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1175 lines
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1175 lines
54 KiB
Plaintext
[[ch03_bitcoin_client]]
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== Bitcoin Core: The Reference Implementation
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People only accept money in exchange for their valuable goods and
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services if they believe that they'll be able to spend that money later.
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Money that is counterfeit or unexpectedly debased may not be spendable
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later, so every person accepting bitcoins has a strong incentive to
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verify the integrity of the bitcoins they receive. The Bitcoin system
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was designed so that it's possible for software running entirely on your
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local computer to perfectly prevent counterfeiting, debasement, and
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several other critical problems. Software which provides that function
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is called a _full verification node_ because it verifies every confirmed
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Bitcoin transaction against every rule in the system. Full ((("full nodes")))verification
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nodes, _full nodes_ for short, may also provide tools and data for
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understanding how Bitcoin works and what is currently happening in the
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network.
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In this chapter, we'll install Bitcoin Core, the implementation that
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most full node operators have used since the beginning of the Bitcoin
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network. We'll then inspect blocks, transactions, and other data from
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your node, data which is authoritative--not because some powerful entity
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designated it as such but because your node independently verified it.
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Throughout the rest of this book, we'll continue using Bitcoin Core to
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create and examine data related to the blockchain and network.
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=== From Bitcoin to Bitcoin Core
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Bitcoin ((("Bitcoin Core", "explained", id="bitcoin-core-explain")))is an _open
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source_ project and the source code is available under an open (MIT)
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license, free to download and use for any purpose. More than just being
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open source, Bitcoin is developed by
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an open community of volunteers. At first, that community consisted of
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only ((("Nakamoto, Satoshi")))Satoshi Nakamoto. By 2023, Bitcoin's source code had more than 1,000
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contributors with about a dozen developers working on the code almost
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full time and several dozen more on a part-time basis. Anyone can
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contribute to the code—including you!
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When Bitcoin was created by Satoshi Nakamoto, the
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software was mostly completed before publication of the whitepaper (reproduced in
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<<satoshi_whitepaper>>). Satoshi wanted to make sure the
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implementation worked before publishing a paper about it. That first implementation, then simply
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known as "Bitcoin," has been heavily modified and
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improved. It has evolved into what is known as _Bitcoin Core_, to
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differentiate it from other implementations. Bitcoin Core is
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the _reference implementation_ of the Bitcoin system, meaning that it
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provides a reference for how each part of the technology should be
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implemented. Bitcoin Core implements all aspects of Bitcoin, including
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wallets, a transaction and block validation engine, tools for block construction, and all modern parts
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of Bitcoin peer-to-peer communication.
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<<bitcoin_core_architecture>> shows the architecture of Bitcoin
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Core.
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[[bitcoin_core_architecture]]
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.Bitcoin Core architecture (Source: Eric Lombrozo)
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image::images/mbc3_0301.png["Bitcoin Core Architecture"]
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Although Bitcoin Core serves as a reference implementation for many
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major parts of the system, the Bitcoin whitepaper describes several
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early parts of the system. Most major parts of the system since 2011
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have been documented in a set of
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https://oreil.ly/BCXAQ[Bitcoin Improvement
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Proposals (BIPs)]. Throughout((("Bitcoin Improvement Proposals (BIPs)"))) this book, we refer to BIP specifications
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by their number; for example, BIP9 describes a mechanism used for
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several major upgrades to((("Bitcoin Core", "explained", startref="bitcoin-core-explain"))) Bitcoin.
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=== Bitcoin Development Environment
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If you're a
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developer, you will want to set up a development environment with all
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the tools, libraries, and support software for writing Bitcoin
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applications. In this highly technical chapter, we'll walk through that
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process step by step. If the material becomes too dense (and you're not
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actually setting up a development environment) feel free to skip to the
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next chapter, which is less technical.
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[[compiling_core]]
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=== Compiling Bitcoin Core from the Source Code
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Bitcoin Core's
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source code((("Bitcoin Core", "compiling from source code", id="bitcoin-core-compile")))((("compiling Bitcoin Core from source code", id="compile-bitcoin-core")))((("source code, compiling Bitcoin Core", id="source-code-compile"))) can be downloaded as an archive or by cloning the
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source repository from GitHub. On the https://oreil.ly/hN9g1[Bitcoin Core download
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page], select the most recent version and download the compressed
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archive of the source code. Alternatively, use the Git command line to create a
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local copy of the source code from the
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https://oreil.ly/BdOwl[GitHub Bitcoin page].
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[TIP]
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====
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In
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many of the ((("command prompts")))((("shell command prompts")))examples in this chapter, we will be using the operating
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system's command-line interface (also known as a "shell"), accessed via
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a "terminal" application. The shell will display a prompt, you type a
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command, and the shell responds with some text and a new prompt for your
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next command. The prompt may look different on your system, but in the
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following examples, it is denoted by a +$+ symbol. In the examples, when
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you see text after a +$+ symbol, don't type the +$+ symbol but type the
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command immediately following it, then press Enter to execute the
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command. In the examples, the lines below each command are the operating
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system's responses to that command. When you see the next +$+ prefix,
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you'll know it's a new command and you should repeat the process.
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====
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Here, we are using the +git+ command to create a
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local copy ("clone") of the source code:
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----
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$ git clone https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin.git
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Cloning into 'bitcoin'...
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remote: Enumerating objects: 245912, done.
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remote: Counting objects: 100% (3/3), done.
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remote: Compressing objects: 100% (2/2), done.
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remote: Total 245912 (delta 1), reused 2 (delta 1), pack-reused 245909
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Receiving objects: 100% (245912/245912), 217.74 MiB | 13.05 MiB/s, done.
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Resolving deltas: 100% (175649/175649), done.
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----
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[TIP]
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====
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Git is the most widely used
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distributed version control system, an essential part of any software
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developer's toolkit. You may need to install the +git+ command, or a
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graphical user interface for Git, on your operating system if you do not
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have it already.
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====
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When the Git cloning operation has completed, you will have a complete
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local copy of the source code repository in the directory _bitcoin_.
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Change to this directory using the +cd+ command:
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----
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$ cd bitcoin
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----
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==== Selecting a Bitcoin Core Release
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By default,((("Bitcoin Core", "compiling from source code", "selecting release version", id="bitcoin-core-compile-release")))((("compiling Bitcoin Core from source code", "selecting release version", id="compile-bitcoin-core-release")))((("source code, compiling Bitcoin Core", "selecting release version", id="source-code-compile-release")))((("release version (Bitcoin Core), selecting", id="release-select")))((("selecting", "release version (Bitcoin Core)", id="select-release"))) the local copy will be synchronized with the
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most recent code, which might be an unstable or beta version of Bitcoin.
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Before compiling the code, select a specific version by checking out ((("tags")))a
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release _tag_. This will synchronize the local copy with a specific
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snapshot of the code repository identified by a keyword tag. Tags are
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used by the developers to mark specific releases of the code by version
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number. First, to find the available tags, we use the +git tag+ command:
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----
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$ git tag
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v0.1.5
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v0.1.6test1
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v0.10.0
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...
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v0.11.2
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v0.11.2rc1
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v0.12.0rc1
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v0.12.0rc2
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...
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----
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The list of tags shows all the released versions of Bitcoin. By
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convention, _release candidates_, which ((("release candidates")))are intended for testing, have
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the suffix "rc." Stable releases that can be run on production systems
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have no suffix. From the preceding list, select the highest version
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release, which at the time of writing was v24.0.1. To synchronize the
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local code with this version, use the +git checkout+ command:
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----
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$ git checkout v24.0.1
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Note: switching to 'v24.0.1'.
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You are in 'detached HEAD' state. You can look around, make experimental
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changes and commit them, and you can discard any commits you make in this
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state without impacting any branches by switching back to a branch.
