# Channels and pockets

The channel book shows every channel and pocket on your hub, how long each lasts, and which need action now. Rails take payments in; merchant channels pay out; reserves wait on-chain.

> Part of the SQRL documentation, section "SQRL Markets".
> Rendered page: https://docs.sqrl.tech/markets/liquidity/channels-and-pockets

## The channel book

Switch between **Chart** and **List**. Filter by **All**, **Act now**, **Plan it**, **Merchants**, **Rails**, **In progress** or **Offline**.

The chart places each pocket in a zone by time left:

| Zone | Time left |
|---|---|
| **Act now** | Under 12 hours |
| **Plan it** | Under 24 hours |
| **Healthy** | Under a week |
| **Oversized** | More than you need |

The list shows Channel · Pocket · Holding · Time left · Status.

## Terms

* **Channel**: a Lightning channel between your hub and one peer. Status: Active, Opening, Closing or Closed. Kind: Merchant, Rail, Routing or Bridge.
* **Pocket**: one asset's balance inside a channel. A channel can hold several, and one cannot cover another.
* **Rail**: a channel the hub takes shoppers' payments in over. Rails are shown read-only.
* **Reserves**: funds held on-chain and not yet committed to any channel. The reserves strip shows them per asset.

## Reopening a channel

When a pocket is too small or too large for its traffic, reopen the channel at a new size: select **Request reopen**. Reopening closes the channel and opens it again, which takes the peer offline for about 20 minutes. A reopen is an [operation](/markets/operations) and needs approval.