LND single seed multi-location backup scheme

Notes on LND wallet recovery: https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/blob/master/docs/recovery.md
Notes on LND seed format (different from Bip39 or Electrum): https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/tree/master/aezeed

Components grouped together by the requirement for a full restore

Full backup 1

  • Seed (24 words)
  • Cypher Phrase (passphrase)
  • Static Channel Backup (channel.backup)
    • needs to be updated to include every new channel and recovery requires the peers to be online

Full backup 2

  • LND folder with the !!latest!! state (wallet.db + channel.db)
    • requires to have physical (screen and keyboard) or remote SSH access to the node (can be a Tor Hidden Service address for the port 22)
    • if the latest channel.db is not available restoring the channel.backup is safer
  • Wallet Unlock Password
    • include logins and/or the SSH password to allow access to the node

Packages for a 2-of-3 setup

Location 1

  • Seed (24 word)
  • Static Channel Backup (channel.backup)
  • LND folder (wallet.db + channel.db)

Location 2

  • Cypher Phrase (passphrase)
  • Wallet Unlock Password

Location 3

  • Seed (24 words)
  • Static Channel Backup (channel.backup)
  • Wallet Unlock Password