I know this might sound like a basic question, but here it goes. Just did a fresh install of Bitcoin Core 29.0 and noticed that my .bitcoin/wallets folder is empty. It's been a minute since my last install, but I'm pretty sure that a wallet.dat file showed up automatically back then. Is this normal? If so, how do I actually get that wallet.dat file?
So despite my searching prior to posting, I didn't find an answer. Then right after posting I found this for anyone else with this "dilemma":
In Bitcoin Core version 29.0 and later, the .wallet.dat file might not be present by default. Here's why and what you should do:
Why you might not see wallet.dat:
Descriptor Wallets: Since version 21, Bitcoin Core offers the option of using "descriptor wallets" which are considered more modern and secure than the older "BDB" (Berkeley DB) wallets that relied on wallet.dat. New wallets are created as descriptor wallets by default unless you specify otherwise.
No Default Wallet: Bitcoin Core no longer automatically creates a default wallet when you install it.
What to do if you need to create or access a wallet:
Create a new wallet: If you are starting fresh, you can create a new wallet using the createwallet RPC command.
Bitcoin Core has not automatically created a wallet on startup for several versions now. You must explicitly choose to create a wallet by using either the createwallet RPC or through the GUI with the "Create Wallet" menu option or the button that appears when no wallets are loaded.