Chuks

Lightning Developer

Who are you, what do you work on, and how are you funded?

My name is Chuks and I am a software developer with 9+ years professional experience. I currently contribute to LDK/LDK-Node with support from Btrust.

What areas do you specialize in and what is your day-to-day like?

I recently integrated BIP-353 into LDK-Node, which uses DNSSEC infrastructure to allow users to send payments to Human-Readable Names—a huge win for privacy and usability. Currently, I'm researching and implementing Splice Batching to significantly reduce on-chain fees by consolidating multiple transactions into a single splice. My day-to-day is a mix of proactive rebasing, deep-diving into PRs in the LDK repos to stay synchronized with the ecosystem, and engaging with peer reviews.

What was your entrypoint into bitcoin open-source software (BOSS)? What is your background and how did you get started?

The first time I encountered BOSS was in September 2024 when I integrated LNBITS into a web-app I was working on. The first time I got in-depth knowledge of BOSS was in December 2024 when I signed-up for the Chaincode BOSS 2025 program. We were given a challenge that required us exploring the Bitcoin Core codebase.

The Chaincode BOSS 2025 program was my official entry point as it provided the clarity I needed to start making meaningful contributions.

Before BOSS 2025, I was a freelance Software dev building & maintaining web & mobile apps for clients in Nigeria. I was also working on my own start-up projects (which I still do).

What has the journey been like to get to where you are now? How did you get funded for the first time?

The journey has been rewarding! All the time spent getting familiar with the ecosystem eventually paid off. Three months after I graduated from the Chaincode BOSS 2025 program, I was able to show enough proof-of-work to get a Btrust Starter grant.

What is your favorite thing about working in BOSS (bitcoin open-source software)?

Working in BOSS is the perfect hack for my career as it aligns perfectly with my need for freedom to choose the work I do and determine the impact I am able to make. I quit my 9 - 5 Software Dev job during COVID to focus on freelancing and building a start-up.

Working in BOSS has given me great stability that's even better than what I had when I was doing 9 - 5, but with the added benefit of not taking away my freedom to choose what to work on and how much impact I can make.

What are some of the unique challenges of working in BOSS? What are things that may sound unexpected to people outside of the ecosystem?

Working in BOSS is almost like being an entrepreneur, it gets lonely at times and a whole lot of times you need to rely on your decision-making skills in order to navigate the ecosystem effectively. You need to be willing to admit what you do not know and be open to learning. It also requires self-motivation and focus.

How is this different from other jobs you have had?

The freedom is unmatched. It's like a hybrid of 9 - 5 work and entrepreneurship.