Runtime API
The node runtime API is provided by the RGB Lightning Node itself for opening channels, sending/receiving payments and operating RGB assets. It is reached on the node's dedicated domain using the node's own credentials.
How to reach it
Node details return public_dns and api_base_url — the node's HTTPS domain. Runtime endpoints live under /api/v1/* on that domain, and control-plane endpoints sit on the root path (for example /control/status).
Runtime endpoints require the node's own Bearer credentials, such as a self-hosted node's api_token / control_token. Reaching the node domain does not by itself grant access; requests without valid credentials are rejected.
Boundary with the Cloud API Key
The Cloud management API API Key is only for node management: create, query, start/stop, delete and P2P allocation. The API Key cannot call native node interfaces and is not a runtime credential; never send a Cloud API Key to a node domain.
api_base_url in node details only states the HTTPS address for native requests. It is not an access authorization and does not mean the node is ready. If a request body or response treats api_base_url as a callable basis, use the deployment-provided authorization instead.
P2P connection addresses
Lightning P2P connections use the p2p_* fields returned by the management API (p2p_host, p2p_port, p2p_address), applied for a running user node through POST /v3/nodes/{id}/p2p. The HTTPS API address is not a P2P connection address; applying for a P2P address grants no channel or payment interface access.
Endpoint scope
Native node endpoints are grouped by capability (node status, control plane, peers, wallet and UTXOs, channels, payments, RGB, atomic swaps, network graph). See RGB Lightning Node API for the per-endpoint reference; request/response formats follow the node software's rgb-ldk-api-public OpenAPI spec.
Related pages
- Node Management — where node domains and P2P fields come from.
- Authentication — management API Key scopes and error handling.
- Security & Access — isolation and credential safety.