Nigiri
Single-command regtest stack. Includes Bitcoin Core + electrs + Esplora frontend + optional Liquid + optional LN.
Repo: github.com/vulpemventures/nigiri.
Quickstart
nigiri start # spin up bitcoind + electrs + esplora
nigiri faucet bcrt1q... # send test BTC
nigiri rpc getblockchaininfo
nigiri logs chopsticks # logs takes a service name
nigiri stop
Features
- All in one:
nigiri startruns bitcoind, electrs, the Esplora frontend, and Chopsticks (a JSON HTTP proxy that re-serves the Esplora REST API and adds/faucet+ auto-mining onPOST /tx). - Esplora web explorer at
localhost:5000; the Esplora-compatible REST API is Chopsticks atlocalhost:3000(as of v0.5.17, May 2026). - Faucet for instant BTC.
- Liquid support via
nigiri start --liquid. - Lightning via
nigiri start --ln- starts Core Lightning, LND and the Taproot Assets daemon (tapd), not a single impl. - Ark via
nigiri start --ark(arkd + explorer). - Flag memory:
--rememberpersists the chosen flags;nigiri forgetclears them.
Use cases
- Wallet integration that needs Esplora API.
- End-to-end testing with realistic explorer queries.
- Demos with full Bitcoin + explorer view.
Compared
| Aspect | Nigiri | Polar | Manual regtest |
|---|---|---|---|
| GUI | no | yes | no |
| Explorer | Esplora | none | manual |
| LN support | optional | primary | manual |
| Liquid | yes | no | manual |
| Setup time | <1 min | <1 min | minutes-hours |
Common issues
- Docker required; resource cost (~2-4 GB RAM).
- Port conflicts: bitcoind uses 18443, electrs 50000 (Electrum) and
30000 (HTTP), Chopsticks 3000, Esplora UI 5000. On macOS Monterey
and later, AirPlay Receiver already holds 5000 - disable it or
remap the port in
docker-compose.ymlunder the Nigiri datadir. - Liquid stack adds significant resource use.