Files
bitcoin/doc
merge-script 9c15022260 Merge bitcoin/bitcoin#35337: doc: add feature deprecation and removal process to developer notes
2e9fdcc6da doc: add feature deprecation and removal process to developer notes (Guillermo Fernandes)

Pull request description:

  Closes #31980

  Adds a dedicated **"Feature deprecation and removal process"** section to `doc/developer-notes.md` covering the full deprecation lifecycle for all major feature categories.

  ## What's added

  **General principles**
  - Grace period is one major release (deprecated in N, removed in N+1)
  - Deprecation and removal both require release notes
  - Deprecated features should remain accessible via a re-enable flag during the grace period

  **Per-category guidance covering:**
  - RPC methods and fields (`-deprecatedrpc=<feature>` pattern, help text requirements, worked example pointing to #31278)
  - Startup options (`LogWarning`/`InitWarning` on use, help text update)
  - REST interface (document in `doc/REST-interface.md`)
  - ZMQ (document in `doc/zmq.md`)
  - Wallet settings (defer to RPC or startup option process depending on exposure)

  This consolidates the process that currently exists only implicitly across PRs and issue discussions into one place for contributors to reference.

ACKs for top commit:
  maflcko:
    lgtm ACK 2e9fdcc6da
  polespinasa:
    ACK 2e9fdcc6da
  stickies-v:
    ACK 2e9fdcc6da
  sedited:
    ACK 2e9fdcc6da

Tree-SHA512: 1d43df410664a45f937bcbd250664f13379168ca90e3024bea506e21a88177e201dcb4fadade705735099e3b8aaa2102a3080ad005bffb3aecb8f08d530d4277
2026-05-26 15:19:19 +02:00
..
2025-12-27 22:33:23 +01:00
2026-03-06 13:10:30 -08:00
2026-03-02 22:33:10 +00:00
2026-03-24 15:51:24 +01:00
2025-07-26 13:58:01 +03:00

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.