| latest-revision | 2019-01-27T00:00:00.000Z |
|---|---|
| original-author | Ryan Shea (ryan-shea) |
| created | 2019-01-01T00:00:00.000Z |
| status | Accepted |
| title | Preimage |
| contributors | Ryan Shea (ryan-shea); Gareth James (gjradar) |
| type | article |
| description | |
| discussions-to | GitHub URL |
| category | bitcoin-basics |
In the Lightning Network, a preimage is a data string that is passed into a hash function. Preimages are also referred to as 'secrets'. Possession of the relevant preimage allows users to claim HTLCs, which are a core process in the routing of payments between nodes.