Files
bitcoin/doc
merge-script d4e2a45833 Merge bitcoin/bitcoin#33750: doc: document fingerprinting risk when operating node on multiple networks
e346ecae83 Add eclipse, partitioning, and fingerprinting note to i2p.md (da1sychain)
19a6a3e75e Add eclipse, partitioning, and fingerprinting note in tor.md (da1sychain)

Pull request description:

  Operating a Bitcoin node across multiple networks poses some fingerprinting risk. [0] Currently, this is not clear from the documentation and may be causing direct harm to users who are unaware of this.

  The included documentation change indicates this risk factor but also notes that operating a node across multiple networks does provide an important benefit (increases the cost of eclipse and partitioning attacks) and is thus not discouraged outright.

  The i2p documentation did not include a privacy recommendations section, so that is added as well.

  [0] https://delvingbitcoin.org/t/fingerprinting-nodes-via-addr-requests/1786

ACKs for top commit:
  danielabrozzoni:
    ACK e346ecae83
  rkrux:
    crACK e346ecae83
  mzumsande:
    ACK e346ecae83
  glozow:
    lgtm ACK e346ecae83

Tree-SHA512: d35a00f604ed70bb9d2339066612414f590d8cfe4d02eb0f586364b32016c7259aaaf059bc5162779f36b06fb06508ff7162022bdf65aa22a840bc34f69b7b50
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Bitcoin Core

Setup

Bitcoin Core is the original Bitcoin client and it builds the backbone of the network. It downloads and, by default, stores the entire history of Bitcoin transactions, which requires several hundred gigabytes or more of disk space. Depending on the speed of your computer and network connection, the synchronization process can take anywhere from a few hours to several days or more.

To download Bitcoin Core, visit bitcoincore.org.

Running

The following are some helpful notes on how to run Bitcoin Core on your native platform.

Unix

Unpack the files into a directory and run:

  • bin/bitcoin-qt (GUI) or
  • bin/bitcoind (headless)
  • bin/bitcoin (wrapper command)

The bitcoin command supports subcommands like bitcoin gui, bitcoin node, and bitcoin rpc exposing different functionality. Subcommands can be listed with bitcoin help.

Windows

Unpack the files into a directory, and then run bitcoin-qt.exe.

macOS

Drag Bitcoin Core to your applications folder, and then run Bitcoin Core.

Need Help?

Building

The following are developer notes on how to build Bitcoin Core on your native platform. They are not complete guides, but include notes on the necessary libraries, compile flags, etc.

Development

The Bitcoin repo's root README contains relevant information on the development process and automated testing.

Resources

Miscellaneous

License

Distributed under the MIT software license.