# Offchain Media

> Source: https://timechain.wiki/wiki/offchain-media · TimechainWiki, the Bitcoin encyclopedia. (source · education)

> Offchain Media (offchain.media) is an online publication of single-topic explainer articles on Bitcoin's off-chain and adjacent protocol stack — Lightning, Liquid, Ark, Spark, ecash, Taproot Assets, L402, and Nostr. The register is **Introductory → Foundational**: plain-language treatments that assume light Bitcoin familiarity, explain each protocol's mechanics and *trust model* honestly, and generally resist promotional framing (the Spark and Ark pieces are notably candid about the custody gray zones operators occupy). Articles carry recent revision dates (mid-2026 at capture), making the site a useful *living* complement to the evergreen canon for readers who want one protocol explained in one sitting.

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## Why this source matters

Offchain Media occupies a slot the canon-and-curriculum resources don't: **per-protocol explainers at the layer-2-and-adjacent level**, current enough to name live implementations and operators. Most introductory platforms teach *Bitcoin*; most technical references assume developer depth. These articles sit between — the right hand-off for a reader who has the monetary case and now asks "so what exactly is Ark?"

The editorial posture is trust-model-forward: the Spark piece centers the unverifiable-key-deletion caveat rather than burying it; the Ark piece is explicit that pre-settlement custody is operator-mediated; the ecash piece leads with the mint-trust trade-off. That makes the site safe to hand to a newcomer without a correcting cover note.

## Article inventory (captured 2026-06-10)

Each article maps to the KB note that owns the topic; these are link-out supplements, not substitutes for the KB treatments.

| Article | Level | KB home |
|---|---|---|
| [What is the Lightning Network](https://offchain.media/article/what-is-lightning-network-bitcoin) | Introductory → Foundational | [The Lightning Network](https://timechain.wiki/wiki/the-lightning-network.md) |
| [What is Ark](https://offchain.media/article/what-is-ark-bitcoin) | Introductory → Foundational | [Ark protocol](https://timechain.wiki/wiki/ark-protocol.md) |
| [What is Spark](https://offchain.media/article/what-is-spark-bitcoin) | Foundational | [Spark protocol](https://timechain.wiki/wiki/spark-protocol.md) |
| [Liquid Network — private, scalable sidechain](https://offchain.media/article/liquid-network-bitcoins-private-scalable-sidechain) | Introductory → Foundational | [Liquid Network](https://timechain.wiki/wiki/liquid-network.md) |
| [What is ecash — Chaum's confidential transaction protocol](https://offchain.media/article/what-ecash-david-chaums-confidential-transaction-protocol-bitcoin) | Introductory | [Cashu](https://timechain.wiki/wiki/cashu.md) · [Fedimint](https://timechain.wiki/wiki/fedimint.md) |
| [Taproot Assets (ex-Taro)](https://offchain.media/article/taproot-assets-protocol-ex-taro-the-key-to-bitcoins-evolution) | Introductory → Foundational | [Scaling and Layer 2](https://timechain.wiki/wiki/scaling-and-layer-2.md) *(no dedicated note yet)* |
| [L402 — Bitcoin as the currency of the internet for AIs](https://offchain.media/article/l402-the-protocol-making-bitcoin-the-currency-of-the-internet-for-artificial-intelligences-ai) | Foundational | [The Lightning Network](https://timechain.wiki/wiki/the-lightning-network.md) *(L402 covered within the Lightning cluster)* |
| [What is Nostr](https://offchain.media/article/what-nostr-everything-need-know-protocol-dedicated-decentralized-social-networks) | Foundational | *(no dedicated KB note yet — candidate)* |

## Bibliographic details

- **Title:** Offchain Media
- **URL:** https://offchain.media
- **Format:** Online publication; single-topic explainer articles with revision dates
- **Authorship:** Bylined site authors (the Spark piece credits "Marius"); no institutional backer identified at capture
- **Level:** Introductory → Foundational (per-article annotations above)
- **Access:** Free, no registration

## Key connections

- [Scaling and Layer 2](https://timechain.wiki/wiki/scaling-and-layer-2.md) — the KB's own map of the territory these articles cover one protocol at a time
- [The Lightning Network](https://timechain.wiki/wiki/the-lightning-network.md) · [Lightning channels](https://timechain.wiki/wiki/lightning-channels.md) · [Lightning routing](https://timechain.wiki/wiki/lightning-routing.md) — the depth treatments behind the Lightning explainer
- [Ark protocol](https://timechain.wiki/wiki/ark-protocol.md) · [Spark protocol](https://timechain.wiki/wiki/spark-protocol.md) · [Liquid Network](https://timechain.wiki/wiki/liquid-network.md) · [Cashu](https://timechain.wiki/wiki/cashu.md) · [Fedimint](https://timechain.wiki/wiki/fedimint.md) — per-protocol KB homes
- [Educational websites and online resources](https://timechain.wiki/wiki/educational-websites-and-online-resources.md) — this source's sub-MOC (Reference and protocol explainers)