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HEAD is now at b3f866a8d Merge bitcoin/bitcoin#26647: 24.0.1 final changes
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----
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You can confirm you have the desired version "checked out" by((("Bitcoin Core", "compiling from source code", "selecting release version", startref="bitcoin-core-compile-release")))((("compiling Bitcoin Core from source code", "selecting release version", startref="compile-bitcoin-core-release")))((("source code, compiling Bitcoin Core", "selecting release version", startref="source-code-compile-release")))((("release version (Bitcoin Core), selecting", startref="release-select")))((("selecting", "release version (Bitcoin Core)", startref="select-release"))) issuing
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the command +git status+:
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----
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HEAD detached at v24.0.1
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nothing to commit, working tree clean
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----
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==== Configuring the Bitcoin Core Build
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The((("Bitcoin Core", "compiling from source code", "configuring build", id="bitcoin-core-compile-configure")))((("compiling Bitcoin Core from source code", "configuring build", id="compile-bitcoin-core-configure")))((("source code, compiling Bitcoin Core", "configuring build", id="source-code-compile-configure")))((("configuring", "Bitcoin Core build", id="configure-build"))) source code includes documentation, which
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can be found in a number of files. Review the main documentation located
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in _README.md_ in the _bitcoin_ directory.
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In this chapter, we will build the Bitcoin Core daemon
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(server), also known as +bitcoind+ on Linux (a Unix-like system). Review the instructions for
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compiling the +bitcoind+ command-line client on your platform by reading
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_doc/build-unix.md_. Alternative instructions can be found in
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the _doc_ directory; for example, _build-windows.md_ for Windows
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instructions. As of this writing, instructions are available for
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Android, FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD, macOS (OSX), Unix, and Windows.
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Carefully review the build prerequisites, which are in the first part of
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the build documentation. These are libraries that must be present on
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your system before you can begin to compile Bitcoin. If these
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prerequisites are missing, the build process will fail with an error. If
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this happens because you missed a prerequisite, you can install it and
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then resume the build process from where you left off. Assuming the
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prerequisites are installed, you start the build process by generating a
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set of build scripts using the _autogen.sh_ script:
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----
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$ ./autogen.sh
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libtoolize: putting auxiliary files in AC_CONFIG_AUX_DIR, 'build-aux'.
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libtoolize: copying file 'build-aux/ltmain.sh'
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libtoolize: putting macros in AC_CONFIG_MACRO_DIRS, 'build-aux/m4'.
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...
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configure.ac:58: installing 'build-aux/missing'
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src/Makefile.am: installing 'build-aux/depcomp'
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parallel-tests: installing 'build-aux/test-driver'
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----
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The _autogen.sh_ script creates a set of automatic configuration scripts
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that will interrogate your system to discover the correct settings and
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ensure you have all the necessary libraries to compile the code. The
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most important of these is the +configure+ script that offers a number
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of different options to customize the build process. Use the
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+--help+ flag to see the various options:
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----
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$ ./configure --help
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`configure' configures Bitcoin Core 24.0.1 to adapt to many kinds of systems.
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Usage: ./configure [OPTION]... [VAR=VALUE]...
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...
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Optional Features:
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--disable-option-checking ignore unrecognized --enable/--with options
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--disable-FEATURE do not include FEATURE (same as --enable-FEATURE=no)
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--enable-FEATURE[=ARG] include FEATURE [ARG=yes]
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--enable-silent-rules less verbose build output (undo: "make V=1")
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--disable-silent-rules verbose build output (undo: "make V=0")
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...
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----
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The +configure+ script allows you to enable or disable certain features
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of +bitcoind+ through the use of the +--enable-FEATURE+ and
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+--disable-FEATURE+ flags, where pass:[<span
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class="keep-together"><code>FEATURE</code></span>] is replaced by the
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feature name, as listed in the help output. In this chapter, we will
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build the +bitcoind+ client with all the default features. We won't be
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using the configuration flags, but you should review them to understand
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what optional features are part of the client. If you are in an academic
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setting, computer lab restrictions may require you to install
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applications in your home directory (e.g., using +--prefix=$HOME+).
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Here are some useful options that override the default behavior of the
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+configure+ script:
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++++
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<dl>
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<dt><code>--prefix=$HOME</code></dt>
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<dd><p>This overrides the default installation location (which is <em>/usr/local/</em>) for the resulting executable. Use <code>$HOME</code> to put everything in your home directory, or a different path.</p></dd>
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<dt><code>--disable-wallet</code></dt>
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<dd><p>This is used to disable the reference wallet implementation.</p></dd>
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<dt><code>--with-incompatible-bdb</code></dt>
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<dd><p>If you are building a wallet, allow the use of an incompatible version of the Berkeley DB library.</p></dd>
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<dt><code>--with-gui=no</code></dt>
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<dd><p>Don't build the graphical user interface, which requires the Qt library. This builds server and command-line Bitcoin Core only.</p></dd>
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</dl>
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++++
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Next, run the +configure+ script to automatically discover all the necessary libraries and create a customized build script for your system:
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----
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$ ./configure
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checking for pkg-config... /usr/bin/pkg-config
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checking pkg-config is at least version 0.9.0... yes
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checking build system type... x86_64-pc-linux-gnu
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checking host system type... x86_64-pc-linux-gnu
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checking for a BSD-compatible install... /usr/bin/install -c
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...
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[many pages of configuration tests follow]
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...
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----
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If all went well, the +configure+ command will end by creating the
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customized build scripts that will allow us to compile +bitcoind+. If
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there are any missing libraries or errors, the +configure+ command will
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terminate with an error instead of creating the build scripts. If an
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error occurs, it is most likely because of a missing or incompatible
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library. Review the build documentation again and make sure you install
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the missing prerequisites. Then run +configure+ again and see if that
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fixes the((("Bitcoin Core", "compiling from source code", "configuring build", startref="bitcoin-core-compile-configure")))((("compiling Bitcoin Core from source code", "configuring build", startref="compile-bitcoin-core-configure")))((("source code, compiling Bitcoin Core", "configuring build", startref="source-code-compile-configure")))((("configuring", "Bitcoin Core build", startref="configure-build"))) error.
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==== Building the Bitcoin Core Executables
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Next, you
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will ((("Bitcoin Core", "compiling from source code", "building executables")))((("compiling Bitcoin Core from source code", "building executables")))((("source code, compiling Bitcoin Core", "building executables")))((("executables (Bitcoin Core), building")))compile the source code, a process that can take up to an hour to
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complete, depending on the speed of your CPU and available memory.
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If an error
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occurs, or the compilation process is interrupted, it can be resumed any
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time by typing +make+ again. Type *+make+* to start compiling the
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executable application:
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----
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$ make
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Making all in src
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CXX bitcoind-bitcoind.o
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CXX libbitcoin_node_a-addrdb.o
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CXX libbitcoin_node_a-addrman.o
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CXX libbitcoin_node_a-banman.o
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CXX libbitcoin_node_a-blockencodings.o
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CXX libbitcoin_node_a-blockfilter.o
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[... many more compilation messages follow ...]
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----
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On a fast system with more than one CPU, you might want to set the
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number of parallel compile jobs. For instance, +make -j 2+ will use two
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cores if they are available. If all goes well, Bitcoin Core is now
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compiled. You should run the unit test suite with +make check+ to ensure
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the linked libraries are not broken in obvious ways. The final step is
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to install the various executables on your system using the +make
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install+ command. You may be prompted for your user password because
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this step requires administrative privileges:
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----
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$ make check && sudo make install
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Password:
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Making install in src
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../build-aux/install-sh -c -d '/usr/local/lib'
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libtool: install: /usr/bin/install -c bitcoind /usr/local/bin/bitcoind
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libtool: install: /usr/bin/install -c bitcoin-cli /usr/local/bin/bitcoin-cli
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libtool: install: /usr/bin/install -c bitcoin-tx /usr/local/bin/bitcoin-tx
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...
