Files
bitcoin/doc
merge-script 2bb06bcaf2 Merge bitcoin/bitcoin#31679: cmake: Install internal binaries to <prefix>/libexec/
f49840dd90 doc: Fix typo in files.md (Ryan Ofsky)
f5cf0b1ccc bitcoin wrapper: improve help output (Ryan Ofsky)
c810b168b8 doc: Add description of installed files to files.md (Ryan Ofsky)
94ffd01a02 doc: Add release notes describing libexec/ binaries (Ryan Ofsky)
cd97905ebc cmake: Move internal binaries from bin/ to libexec/ (Ryan Ofsky)

Pull request description:

  This change moves binaries that are not typically invoked directly by users from the `bin/` directory to the `libexec/` directory in CMake installs and binary releases. The goal of the PR is to introduce a distinction between internal and external binaries so starting with #31802, we can use IPC to implement features in new binaries without adding those binaries to the CLI. The change also helps reduce clutter in `bin/`, making it easier for users to identify useful tools to run. Summary of changes:

  - For **source builds** (i.e. developer builds) — There are no changes.
  - For **source installs** (i.e. `cmake --install` result) — `test_bitcoin`, `test_bitcoin-qt`, and `bench_bitcoin` are installed in `${CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH}/libexec` instead of `${CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH}/bin`, so they are no longer on the system `PATH`. However, they can still be invoked from the `libexec/` directory, or from the CLI as `bitcoin test`, `bitcoin test-gui`, and `bitcoin bench`, respectively.
  - For **binary releases** — Since `test_bitcoin` is the only test binary enabled in releases, the only change is moving `test_bitcoin` from `bin/` to `libexec/`.

  <details><summary>Details</summary>
  <p>

   The table below shows the install location of each binary after this change, and the availability of each binary.

  | Binary               | Location     | Availability         | Change                        |
  |----------------------|--------------|----------------------|-------------------------------|
  | `bitcoin`            | `bin/`       | 📦 Binary release (since #31375) | Unchanged                     |
  | `bitcoin-cli`        | `bin/`       | 📦 Binary release     | Unchanged                     |
  | `bitcoind`           | `bin/`       | 📦 Binary release     | Unchanged                     |
  | `bitcoin-qt`         | `bin/`       | 📦 Binary release     | Unchanged                     |
  | `bitcoin-tx`         | `bin/`       | 📦 Binary release     | Unchanged                     |
  | `bitcoin-util`       | `bin/`       | 📦 Binary release     | Unchanged                     |
  | `bitcoin-wallet`     | `bin/`       | 📦 Binary release     | Unchanged                     |
  | `bench_bitcoin`      | `libexec/`   | 🛠 Source build only  | Moved from `bin/`             |
  | `bitcoin-chainstate` | `libexec/`   | 🛠 Source build only  | Newly installed (was built)   |
  | `bitcoin-gui`        | `libexec/`   | 🛠 Source build only (until #31802) | Moved from `bin/`             |
  | `bitcoin-node`       | `libexec/`   | 🛠 Source build only (until #31802) | Moved from `bin/`             |
  | `test_bitcoin`       | `libexec/`    | 📦 Binary release     | Moved from `bin/`             |
  | `test_bitcoin-qt`    | `libexec/`   | 🛠 Source build only  | Moved from `bin/`             |

  </p>
  </details>

  ---

  This PR is part of the [process separation project](https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/issues/28722).

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  janb84:
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Tree-SHA512: 858a2e1a53db11ee3c5c759bfdeea566f242b9ce5e8a898fa435222e41662b8184577c0dc2c4c058294b4de41d8cb3ba3e5d24c748c280efa4a3f84e3ec4344d
2025-08-07 14:53:26 +01:00
..
2025-08-07 09:03:15 +01:00
2025-08-07 09:01:55 +01:00

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.