Getting into NODE operation

Hey everyone, after being in the Bitcoin scene for 8 years, I finally decided it's time to start running a NODE. It's been on my mind for some time, and now I feel like I'm ready to go for it. I might be hyping it up like it's a huge life change who knows... I've done a bit of homework but wanted to ask for some advice from the pros here before diving in. So, here are my questions: Hardware: What do I actually need [at minimum]? I've heard a Raspberry Pi with an SSD is the way to go, but what else should I get? Node type: Should I go for a Full, Pruned, or Light node? FYI, I just checked my internet speed, and it's: Download: 23Mbps / Upload: 0.85Mbps Appreciate any help!

You can use those hardware, but 1. If you don't want to run pruned node, i recommend you to use SSD with least 1TB capacity. 2. If you want fast sync duration, Raspberry Pi may not be fast enough. It's up to you and your needs. But on Bitcoin, your choice is either full node or pruned node. Light usually refer to SPV/light wallet rather than node. https://blockchair.com/bitcoin says current blockchain size is about 683GB. Assuming your node always utilize 23MBps download speed, it'll take at least almost 3 days to download whole Bitcoin blockchain.

https://bitcoin.org/en/full-node#minimum-requirements Just some Internet connection, and official software from here: https://bitcoincore.org/en/download/ If Bitcoin Core, then it is Full or Pruned, whatever you pick. And of course, you can start with regtest first, to test things, without downloading the chain, and get familiar with everything in a local environment, where you can mine alone any blocks, and confirm any transactions.

I just checked archive of that page and it seems it barely updated since May 2021[1]. These days, Bitcoin Core have minimum 2GB requirement to store recent blocks. In addition, current UTXO size is about 11.6GB. So you'll need more than 7GB of free space. And if you don't have enough free RAM to store whole UTXO on RAM, you'll want to use storage with fast random I/O (SSD). Recent version of Windows and Mac OS X will not run on 2GB of RAM. It's not 340GB, but rather more than 680GB (see my previous reply). So i think it's time to stop using that website as reference of minimum hardware requirement. [1] http://web.archive.org/web/20210512201102/https://bitcoin.org/en/full-node#minimum-requirements [2] https://statoshi.info/d/000000009/unspent-transaction-output-se

Running raspberry pi is technical, you are going to need an external ssd whether you are running prune or full node but with your PC, Bitcoin core/Bitcoin knot is very simple, download the application on the official website[1] and with good internet connection, you should be able to sync in few days provided your internet download speed is stable at 23mbps. If you have something higher, it will make the sync a bit faster, you maybe having an average of 2mb/s, that's if the network is stable. This will do but will take time and the more you get close to the latest years of block, the slower it becomes because those blocks are heavier than the earliest blocks. [1] https://bitcoin.org/en/download

Raspberry Pi can run a Bitcoin node, but it’s much smarter to buy a small mini PC, which doesn’t cost much more than a Raspberry Pi and is a much higher-quality and more reliable solution. Here’s a video of someone running a full Bitcoin node on a mini PC for around $300. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXVgGLaEEwc It is best to run a full node, but keep in mind that you will need a disk of at least 2 TB. The node is best run on operating systems like Start9 or Umbrel, which are designed for easy setup and maintenance of a full node. These operating systems offer a wide range of additional applications: besides different Bitcoin node implementations such as Knots or Core, they also support the Lightning Network (LND, Core Lightning), BTCPay Server, and even applications that are not directly related to Bitcoin, which you can use for various other purposes.

Thanks ABCbits - I was thinking an SSD as a minimum and maybe with a pruned node 1TB would be sufficient instead of having to consider 2TB! 3 days might not be too bad compared to some comments I have read elsewhere but I think I would initiate to download late at night and early in the morning when the demand on my connection is low. Yes I think I can manage all that, though I would opt for 4GB of RAM. I think I would leave the node running 12 hours per day. I am very mindful of the energy consumption and depending on the system I choose I want to make sure its low. Ahhhhh hahaha - already you have lost me with "regtest" ! but yea I understand the concept, will look into that after the hardware is setup and ready. I think with whatever hardware I go with I will use an external SSD No I really only have one option - unfortunately. This is what I am looking at now, again as above I am mindful of the energy cost and the Pi is quite low but a Netbook or Mini Laptop might be better alright and the energy consumption I see is still reasonable around 45w to 65w. Energy consumption cost per hour of €0.015c is ok working out at about €5 per month on a 12 hour day. Thanks for the link, will check that out for sure. One thing I have not done is go to youtube yet because that is a rabbithole. Thanks for all the replies so far, I think I will consider now a move from the Pi to a Laptop setup, It seems like less hassle. I was hoping to buy all this with Bitcoin directly, It sems like that would be the right thing to do, I think the only option I have here in Europe is the Czech site https://www.alza.cz, https://www.alza.cz/EN/overview-of-payment-methods. but I think their prices are a little high and I can probably source something cheaper in my country. Thank you all for the info so far!

For a raspberry pi, feel free to check my set of tutorials here: [BitcoinTalk Node Tutorial #1] Running Bitcoin Core on Raspbian Lite (GUI-less). There are 5 tutorials in the series. I still believe a Raspberry Pi isn't the best hardware for a node. Like other users said above, it's better to buy and use a good mini PC.

I just bought a VPS for 15k sats for a year. So, if you don't have to run everything from your home, then you can just rent a server. I guess it is the cheapest option, and you can switch to running it from home later, if you will need it (also, by having a server, you will have incoming connections, which is harder to achieve, if you have a typical ISP with incoming traffic blocked, because of the lack of static IP).