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----
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The default installation of +bitcoind+
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puts it in _/usr/local/bin_. You can confirm that Bitcoin Core is
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correctly installed by asking the system for the path of the
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executables, ((("Bitcoin Core", "compiling from source code", startref="bitcoin-core-compile")))((("compiling Bitcoin Core from source code", startref="compile-bitcoin-core")))((("source code, compiling Bitcoin Core", startref="source-code-compile")))as follows:
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----
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$ which bitcoind
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/usr/local/bin/bitcoind
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$ which bitcoin-cli
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/usr/local/bin/bitcoin-cli
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----
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=== Running a Bitcoin Core Node
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Bitcoin's ((("Bitcoin Core", "nodes", "running", id="bitcoin-core-nodes-running")))((("nodes", "running", id="nodes-running")))((("running nodes", id="running-nodes")))peer-to-peer
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network is composed of network "nodes," run mostly by individuals and
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some of the businesses that provide Bitcoin services. Those running
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Bitcoin nodes have a direct and authoritative view of the Bitcoin
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blockchain, with a local copy of all the spendable bitcoins
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independently validated by their own system. By running a node, you
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don't have to rely on any third party to validate a transaction.
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Additionally, by using a Bitcoin node to fully validate the transactions
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you receive to your wallet, you contribute to the Bitcoin network and
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help make it more robust.
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Running a node, however, requires downloading and processing over 500 GB
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of data initially and about 400 MB of Bitcoin transactions per day.
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These figures are for 2023 and will likely increase over time. If you
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shut down your node or get disconnected from the internet for several
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days, your node will need to download the data that it missed. For
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example, if you close Bitcoin Core for 10 days, you will need to
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download approximately 4 GB the next time you start it.
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Depending on whether you choose to index all transactions and keep a
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full copy of the blockchain, you may also need a lot of disk space--at
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least 1 TB if you plan to run Bitcoin Core for several years. By
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|
default, Bitcoin nodes also transmit transactions and blocks to other
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nodes (called "peers"), consuming upload internet bandwidth. If your
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internet connection is limited, has a low data cap, or is metered
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(charged by the gigabit), you should probably not run a Bitcoin node on
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it, or run it in a way that constrains its bandwidth (see
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<<constrained_resources>>). You may connect your node instead to an
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alternative network, such as a free satellite data provider like
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https://oreil.ly/cIwf3[Blockstream Satellite].
|
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[TIP]
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====
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|
Bitcoin Core keeps a full
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copy of the blockchain by default, with nearly every transaction that has ever
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been confirmed on the Bitcoin network since its inception in 2009. This
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dataset is hundreds of gigabytes in size and is downloaded incrementally
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over several hours or days, depending on the speed of your CPU and
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internet connection. Bitcoin Core will not be able to process
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transactions or update account balances until the full blockchain
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dataset is downloaded. Make sure you have enough disk space, bandwidth,
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and time to complete the initial synchronization. You can configure
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Bitcoin Core to reduce the size of the blockchain by discarding old
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blocks (see <<constrained_resources>>), but it will still download the
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entire dataset.
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====
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Despite these resource requirements, thousands of people run Bitcoin
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nodes. Some are running on systems as simple as a Raspberry Pi (a $35
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USD computer the size of a pack of cards).
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Why would you want to run a node? Here are some of the most common
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reasons:
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- You do not want to rely on any third party to validate the
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transactions you receive.
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- You do not want to disclose to third parties which transactions belong
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to your wallet.
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- You are developing Bitcoin software and need to rely on a Bitcoin
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node for programmable (API) access to the network and blockchain.
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- You are building applications that must validate transactions
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according to Bitcoin's consensus rules. Typically, Bitcoin software
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|
companies run several nodes.
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- You want to support Bitcoin. Running a node that you use to
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validate the transactions you receive to your wallet makes the network
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more robust.
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|
|
If you're reading this book and interested in strong security, superior
|
|
privacy, or developing Bitcoin software, you should be running your ((("Bitcoin Core", "nodes", "running", startref="bitcoin-core-nodes-running")))((("nodes", "running", startref="nodes-running")))((("running nodes", startref="running-nodes")))own
|
|
node.
|
|
|
|
=== Configuring the Bitcoin Core Node
|
|
|
|
Bitcoin Core will((("Bitcoin Core", "nodes", "configuring", id="bitcoin-core-nodes-configure")))((("nodes", "configuring", id="nodes-configure")))((("configuring", "nodes", id="configure-nodes"))) look for a
|
|
configuration file in its data directory on every start. In this section
|
|
we will examine the various configuration options and set up a
|
|
configuration file. To locate the configuration file, run +bitcoind
|
|
-printtoconsole+ in your terminal and look for the first couple of
|
|
lines:
|
|
|
|
----
|
|
$ bitcoind -printtoconsole
|
|
2023-01-28T03:21:42Z Bitcoin Core version v24.0.1
|
|
2023-01-28T03:21:42Z Using the 'x86_shani(1way,2way)' SHA256 implementation
|
|
2023-01-28T03:21:42Z Using RdSeed as an additional entropy source
|
|
2023-01-28T03:21:42Z Using RdRand as an additional entropy source
|
|
2023-01-28T03:21:42Z Default data directory /home/harding/.bitcoin
|
|
2023-01-28T03:21:42Z Using data directory /home/harding/.bitcoin
|
|
2023-01-28T03:21:42Z Config file: /home/harding/.bitcoin/bitcoin.conf
|
|
...
|
|
[a lot more debug output]
|
|
...
|
|
----
|
|
|
|
You can hit Ctrl-C to shut down the node once you determine the location
|
|
of the config file. Usually the configuration file is inside the
|
|
_.bitcoin_ data directory under your user's home directory. Open the
|
|
configuration file in your preferred editor.
|
|
|
|
Bitcoin Core offers more than 100 configuration options that modify the
|
|
behavior of the network node, the storage of the blockchain, and many
|
|
other aspects of its operation. To see a listing of these options, run
|
|
+bitcoind --help+:
|
|
|
|
----
|
|
$ bitcoind --help
|
|
Bitcoin Core version v24.0.1
|
|
|
|
Usage: bitcoind [options] Start Bitcoin Core
|
|
|
|
Options:
|
|
|
|
-?
|
|
Print this help message and exit
|
|
|
|
-alertnotify=<cmd>
|
|
Execute command when an alert is raised (%s in cmd is replaced by
|
|
message)
|
|
...
|
|
[many more options]
|
|
----
|
|
|
|
Here are some of
|
|
the most important options that you can set in the configuration file,
|
|
or as command-line parameters to +bitcoind+:
|
|
|
|
++alertnotify++:: Run ((("alertnotify option (bitcoind command)")))a specified command or script to send emergency alerts
|
|
to the owner of this node.
|
|
|
|
++conf++:: An ((("conf option (bitcoind command)")))alternative location for the configuration file. This only
|
|
makes sense as a command-line parameter to +bitcoind+, as it can't be
|
|
inside the configuration file it refers to.
|
|
|
|
++datadir++:: Select((("datadir option (bitcoind command)"))) the directory and filesystem in which to put all the
|
|
blockchain data. By default this is the _.bitcoin_ subdirectory of your
|
|
home directory. Depending on your configuration, this can use from about 10
|
|
GB to almost 1 TB as of this writing, with the maximum size
|
|
expected to increase by several hundred gigabytes per year.
