What is the difference between capacity and max_htlc in the routing of payments in the network?
1 Answer
The capacity
of a channel is the number of satoshis that are stored in the payment channel. They are split between the two channel partners and offered htlcs
. No payment larger than the capacity can ever go through that channel.
The max_htlc
is the number of concurrent offered htlcs
that are possible in the channel. They are limited because most htlcs
are outputs in the commitment transaction and cost a fee paid to the miners in case the channel has to be force closed.