Benchmarking GNNs Using Lightning Network Data

TL;DR

This paper benchmarks Graph Neural Networks on Lightning Network data, analyzing its graph structure and node relationships to improve understanding of the network's topology and routing efficiency.

Contribution

It introduces a series of GNN-based tasks on Lightning Network data, providing benchmarks and demonstrating the benefits of topological and neighbor information.

Findings

GNNs effectively model Lightning Network topology

Topological features improve GNN performance

Benchmark results guide future GNN applications in payment networks

Abstract

The Bitcoin Lightning Network is a layer 2 protocol designed to facilitate fast and inexpensive Bitcoin transactions. It operates by establishing channels between users, where Bitcoin is locked and transactions are conducted off-chain until the channels are closed, with only the initial and final transactions recorded on the blockchain. Routing transactions through intermediary nodes is crucial for users without direct channels, allowing these routing nodes to collect fees for their services. Nodes announce their channels to the network, forming a graph with channels as edges. In this paper, we analyze the graph structure of the Lightning Network and investigate the statistical relationships between node properties using machine learning, particularly Graph Neural Networks (GNNs). We formulate a series of tasks to explore these relationships and provide benchmarks for GNN architectures, demonstrating how topological and neighbor information enhances performance. Our evaluation of several models reveals the effectiveness of GNNs in these tasks and highlights the insights gained from their application.