|
|
|
|
++prune++:: Reduce the((("prune option (bitcoind command)"))) blockchain disk space requirements to this many megabytes by
|
|
deleting old blocks. Use this on a resource-constrained node that can't
|
|
fit the full blockchain. Other parts of the system will use other disk
|
|
space that can't currently be pruned, so you will still need at least
|
|
the minimum amount of space mentioned in the +datadir+ option.
|
|
|
|
++txindex++:: Maintain ((("txindex option (bitcoind command)")))an index of all transactions. This allows you to
|
|
programmatically retrieve any transaction by its ID provided that the
|
|
block containing that transaction hasn't been pruned.
|
|
|
|
++dbcache++:: The size((("dbcache option (bitcoind command)"))) of the UTXO cache. The default is 450 mebibytes (MiB). Increase
|
|
this size on high-end hardware to read and write from your disk less
|
|
often, or reduce the size on low-end hardware to save memory at the
|
|
expense of using your disk more frequently.
|
|
|
|
++blocksonly++:: Minimize ((("blocksonly option (bitcoind command)")))your bandwidth usage by only accepting blocks of
|
|
confirmed transactions from your peers instead of relaying unconfirmed
|
|
transactions.
|
|
|
|
++maxmempool++:: Limit ((("maxmempool option (bitcoind command)")))the transaction memory pool to this many megabytes.
|
|
Use it to reduce memory use on memory-constrained nodes.
|
|
|
|
[[txindex]]
|
|
.Transaction Database Index and txindex Option
|
|
****
|
|
By default,
|
|
Bitcoin Core builds((("txindex option (bitcoind command)")))((("transactions", "building complete index"))) a database containing _only_ the transactions
|
|
related to the user's wallet. If you want to be able to access _any_
|
|
transaction with commands like +getrawtransaction+ (see
|
|
<<exploring_and_decoding_transactions>>), you need to configure Bitcoin
|
|
Core to build a complete transaction index, which can be achieved with
|
|
the +txindex+ option. Set +txindex=1+ in the Bitcoin Core configuration
|
|
file. If you don't set this option at first and later set it to full
|
|
indexing, you need to
|
|
wait for it to rebuild the index.
|
|
****
|
|
|
|
<<full_index_node>> shows how you might combine the preceding options
|
|
with a fully indexed node, running as an API backend for a bitcoin
|
|
application.
|
|
|
|
[[full_index_node]]
|
|
.Sample configuration of a full-index node
|
|
====
|
|
----
|
|
alertnotify=myemailscript.sh "Alert: %s"
|
|
datadir=/lotsofspace/bitcoin
|
|
txindex=1
|
|
----
|
|
====
|
|
|
|
<<constrained_resources>> shows a resource-constrained node running on a
|
|
smaller server.
|
|
|
|
[[constrained_resources]]
|
|
.Sample configuration of a resource-constrained system
|
|
====
|
|
----
|
|
alertnotify=myemailscript.sh "Alert: %s"
|
|
blocksonly=1
|
|
prune=5000
|
|
dbcache=150
|
|
maxmempool=150
|
|
----
|
|
====
|
|
|
|
After you've edited the configuration file and set the options that best
|
|
represent your needs, you can test +bitcoind+ with this configuration.
|
|
Run Bitcoin Core with the option +printtoconsole+ to run in the
|
|
foreground with output to the console:
|
|
|
|
----
|
|
$ bitcoind -printtoconsole
|
|
2023-01-28T03:43:39Z Bitcoin Core version v24.0.1
|
|
2023-01-28T03:43:39Z Using the 'x86_shani(1way,2way)' SHA256 implementation
|
|
2023-01-28T03:43:39Z Using RdSeed as an additional entropy source
|
|
2023-01-28T03:43:39Z Using RdRand as an additional entropy source
|
|
2023-01-28T03:43:39Z Default data directory /home/harding/.bitcoin
|
|
2023-01-28T03:43:39Z Using data directory /lotsofspace/bitcoin
|
|
2023-01-28T03:43:39Z Config file: /home/harding/.bitcoin/bitcoin.conf
|
|
2023-01-28T03:43:39Z Config file arg: [main] blockfilterindex="1"
|
|
2023-01-28T03:43:39Z Config file arg: [main] maxuploadtarget="1000"
|
|
2023-01-28T03:43:39Z Config file arg: [main] txindex="1"
|
|
2023-01-28T03:43:39Z Setting file arg: wallet = ["msig0"]
|
|
2023-01-28T03:43:39Z Command-line arg: printtoconsole=""
|
|
2023-01-28T03:43:39Z Using at most 125 automatic connections
|
|
2023-01-28T03:43:39Z Using 16 MiB out of 16 MiB requested for signature cache
|
|
2023-01-28T03:43:39Z Using 16 MiB out of 16 MiB requested for script execution
|
|
2023-01-28T03:43:39Z Script verification uses 3 additional threads
|
|
2023-01-28T03:43:39Z scheduler thread start
|
|
2023-01-28T03:43:39Z [http] creating work queue of depth 16
|
|
2023-01-28T03:43:39Z Using random cookie authentication.
|
|
2023-01-28T03:43:39Z Generated RPC cookie /lotsofspace/bitcoin/.cookie
|
|
2023-01-28T03:43:39Z [http] starting 4 worker threads
|
|
2023-01-28T03:43:39Z Using wallet directory /lotsofspace/bitcoin/wallets
|
|
2023-01-28T03:43:39Z init message: Verifying wallet(s)…
|
|
2023-01-28T03:43:39Z Using BerkeleyDB version Berkeley DB 4.8.30: (April 9, 2010)
|
|
2023-01-28T03:43:39Z Using /16 prefix for IP bucketing
|
|
2023-01-28T03:43:39Z init message: Loading P2P addresses…
|
|
2023-01-28T03:43:39Z Loaded 63866 addresses from peers.dat 114ms
|
|
[... more startup messages ...]
|
|
----
|
|
|
|
You can hit Ctrl-C to interrupt the process once you are satisfied that
|
|
it is loading the correct settings and running as you expect.
|
|
|
|
To run Bitcoin Core in the background as a process, start it with the
|
|
+daemon+ option, as +bitcoind -daemon+.
|
|
|
|
To monitor the progress and runtime status of your Bitcoin node, start
|
|
it in daemon mode and then use the command +bitcoin-cli getblockchaininfo+:
|
|
|
|
----
|
|
$ bitcoin-cli getblockchaininfo
|
|
----
|
|
|
|
[source,json]
|
|
----
|
|
{
|
|
"chain": "main",
|
|
"blocks": 0,
|
|
"headers": 83999,
|
|
"bestblockhash": "[...]19d6689c085ae165831e934ff763ae46a2a6c172b3f1b60a8ce26f",
|
|
"difficulty": 1,
|
|
"time": 1673379796,
|
|
"mediantime": 1231006505,
|
|
"verificationprogress": 3.783041623201835e-09,
|
|
"initialblockdownload": true,
|
|
"chainwork": "[...]000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000100010001",
|
|
"size_on_disk": 89087,
|
|
"pruned": false,
|
|
"warnings": ""
|
|
}
|
|
----
|
|
|
|
This shows a node with a blockchain height of 0 blocks and 83,999
|
|
headers. The node first fetches the block headers from its peers in
|
|
order to find the blockchain with the most proof of work and
|
|
afterward continues to download the full blocks, validating them as it
|
|
goes.
|
|
|
|
Once you are happy with the configuration options you have selected, you
|
|
should add Bitcoin Core to the startup scripts in your operating system, so
|
|
that it runs continuously and restarts when the operating system
|
|
restarts. You will find a number of example startup scripts for various
|
|
operating systems in Bitcoin Core's source directory under _contrib/init_ and
|
|
a _README.md_ file showing which system uses ((("Bitcoin Core", "nodes", "configuring", startref="bitcoin-core-nodes-configure")))((("nodes", "configuring", startref="nodes-configure")))((("configuring", "nodes", startref="configure-nodes")))which script.
