The widely used encoded Lightning payment request containing amount, destination, payment hash, expiry and routing hints.
BOLT 11 invoice is best understood as part of a system rather than as an isolated definition. Its related coordinates show the mechanisms, incentives and historical records that give the term practical meaning.
BOLT 11 invoice sits between protocol rules, economic incentives and software operated by independent participants. In Bitcoin, no component is authoritative by itself: miners propose history, fully validating nodes enforce validity, and users decide which rules and software they accept.
Understanding BOLT 11 invoice helps distinguish a verifiable Bitcoin mechanism or historical record from slogans, products and market narratives.
For the clearest picture, read this entry together with Lightning Network, BOLT 12 offers. The reverse links also lead from BOLT 12 offers, Lightning address, Rusty Russell.
Linked to related atlas coordinates
Grounded in a source record
Explains function and trade-offs
Part of the open Bitcoin knowledge graph