STAGE 5 · MASTERLEVEL · Advanced5 LESSONSABOUT 27 MINNETWORK & MINING
"Don't trust, verify" is a slogan until you run a node, and then it is a habit. This course takes you from the why to a running node, with your wallet pointed at it. Five lessons, about 35 minutes of reading, and an evening of setup.
BY THE END OF THIS COURSE YOU WILL BE ABLE TO
- Explain what a full node verifies and why that matters to you
- Choose hardware and a setup path
- Complete the initial block download and understand what it did
- Connect a wallet so it asks your node, not a company
- Run over Tor and keep the node healthy
Every lesson ends with a quiz or a challenge; the course is complete when each lesson is.
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LESSONS
01Why run a nodeA node checks every rule, including the 21 million cap, for you. Without one you trust someone else's node. It also protects your privacy and gives you a say.▶ 1✓ quiz5 MIN✓02Hardware and setup pathsA node needs about a terabyte of SSD, a few gigabytes of RAM and patience. Turnkey bundles give a dashboard; Bitcoin Core on your own machine gives control.✓ quiz6 MIN✓03The initial block downloadThe first sync downloads and verifies seventeen years of blocks. It takes hours to days, and when it finishes your node has independently rebuilt the entire state of Bitcoin.✓ quiz⚡ challenge6 MIN✓04Connecting your wallet to your nodeMost wallets talk to an Electrum-style server. Run one against your node and point your wallet at it; your addresses then never leave your house.✓ quiz5 MIN✓05Tor, uptime and upkeepRun over Tor for privacy and remote access, watch disk space, upgrade on purpose after reading the notes, and back up descriptors rather than chain data.✓ quiz5 MIN✓