|
|
|
|
=== Bitcoin Core API
|
|
|
|
Bitcoin Core
|
|
implements((("Bitcoin Core", "command-line interface", "help command", id="bitcoin-core-command-help")))((("command-line interface (Bitcoin Core)", "help command", id="command-help")))((("help command (Bitcoin Core)", id="help")))((("RPC commands", see="command-line interface (Bitcoin Core)")))((("bitcoin-cli command", see="command-line interface (Bitcoin Core)"))) a JSON-RPC interface that can also be accessed using
|
|
the command-line helper +bitcoin-cli+. The command line allows us to
|
|
experiment interactively with the capabilities that are also available
|
|
programmatically via the API. To start, invoke the +help+ command to see a list of
|
|
the available Bitcoin Core RPC commands:
|
|
|
|
[[bitcoind_commands]]
|
|
|
|
----
|
|
$ bitcoin-cli help
|
|
+== Blockchain ==
|
|
getbestblockhash
|
|
getblock "blockhash" ( verbosity )
|
|
getblockchaininfo
|
|
...
|
|
walletpassphrase "passphrase" timeout
|
|
walletpassphrasechange "oldpassphrase" "newpassphrase"
|
|
walletprocesspsbt "psbt" ( sign "sighashtype" bip32derivs finalize )
|
|
----
|
|
|
|
Each of these commands may take a number of parameters. To get
|
|
additional help, a detailed description, and information on the
|
|
parameters, add the command name after +help+. For example, to see help
|
|
on the +getblockhash+ RPC command:
|
|
|
|
----
|
|
$ bitcoin-cli help getblockhash
|
|
getblockhash height
|
|
|
|
Returns hash of block in best-block-chain at height provided.
|
|
|
|
Arguments:
|
|
1. height (numeric, required) The height index
|
|
|
|
Result:
|
|
"hex" (string) The block hash
|
|
|
|
Examples:
|
|
> bitcoin-cli getblockhash 1000
|
|
> curl --user myusername --data-binary '{"jsonrpc": "1.0", "id": "curltest",
|
|
"method": "getblockhash",
|
|
"params": [1000]}' -H 'content-type: text/plain;' http://127.0.0.1:8332/
|
|
----
|
|
|
|
At the end of the help information you will see two examples of the RPC
|
|
command, using the +bitcoin-cli+ helper or the HTTP client +curl+. These
|
|
examples demonstrate how you might call the command. Copy the first
|
|
example and see the result:
|
|
|
|
----
|
|
$ bitcoin-cli getblockhash 1000
|
|
00000000c937983704a73af28acdec37b049d214adbda81d7e2a3dd146f6ed09
|
|
----
|
|
|
|
The result is a block hash, which is described in more detail in the
|
|
following chapters. But for now, this command should return the same
|
|
result on your system, demonstrating that your Bitcoin Core node is
|
|
running, is accepting commands, and has information about block 1,000 to
|
|
return to you.
|
|
|
|
In the next sections we will demonstrate some very useful RPC commands
|
|
and their expected ((("Bitcoin Core", "command-line interface", "help command", startref="bitcoin-core-command-help")))((("command-line interface (Bitcoin Core)", "help command", startref="command-help")))((("help command (Bitcoin Core)", startref="help")))output.
|
|
|
|
==== Getting Information on Bitcoin Core's Status
|
|
|
|
Bitcoin
|
|
Core provides((("Bitcoin Core", "command-line interface", "status information", id="bitcoin-core-command-status")))((("command-line interface (Bitcoin Core)", "status information", id="command-status")))((("status information (Bitcoin Core)", id="status-bitcoin-core"))) status reports on different modules through the JSON-RPC
|
|
interface. The most important commands include +getblockchaininfo+,
|
|
+getmempoo⁠l​info+, +getnetworkinfo+, and +getwalletinfo+.
|
|
|
|
Bitcoin's +getblockchaininfo+ RPC command was introduced earlier. The
|
|
+getnetwor⁠k​info+ command displays basic information about the status of
|
|
the Bitcoin network node. Use +bitcoin-cli+ to run it:
|
|
|
|
----
|
|
$ bitcoin-cli getnetworkinfo
|
|
----
|
|
[source,json]
|
|
----
|
|
{
|
|
"version": 240001,
|
|
"subversion": "/Satoshi:24.0.1/",
|
|
"protocolversion": 70016,
|
|
"localservices": "0000000000000409",
|
|
"localservicesnames": [
|
|
"NETWORK",
|
|
"WITNESS",
|
|
"NETWORK_LIMITED"
|
|
],
|
|
"localrelay": true,
|
|
"timeoffset": -1,
|
|
"networkactive": true,
|
|
"connections": 10,
|
|
"connections_in": 0,
|
|
"connections_out": 10,
|
|
"networks": [
|
|
"...detailed information about all networks..."
|
|
],
|
|
"relayfee": 0.00001000,
|
|
"incrementalfee": 0.00001000,
|
|
"localaddresses": [
|
|
],
|
|
"warnings": ""
|
|
}
|
|
----
|
|
|
|
The data is returned in JavaScript Object Notation (JSON), a format that
|
|
can easily be "consumed" by all programming languages but is also quite
|
|
human-readable. Among this data we see the version numbers for the
|
|
Bitcoin Core software and Bitcoin protocol. We see
|
|
the current number of connections and various information about the
|
|
Bitcoin network and the settings related to this node.
|
|
|
|
[TIP]
|
|
====
|
|
It will take some time, perhaps more than a day, for +bitcoind+
|
|
to catch up to the current blockchain height as it downloads blocks from
|
|
other Bitcoin nodes and validates every transaction in those
|
|
blocks--almost a billion transactions as of this writing. You can check
|
|
its progress using
|
|
+getblockchaininfo+ to see the number of known blocks. The examples in
|
|
the rest of this chapter assume you're at least at block 775,072.
|
|
Because the security of Bitcoin transactions depends on blocks, some of
|
|
the information in the following examples will change slightly depending
|
|
on how many blocks your ((("Bitcoin Core", "command-line interface", "status information", startref="bitcoin-core-command-status")))((("command-line interface (Bitcoin Core)", "status information", startref="command-status")))((("status information (Bitcoin Core)", startref="status-bitcoin-core")))node has.
|
|
====
|
|
|
|
[[exploring_and_decoding_transactions]]
|
|
==== Exploring and Decoding Transactions
|
|
|
|
In <<spending_bitcoin>>, Alice ((("Bitcoin Core", "command-line interface", "exploring/decoding transactions", id="bitcoin-core-command-transaction")))((("command-line interface (Bitcoin Core)", "exploring/decoding transactions", id="command-transaction")))((("transactions", "exploring/decoding", id="transactions-explore-decode")))((("exploring", "transactions", id="explore-transaction")))((("decoding", "transactions", id="decode-transaction")))made a purchase from Bob's store. Her
|
|
transaction was recorded on the blockchain.