Although I don’t particularly like the idea, for privacy reasons, this kind of things always make me curious. The incoming connectivity can work with Tor flawlessly. Do you mind sharing the VPS? I was interested in a VPS for some other purpose.

Thank you a. I will certainly have a look! But as you said and from whats been said already on the thread a mini PC seems a better option, simpler perhaps anyway. That sounds like a class idea, never considered that but I want to take more control of the process. While I think its a great idea I kind of feel that its slightly similar to storing your Bitcoin on an exchange, better to take full control. Also with a mini PC / Laptop in a few years when I upgrade it can replace the current ancient Asus Eee PC!

You can protect your privacy, if you know how. 1. Homomorphic encryption can allow you to execute things on remote servers trustlessly, so that hosting company will have no idea, what code is executed. And if you call it "AI", then many people won't ask questions, because it is quite similar idea to hash functions, neural networks, and things like that. Everything can be executed by the server, but if things are decrypted always on client side, then nobody can see anything by accessing the server (even as root), they can only block the traffic. 2. Even if everything is available in plaintext, then you can still use VPS as a proxy: then, you can have a node running 24/7, and switch control to your computer, when you are online, and switch it back to the server, when you disconnect. Yes, but there are also some risks: if Tor traffic comes through your PC, then you can be sometimes accused of some things, and explain to authorities, why your IP was used for illegal activities. https://home.pl/serwery/vps-linux/ https://www.cba.pl/pl/oferta/vps There are many different VPS providers you can choose from, and you don't have to pick Polish companies of course. When it comes to the exact server, it is not yet fully synced, but you can find it on https://bitnodes.io/ if you know the IP, or the name (I bought it recently, and if you trace my latest posts, you may even guess the name I picked, because it is similar to some other popular service). Also, "15k satoshis" is a simplification. Few years ago, it was possible to buy it directly by using BTC, or some altcoins, but now, it is harder, because of MICA, and other things, so I paid "15k satoshis", but my friend registered it on my behalf.

1TB storage is enough to run full node (store whole blockchain), assuming you don't run another app that makes lots of data or store other data that use lots of space. 2TB is better choice if you also use the device for other stuff (such as running Electrum server). In case my previous statmeent isn't clear, 3 days assuming your internet is slowest aspect. But if you use Raspberry Pi, it'll become slowest aspect which increase time to download and verify whole blockchain.

Thank you ABCbits, I have moved away from the Raspberry Pi option and instead considering an Acer Chromebook 11 with 4GB RAM. I will also hook up a 2TB SSD (I could do with the extra storage) I can also run Linux on this too which I think is a + That machine consumes 45wh which will cost me ~ €0.01c per hour and with a 12 hour day as an example ~ €3.60 per month.

It is possible that 23Mbps may not be your real speed since internet speed tests only give you a theoretical speed (not necessarily the real one) so downloading the entire blockchain will take several days and if you use it for more things it will take longer as ABCbits mentions, personally the speed test shows me 300 Mbps, and I actually downloaded at 35 MB / s, guided by your data your theoretical speed is 23 Mbps ÷ 8 = 2.8 MB / s approximately, I would recommend a higher plan if you do not want to wait many days. clarifying that after you download the blockchain, your speed will be more than sufficient for optimal performance.

It's worth noting that even though 4GB RAM seems enough, it may be better to go for 8GB. Yeah, I know, it's more expensive, but with the large size of some blocks, even if you give all the dbcache to bitcoin core in order to sync, the size of the block will exceed the cache size. It will succeed after all, but you won't benefit from the option of increasing the dbcache. If what I say seems intimidating, or you need to refresh your memory on the dbcache, here are some links: * https://blog.lopp.net/effects-dbcache-size-bitcoin-node-sync-speed/ * https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5539671.0

Do you mind telling us specification of that Chromebook? From what i could found on Acer website, both type use 2 core intel celeron[1-2]. A website claim performance of that CPU isn't much different with Raspberry Pi 4 CPU[3]. [1] https://www.acer.com/gb-en/chromebooks/pdp/NX.G4XEK.001 [2] https://store.acer.com/en-ca/acer-chromebook-11-laptop-c732-c1vv [3] https://www.cpu-monkey.com/en/compare_cpu-intel_celeron_n3350-vs-raspberry_pi_4_b_broadcom_bcm2711

Yea, I will definitely have to be strategic on when I initialise the download, I also need to do some more checks throughout the day as to when the network is optimal or not. Thanks for the info. Yea that makes sense and yea there is quite a big jump in cost! Youre right its an Intel Celeron N3450 1.10 GHz RAM: 4.0 GB LPDDR4 32GB eMMC internal storage As per apogio points out 8GB is a better option so I have to expand my search for a suitable machine at the right cost to include a better processor and extra RAM. . . .

One last thing I think you should consider is the size of the device. It's not a big deal, but personally I like my nodes being as compact as possible so that I can put them in a small shelf without annoying my wife a lot

You are right, its something I have considered! Doing another search now and it seems like the best value machine I can source is €279 already way above my budget but I am willing to do this because my budget wasnt realistic anyway for the spec I really need Lenovo IP Slim 3 Chromebook 14M868 14" MediaTek | 8GB | 128GB https://psref.lenovo.com/syspool/Sys/PDF/IdeaPad/IP_Slim_3_Chrome_14M868/IP_Slim_3_Chrome_14M868_Spec.pdf Processor - MediaTek Kompanio 520 Octa-core: 2x A76 + 6x A55 8 A76@2.05GHz / A55@2.0GHz Power consumption - 47Wh Rechargeable Li-ion Battery 14" screen - Dimensions (WxDxH) 325.9 x 221.8 x 18.6 mm What do you think on those capabilities? Thanks for all the help & Thanks in advance for more help!