Channels begin with funding and end with a close. How you close determines fees, delay, and risk.
Complete Step 1 // Required reading in the study plan above, then continue here.
Step 2 — Core idea: cooperative, force, penalty
Force closes are expensive and slow. Lost channel state without backups can lose funds. Lifecycle literacy is operational safety.
| Close type | What happens |
|---|---|
| Cooperative | Both agree — efficient on-chain settlement |
| Force | Broadcast latest commitment — timelocks may delay funds |
| Penalty | Response to revoked (old) state broadcast |
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Done when: You can pick cooperative vs force for a stuck-peer scenario in one sentence.
Step 3 — Close + backup (lab)
Cooperatively close a lab channel if you can. Note backup artifacts your stack expects (e.g. LND SCB). Write the stuck-peer decision sentence.
Common mistakes
- Force closing to “speed up” when fees are high
- Running nodes without disk redundancy
- Ignoring unresolved HTLCs during close
Done when: Lab evidence (close proof + backup note + decision sentence + source) is complete.
Next lesson
Dual Funding & Splicing — change capacity without a full teardown.