|
|
Let's use the API to retrieve and examine that transaction by passing
|
|
the transaction ID (txid) as a parameter:
|
|
|
|
[[alice_tx_serialized]]
|
|
.Alice's serialized transaction
|
|
----
|
|
$ bitcoin-cli getrawtransaction 466200308696215bbc949d5141a49a41\
|
|
38ecdfdfaa2a8029c1f9bcecd1f96177
|
|
|
|
01000000000101eb3ae38f27191aa5f3850dc9cad00492b88b72404f9da13569
|
|
8679268041c54a0100000000ffffffff02204e0000000000002251203b41daba
|
|
4c9ace578369740f15e5ec880c28279ee7f51b07dca69c7061e07068f8240100
|
|
000000001600147752c165ea7be772b2c0acb7f4d6047ae6f4768e0141cf5efe
|
|
2d8ef13ed0af21d4f4cb82422d6252d70324f6f4576b727b7d918e521c00b51b
|
|
e739df2f899c49dc267c0ad280aca6dab0d2fa2b42a45182fc83e81713010000
|
|
0000
|
|
----
|
|
|
|
[TIP]
|
|
====
|
|
A transaction ID (txid)
|
|
is ((("transaction IDs (txid)")))not authoritative. Absence of a txid in the blockchain does not mean
|
|
the transaction was not processed. This is known as "transaction
|
|
malleability," because transactions can be modified prior to
|
|
confirmation in a block, changing their txids. After a transaction is
|
|
included in a block, its txid cannot change unless there is a blockchain
|
|
reorganization where that block is removed from the best blockchain.
|
|
Reorganizations are rare after a transaction has several confirmations.
|
|
====
|
|
|
|
The command +getrawtransaction+ returns a serialized transaction in
|
|
hexadecimal notation. To decode that, we use the +decoderawtransaction+
|
|
command, passing the hex data as a parameter. You can copy the hex
|
|
returned by +getrawtransaction+ and paste it as a parameter to
|
|
+decoderawtransaction+:
|
|
|
|
++++
|
|
<pre data-type="programlisting">
|
|
$ bitcoin-cli decoderawtransaction 01000000000101eb3ae38f27191aa5f3850dc9cad0↵
|
|
0492b88b72404f9da135698679268041c54a0100000000ffffffff02204e00000000000022512↵
|
|
03b41daba4c9ace578369740f15e5ec880c28279ee7f51b07dca69c7061e07068f82401000000↵
|
|
00001600147752c165ea7be772b2c0acb7f4d6047ae6f4768e0141cf5efe2d8ef13ed0af21d4f↵
|
|
4cb82422d6252d70324f6f4576b727b7d918e521c00b51be739df2f899c49dc267c0ad280aca6↵
|
|
dab0d2fa2b42a45182fc83e817130100000000
|
|
</pre>
|
|
++++
|
|
|
|
++++
|
|
<pre data-type="programlisting" data-code-language="json">
|
|
{
|
|
"txid": "466200308696215bbc949d5141a49a4138ecdfdfaa2a8029c1f9bcecd1f96177",
|
|
"hash": "f7cdbc7cf8b910d35cc69962e791138624e4eae7901010a6da4c02e7d238cdac",
|
|
"version": 1,
|
|
"size": 194,
|
|
"vsize": 143,
|
|
"weight": 569,
|
|
"locktime": 0,
|
|
"vin": [
|
|
{
|
|
"txid": "4ac541802679866935a19d4f40728bb89204d0cac90d85f3a51a19...aeb",
|
|
"vout": 1,
|
|
"scriptSig": {
|
|
"asm": "",
|
|
"hex": ""
|
|
},
|
|
"txinwitness": [
|
|
"cf5efe2d8ef13ed0af21d4f4cb82422d6252d70324f6f4576b727b7d918e5...301"
|
|
],
|
|
"sequence": 4294967295
|
|
}
|
|
],
|
|
"vout": [
|
|
{
|
|
"value": 0.00020000,
|
|
"n": 0,
|
|
"scriptPubKey": {
|
|
"asm": "1 3b41daba4c9ace578369740f15e5ec880c28279ee7f51b07dca...068",
|
|
"desc": "rawtr(3b41daba4c9ace578369740f15e5ec880c28279ee7f51b...6ev",
|
|
"hex": "51203b41daba4c9ace578369740f15e5ec880c28279ee7f51b07d...068",
|
|
"address": "bc1p8dqa4wjvnt890qmfws83te0v3qxzsfu7ul63kp7u56w8q...5qn",
|
|
"type": "witness_v1_taproot"
|
|
}
|
|
},
|
|
{
|
|
"value": 0.00075000,
|
|
"n": 1,
|
|
"scriptPubKey": {
|
|
"asm": "0 7752c165ea7be772b2c0acb7f4d6047ae6f4768e",
|
|
"desc": "addr(bc1qwafvze0200nh9vkq4jmlf4sy0tn0ga5w0zpkpg)#qq404gts",
|
|
"hex": "00147752c165ea7be772b2c0acb7f4d6047ae6f4768e",
|
|
"address": "bc1qwafvze0200nh9vkq4jmlf4sy0tn0ga5w0zpkpg",
|
|
"type": "witness_v0_keyhash"
|
|
}
|
|
}
|
|
]
|
|
}
|
|
</pre>
|
|
++++
|
|
|
|
The transaction decode shows all the components of this transaction,
|
|
including the transaction inputs and outputs. In this case we see that
|
|
the transaction used one input and generated two outputs. The input to
|
|
this transaction was the output from a previously confirmed transaction
|
|
(shown as the input +txid+). The two outputs correspond to the payment to
|
|
Bob and the change back to Alice.
|
|
|
|
We can further explore the blockchain by examining the previous
|
|
transaction referenced by its +txid+ in this transaction using the same
|
|
commands (e.g., +getrawtransaction+). Jumping from transaction to
|
|
transaction, we can follow a chain of transactions back as the coins are
|
|
transmitted from one owner to the((("Bitcoin Core", "command-line interface", "exploring/decoding transactions", startref="bitcoin-core-command-transaction")))((("command-line interface (Bitcoin Core)", "exploring/decoding transactions", startref="command-transaction")))((("transactions", "exploring/decoding", startref="transactions-explore-decode")))((("exploring", "transactions", startref="explore-transaction")))((("decoding", "transactions", startref="decode-transaction"))) next.
|
|
|
|
==== Exploring Blocks
|
|
|
|
Exploring
|
|
blocks is((("Bitcoin Core", "command-line interface", "exploring blocks", id="bitcoin-core-command-blocks")))((("command-line interface (Bitcoin Core)", "exploring blocks", id="command-blocks")))((("blocks", "exploring", id="blocks-explore")))((("exploring", "blocks", id="explore-blocks"))) similar to exploring transactions. However, blocks can be
|
|
referenced either by the block _height_ or by the block _hash_. First,
|
|
let's find a block by its height.
