f49840dd90doc: Fix typo in files.md (Ryan Ofsky)f5cf0b1cccbitcoin wrapper: improve help output (Ryan Ofsky)c810b168b8doc: Add description of installed files to files.md (Ryan Ofsky)94ffd01a02doc: Add release notes describing libexec/ binaries (Ryan Ofsky)cd97905ebccmake: 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). ACKs for top commit: l0rinc: re-ACKf49840dd90Sjors: re-ACKf49840dd90achow101: ACKf49840dd90janb84: re ACKf49840dd90BrandonOdiwuor: Tested ACKf49840dd90hodlinator: re-ACKf49840dd90willcl-ark: utACKf49840dd90Tree-SHA512: 858a2e1a53db11ee3c5c759bfdeea566f242b9ce5e8a898fa435222e41662b8184577c0dc2c4c058294b4de41d8cb3ba3e5d24c748c280efa4a3f84e3ec4344d
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) orbin/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?
- See the documentation at the Bitcoin Wiki for help and more information.
- Ask for help on Bitcoin StackExchange.
- Ask for help on #bitcoin on Libera Chat. If you don't have an IRC client, you can use web.libera.chat.
- Ask for help on the BitcoinTalk forums, in the Technical Support board.
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.
- Dependencies
- macOS Build Notes
- Unix Build Notes
- Windows Build Notes
- FreeBSD Build Notes
- OpenBSD Build Notes
- NetBSD Build Notes
Development
The Bitcoin repo's root README contains relevant information on the development process and automated testing.
- Developer Notes
- Productivity Notes
- Release Process
- Source Code Documentation (External Link)
- Translation Process
- Translation Strings Policy
- JSON-RPC Interface
- Unauthenticated REST Interface
- BIPS
- Dnsseed Policy
- Benchmarking
- Internal Design Docs
Resources
- Discuss on the BitcoinTalk forums, in the Development & Technical Discussion board.
- Discuss project-specific development on #bitcoin-core-dev on Libera Chat. If you don't have an IRC client, you can use web.libera.chat.
Miscellaneous
- Assets Attribution
- bitcoin.conf Configuration File
- CJDNS Support
- Files
- Fuzz-testing
- I2P Support
- Init Scripts (systemd/upstart/openrc)
- Managing Wallets
- Multisig Tutorial
- Offline Signing Tutorial
- P2P bad ports definition and list
- PSBT support
- Reduce Memory
- Reduce Traffic
- Tor Support
- Transaction Relay Policy
- ZMQ
License
Distributed under the MIT software license.