${feeEstimate}) exceeds maximum (${maxFeeSats})`);
    }

    // 3. Pay the invoice
    const payment = await wallet.payLightningInvoice({
      invoice: invoice,
      maxFeeSats: maxFeeSats
    });

    console.log("Payment initiated successfully:", payment.id);
    return payment;

  } catch (error) {
    console.error("Lightning payment failed:", error.message);
    
    // Handle specific error types
    if (error.message.includes("Insufficient")) {
      console.log("Please check your balance");
    } else if (error.message.includes("expired")) {
      console.log("Invoice has expired, please get a new one");
    } else if (error.message.includes("Invalid invoice")) {
      console.log("Please verify the invoice format");
    }
    
    throw error;
  }
}

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Best Practices

  • Verify invoice amounts - Always verify invoice amounts before paying
  • Set appropriate fees - Use the recommended fee calculation (5 sats or 17 bps)
  • Monitor payment status - Track payments until completion
  • Handle zero-amount invoices - Use amountSatsToSend for zero-amount invoices
  • Enable Spark preference - Use preferSpark: true for better routing when possible
  • Test on regtest - Always test Lightning payments on regtest before mainnet

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Complete Example

import { SparkWallet } from "@buildonspark/spark-sdk";

async function payLightningInvoice() {
  const { wallet } = await SparkWallet.initialize({
    options: { network: "REGTEST" }
  });

  try {
    // 1. Set up event listeners
    wallet.on("transfer:claimed", (transferId, updatedBalance) => {
      console.log(`Transfer ${transferId} claimed. New balance: ${updatedBalance} sats`);
    });

    // 2. Example Lightning invoice (replace with real invoice)
    const invoice = "lnbcrt1u1pnm7ammpp4v84f05tl0kzt6g95g056athdpp8f8azvg6d7epz74z562ymer9jqsp5nc50gazvp0e98u42jlu653rw0eutcl067nqq924hf89q4la4kd9sxq9z0rgqnp4qdnmwu8v22cvq9xsv2l05cn9rre7xlcgdtntxawf8m0zxq3qemgzqrzjqtr2vd60g57hu63rdqk87u3clac6jlfhej4kldrrjvfcw3mphcw8sqqqqrj0q7ew45qqqqqqqqqqqqqq9qcqzpgdq5w3jhxapqd9h8vmmfvdjs9qyyssqj7lf2w4m587g04n4t0ferdv0vnwftzca0xuc9yxycng78cnhrvmyw2mzaa8t76jskpypqnwqhp9xh0vnwxz90jytd34vrmhcngsnl8qplz7ylk";

    // 3. Get fee estimate
    const feeEstimate = await wallet.getLightningSendFeeEstimate({
      encodedInvoice: invoice
    });
    console.log("Fee estimate:", feeEstimate);

    // 4. Calculate recommended fee
    const amountSats = 1000; // Example amount
    const recommendedFee = Math.max(5, Math.ceil(amountSats * 0.0017));

    // 5. Pay the invoice
    const payment = await wallet.payLightningInvoice({
      invoice: invoice,
      maxFeeSats: recommendedFee,
      preferSpark: true
    });

    console.log("Payment initiated:", payment.id);

    // 6. Monitor payment status
    const monitorPayment = async () => {
      const paymentStatus = await wallet.getLightningSendRequest(payment.id);
      
      if (paymentStatus.status === "completed") {
        console.log("Lightning payment completed successfully!");
        console.log("Amount sent:", paymentStatus.amountSats, "sats");
      } else if (paymentStatus.status === "failed") {
        console.log("Lightning payment failed");
      } else {
        console.log("Lightning payment pending...");
        setTimeout(monitorPayment, 5000); // Check again in 5 seconds
      }
    };

    await monitorPayment();

  } catch (error) {
    console.error("Lightning payment failed:", error);
  }
}