|
|
We use the +getblockhash+ command, which takes the block height as the
|
|
parameter and returns the block _header hash_ for that block:
|
|
|
|
++++
|
|
<pre data-type="programlisting">
|
|
$ bitcoin-cli getblockhash 123456
|
|
0000000000002917ed80650c6174aac8dfc46f5fe36480aaef682ff6cd83c3ca
|
|
</pre>
|
|
++++
|
|
|
|
Now that we know the header hash for our chosen block, we can
|
|
query that block. We use the +getblock+ command with the block hash as
|
|
the parameter:
|
|
|
|
++++
|
|
<pre data-type="programlisting">
|
|
$ bitcoin-cli getblock 0000000000002917ed80650c6174aac8dfc46f5fe36480aaef682f↵
|
|
f6cd83c3ca
|
|
</pre>
|
|
++++
|
|
|
|
++++
|
|
<pre data-type="programlisting" data-code-language="json">
|
|
{
|
|
"hash": "0000000000002917ed80650c6174aac8dfc46f5fe36480aaef682ff6cd83c3ca",
|
|
"confirmations": 651742,
|
|
"height": 123456,
|
|
"version": 1,
|
|
"versionHex": "00000001",
|
|
"merkleroot": "0e60651a9934e8f0decd1c[...]48fca0cd1c84a21ddfde95033762d86c",
|
|
"time": 1305200806,
|
|
"mediantime": 1305197900,
|
|
"nonce": 2436437219,
|
|
"bits": "1a6a93b3",
|
|
"difficulty": 157416.4018436489,
|
|
"chainwork": "[...]00000000000000000000000000000000000000541788211ac227bc",
|
|
"nTx": 13,
|
|
"previousblockhash": "[...]60bc96a44724fd72daf9b92cf8ad00510b5224c6253ac40095",
|
|
"nextblockhash": "[...]00129f5f02be247070bf7334d3753e4ddee502780c2acaecec6d66",
|
|
"strippedsize": 4179,
|
|
"size": 4179,
|
|
"weight": 16716,
|
|
"tx": [
|
|
"5b75086dafeede555fc8f9a810d8b10df57c46f9f176ccc3dd8d2fa20edd685b",
|
|
"e3d0425ab346dd5b76f44c222a4bb5d16640a4247050ef82462ab17e229c83b4",
|
|
"137d247eca8b99dee58e1e9232014183a5c5a9e338001a0109df32794cdcc92e",
|
|
"5fd167f7b8c417e59106ef5acfe181b09d71b8353a61a55a2f01aa266af5412d",
|
|
"60925f1948b71f429d514ead7ae7391e0edf965bf5a60331398dae24c6964774",
|
|
"d4d5fc1529487527e9873256934dfb1e4cdcb39f4c0509577ca19bfad6c5d28f",
|
|
"7b29d65e5018c56a33652085dbb13f2df39a1a9942bfe1f7e78e97919a6bdea2",
|
|
"0b89e120efd0a4674c127a76ff5f7590ca304e6a064fbc51adffbd7ce3a3deef",
|
|
"603f2044da9656084174cfb5812feaf510f862d3addcf70cacce3dc55dab446e",
|
|
"9a4ed892b43a4df916a7a1213b78e83cd83f5695f635d535c94b2b65ffb144d3",
|
|
"dda726e3dad9504dce5098dfab5064ecd4a7650bfe854bb2606da3152b60e427",
|
|
"e46ea8b4d68719b65ead930f07f1f3804cb3701014f8e6d76c4bdbc390893b94",
|
|
"864a102aeedf53dd9b2baab4eeb898c5083fde6141113e0606b664c41fe15e1f"
|
|
]
|
|
}
|
|
</pre>
|
|
++++
|
|
|
|
The +confirmations+ entry tells us the _depth_ of this block--how many
|
|
blocks have been built on top of it, indicating the difficulty of
|
|
changing any of the transactions in this block. The +height+ tells us
|
|
how many blocks preceeded this block. We see the block's version, the
|
|
time it was created (according to its miner), the median time of the 11
|
|
blocks that precede this block (a time measurement that's harder for
|
|
miners to manipulate), and the size of the block in three different
|
|
measurements (its legacy stripped size, its full size, and its size in
|
|
weight units). We also see some fields used for security and
|
|
proof of work (merkle root, nonce, bits, difficulty, and chainwork);
|
|
we'll examine those ((("Bitcoin Core", "command-line interface", "exploring blocks", startref="bitcoin-core-command-blocks")))((("command-line interface (Bitcoin Core)", "exploring blocks", startref="command-blocks")))((("blocks", "exploring", startref="blocks-explore")))((("exploring", "blocks", startref="explore-blocks")))in detail in <<mining>>.
|
|
|
|
==== Using Bitcoin Core's Programmatic Interface
|
|
|
|
The
|
|
+bitcoin-cli+ helper is ((("Bitcoin Core", "command-line interface", "API access", id="bitcoin-core-command-api")))((("command-line interface (Bitcoin Core)", "API access", id="command-api")))((("API access", id="api")))very useful for exploring the Bitcoin Core API
|
|
and testing functions. But the whole point of an API is to access functions programmatically. In this section we
|
|
will demonstrate accessing Bitcoin Core from another program.
|
|
|
|
Bitcoin Core's API is a JSON-RPC interface. JSON stands for JavaScript
|
|
Object Notation and it is a very convenient way to present data that
|
|
both humans and programs can easily read. RPC stands for Remote
|
|
Procedure Call, which means that we are calling procedures (functions)
|
|
that are remote (on the Bitcoin Core node) via a network protocol. In
|
|
this case, the network protocol is HTTP.
|
|
|
|
When we used the +bitcoin-cli+ command to get help on a command, it
|
|
showed us an example of using +curl+, the versatile command-line HTTP
|
|
client to construct one of these JSON-RPC calls:
|
|
|
|
----
|
|
$ curl --user myusername --data-binary '{"jsonrpc": "1.0", "id":"curltest",
|
|
"method": "getblockchaininfo",
|
|
"params": [] }' -H 'content-type: text/plain;' http://127.0.0.1:8332/
|
|
----
|
|
|
|
This command shows that +curl+ submits an HTTP request to the local host
|
|
(127.0.0.1), connecting to the default Bitcoin RPC port (8332), and
|
|
submitting a +jsonrpc+ request for the +getblockchaininfo+ method using
|
|
+text/plain+ encoding.
|
|
|
|
You might notice that +curl+ will ask for credentials to be sent along
|
|
with the request. Bitcoin Core will create a random password on each
|
|
start and place it in the data directory under the name +.cookie+. The
|
|
+bitcoin-cli+ helper can read this password file given the data
|
|
directory. Similarly, you can copy the password and pass it to +curl+ (or
|
|
any higher-level Bitcoin Core RPC wrappers), ((("Bitcoin Core", "authentication")))((("authentication")))as seen in <<cookie_auth>>.
|
|
|
|
[[cookie_auth]]
|
|
.Using cookie-based authentication with Bitcoin Core
|
|
====
|
|
----
|
|
$ cat .bitcoin/.cookie
|
|
__cookie__:17c9b71cef21b893e1a019f4bc071950c7942f49796ed061b274031b17b19cd0
|
|
|
|
$ curl
|
|
--user __cookie__:17c9b71cef21b893e1a019f4bc071950c7942f49796ed061b274031b17b19cd0
|
|
--data-binary '{"jsonrpc": "1.0", "id":"curltest",
|
|
"method": "getblockchaininfo",
|
|
"params": [] }' -H 'content-type: text/plain;' http://127.0.0.1:8332/
|
|
|
|
{"result":{"chain":"main","blocks":799278,"headers":799278,
|
|
"bestblockhash":"000000000000000000018387c50988ec705a95d6f765b206b6629971e6978879",
|
|
"difficulty":53911173001054.59,"time":1689703111,"mediantime":1689701260,
|
|
"verificationprogress":0.9999979206082515,"initialblockdownload":false,
|
|
"chainwork":"00000000000000000000000000000000000000004f3e111bf32bcb47f9dfad5b",
|
|
"size_on_disk":563894577967,"pruned":false,"warnings":""},"error":null,
|
|
"id":"curltest"}
|
|
----
|
|
====
|
|
|
|
Alternatively, you can
|
|
create a static password with the helper script provided in
|
|
[.keep-together]#_./share/rpcauth/rpcauth.py_# in Bitcoin Core's source directory.
|
|
|
|
If you're implementing a JSON-RPC call in your own program, you can use
|
|
a generic HTTP library to construct the call, similar to what is shown
|
|
in the preceding +curl+ example.
|
|
|
|
However, there ((("Bitcoin Core", "wrapper libraries")))((("wrapper libraries")))are libraries in most popular programming languages that
|
|
"wrap" the Bitcoin Core API in a way that makes this a lot simpler. We
|
|
will use the +python-bitcoinlib+ library to simplify API access.
|
|
This library is not part of the Bitcoin Core project and needs to be
|
|
installed the usual way you install Python libraries.
|
|
Remember, this requires you to have a running Bitcoin Core instance,
|
|
which will be used to make JSON-RPC calls.
|
|
|
|
The Python script in <<rpc_example>> makes a simple +getblockchaininfo+
|
|
call and prints the +block+ parameter from the data returned by Bitcoin
|
|
Core.
