The base chain is a settlement system: global, final, ~10-minute confirmations, fees that rise with demand. Lightning locks bitcoin into two-party channels and routes payments across them, settling to the chain only when channels open or close. Result: payments in milliseconds for fractions of a cent.
In practice you meet Lightning through wallets like
Phoenix (self-custodial, automated) or exchange withdrawals (
River and
Cash App support it natively). It is how bitcoin functions as daily money rather than only savings.