|
|
|
|
[[rpc_example]]
|
|
.Running +getblockchaininfo+ via Bitcoin Core's JSON-RPC API
|
|
====
|
|
[source,python]
|
|
----
|
|
include::code/rpc_example.py[]
|
|
----
|
|
====
|
|
|
|
Running it gives us the following result:
|
|
|
|
----
|
|
$ python rpc_example.py
|
|
773973
|
|
----
|
|
|
|
It tells us how many blocks our local Bitcoin Core node has in its
|
|
blockchain. Not a spectacular result, but it demonstrates the basic use
|
|
of the library as a simplified interface to Bitcoin Core's JSON-RPC API.
|
|
|
|
Next, let's((("Bitcoin Core", "command-line interface", "exploring/decoding transactions", id="bitcoin-core-command-transaction2")))((("command-line interface (Bitcoin Core)", "exploring/decoding transactions", id="command-transaction2")))((("transactions", "exploring/decoding", id="transactions-explore-decode2")))((("exploring", "transactions", id="explore-transaction2")))((("decoding", "transactions", id="decode-transaction2"))) use the +getrawtransaction+ and +decodetransaction+ calls to
|
|
retrieve the details of Alice's payment to Bob. In <<rpc_transaction>>,
|
|
we retrieve Alice's transaction and list the transaction's outputs. For
|
|
each output, we show the recipient address and value. As a reminder,
|
|
Alice's transaction had one output paying Bob and one output for
|
|
change back to Alice.
|
|
|
|
[[rpc_transaction]]
|
|
.Retrieving a transaction and iterating its outputs
|
|
====
|
|
[source,python]
|
|
----
|
|
include::code/rpc_transaction.py[]
|
|
----
|
|
====
|
|
|
|
Running this code, we get:
|
|
|
|
----
|
|
$ python rpc_transaction.py
|
|
bc1p8dqa4wjvnt890qmfws83te0v3qxzsfu7ul63kp7u56w8qc0qwp5qv995qn 0.00020000
|
|
bc1qwafvze0200nh9vkq4jmlf4sy0tn0ga5w0zpkpg 0.00075000
|
|
----
|
|
|
|
Both of the ((("Bitcoin Core", "command-line interface", "exploring/decoding transactions", startref="bitcoin-core-command-transaction2")))((("command-line interface (Bitcoin Core)", "exploring/decoding transactions", startref="command-transaction2")))((("transactions", "exploring/decoding", startref="transactions-explore-decode2")))((("exploring", "transactions", startref="explore-transaction2")))((("decoding", "transactions", startref="decode-transaction2")))preceding examples are rather simple. You don't really need
|
|
a program to run them; you could just as easily use the +bitcoin-cli+
|
|
helper. The next example, however, requires several hundred RPC calls
|
|
and more clearly demonstrates the use of a programmatic interface.
|
|
|
|
In <<rpc_block>>, we first ((("Bitcoin Core", "command-line interface", "exploring blocks", id="bitcoin-core-command-blocks2")))((("command-line interface (Bitcoin Core)", "exploring blocks", id="command-blocks2")))((("blocks", "exploring", id="blocks-explore2")))((("exploring", "blocks", id="explore-blocks2")))retrieve a block, then retrieve each of
|
|
the transactions within it by reference to each transaction ID. Next,
|
|
we iterate through each of the transaction's outputs and add up the
|
|
value.
|
|
|
|
[[rpc_block]]
|
|
.Retrieving a block and adding all the transaction outputs
|
|
====
|
|
[source,python]
|
|
----
|
|
include::code/rpc_block.py[]
|
|
----
|
|
====
|
|
|
|
Running this code, we get:
|
|
|
|
----
|
|
$ python rpc_block.py
|
|
|
|
Total value in block: 10322.07722534
|
|
----
|
|
|
|
Our example code calculates that the total value transacted in this
|
|
block is 10,322.07722534 BTC (including 25 BTC reward and 0.0909 BTC in
|
|
fees). Compare that to the amount reported by a block explorer site by
|
|
searching for the block hash or height. Some block explorers report the
|
|
total value excluding the reward and excluding the fees. See if you can
|
|
spot the ((("Bitcoin Core", "command-line interface", "API access", startref="bitcoin-core-command-api")))((("command-line interface (Bitcoin Core)", "API access", startref="command-api")))((("API access", startref="api")))((("Bitcoin Core", "command-line interface", "exploring blocks", startref="bitcoin-core-command-blocks2")))((("command-line interface (Bitcoin Core)", "exploring blocks", startref="command-blocks2")))((("blocks", "exploring", startref="blocks-explore2")))((("exploring", "blocks", startref="explore-blocks2")))difference.
|
|
|
|
[[alt_libraries]]
|
|
=== Alternative Clients, Libraries, and Toolkits
|
|
|
|
There
|
|
are many alternative clients, libraries, toolkits, and even full-node
|
|
implementations in the Bitcoin ecosystem. These are implemented in a
|
|
variety of programming languages, offering programmers native interfaces
|
|
in their preferred language.
|
|
|
|
The following sections list some of the best libraries, clients, and
|
|
toolkits, organized by programming languages.
|
|
|
|
==== C/C++
|
|
https://oreil.ly/BdOwl[Bitcoin Core] :: The reference((("C/C++ toolkits")))((("Bitcoin Core"))) implementation of Bitcoin
|
|
|
|
==== JavaScript
|
|
https://bcoin.io[bcoin]:: A modular((("JavaScript toolkits")))((("bcoin")))((("Bitcore"))) and scalable full-node implementation with API
|
|
https://bitcore.io[Bitcore] :: Full node, API, and library by Bitpay
|
|
https://oreil.ly/4iqf2[BitcoinJS] :: A pure JavaScript Bitcoin library for node.js and browsers
|
|
|
|
==== Java
|
|
https://bitcoinj.github.io[bitcoinj]:: A ((("Java toolkits")))((("bitcoinj")))Java full-node client library
|
|
|
|
==== Python
|
|
https://oreil.ly/xn_rg[python-bitcoinlib]:: A ((("Python toolkits")))((("python-bitcoinlib")))((("pycoin")))Python bitcoin library, consensus library, and node by Peter Todd
|
|
https://oreil.ly/wcpXP[pycoin]:: A Python bitcoin library by Richard Kiss
|
|
|
|
==== Go
|
|
https://oreil.ly/h5MEI[btcd]:: A ((("Go toolkits")))((("btcd")))Go language, full-node Bitcoin client
|
|
|
|
==== Rust
|
|
https://oreil.ly/me6gf[rust-bitcoin]:: Rust ((("Rust toolkits")))((("rust-bitcoin")))bitcoin library for serialization, parsing, and API calls
|
|
|
|
==== Scala
|
|
https://bitcoin-s.org[bitcoin-s]:: A ((("Scala toolkits")))((("bitcoin-s")))Bitcoin implementation in Scala
|
|
|
|
==== C#
|
|
https://oreil.ly/Qfjgq[NBitcoin]:: Comprehensive((("C# toolkits")))((("NBitcoin"))) bitcoin library for the .NET framework
|
|
|
|
Many more libraries exist in a variety of other programming languages,
|
|
and more are created all the time.
|
|
|
|
If you followed the instructions in this chapter, you now have Bitcoin
|
|
Core running and have begun exploring the network and blockchain using
|
|
your own full node. From now on you can independently use software you
|
|
control, on a computer you control, to verify any bitcoins you receive
|
|
follow every rule in the Bitcoin system without having to trust any
|
|
outside authority. In the coming chapters, we'll learn more about the
|
|
rules of the system and how your node and your wallet use them to secure
|
|
your money, protect your privacy, and make spending and receiving
|
|
[.keep-together]#convenient.#
|