Setting Up a Bitcoin Node: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners
The Bitcoin Community: Setting Up a Bitcoin Node on Windows 11
The Bitcoin community and its local individuals are sprawling and diverse. Supporters of the top cryptocurrency can participate in various activities such as mining or engraving dog pictures or video games by setting up a Bitcoin node, which is essential infrastructure to keep the original blockchain decentralized and operational.
What’s a Bitcoin Node?
While all Bitcoin miners are nodes, not all nodes are miners. A Bitcoin node validates transactions and can operate on any computer with the ability to maintain a copy of the entire Bitcoin blockchain, which currently weighs about 500 GB. Miners, on the other hand, validate transactions and compete to add new blocks to the Bitcoin blockchain to earn mining rewards.
In this article, we’ll look at how to set up a Bitcoin Node using a Windows 11 PC using the Bitcoin Core program and Umbrel.
Getting Started with Bitcoin Core
To get started, you’ll need to download a complete copy of the Bitcoin blockchain. Both Bitcoin Core and Umbrel allow pruning of the blockchain to a smaller size once the ledger is available locally. An external or dedicated hard drive is recommended due to the size of the Bitcoin blockchain.
Once you’re ready to start your Bitcoin Node, choose the right program for your needs. The standard Bitcoin Core program is a simple way to get started with minimal coding required.
Download and run the Windows executable file. Choose the destination for the Bitcoin file, making sure to place it on the drive where you plan to store the installation data for the node.
Adjust the directory to point to the dedicated hard drive to ensure the Bitcoin blockchain data goes to the right storage location with higher capacity.
If you intend to prune the Bitcoin blockchain data stored on your hard drive, select “Limit blockchain storage to” and choose how much space to allocate. Click OK.
Once the Bitcoin Core software starts loading the block data to begin validating transactions, it will synchronize with the Bitcoin network, validating every processed block since the launch of the Bitcoin blockchain in 2009. Depending on the speed of your computer and hard drive, this process may take some time.
Once the Bitcoin blockchain has finished syncing, the node and integrated Bitcoin wallet will be ready for use.
Using Umbrel
For a more colorful Bitcoin experience, Umbrel is a great alternative. Umbrel can be installed on Windows, MacOS, a Virtual Machine, or a Raspberry Pi computer. Since we’re installing our Bitcoin Node on a Windows 11 machine, there are a few steps we’ll need to take first.
Since Umbrel runs on Ubuntu or Debian distributions, we’ll need to add Linux to our Windows computer using the Windows Subsystem for Linux.
Open the command prompt terminal using the CMD command to run commands as an administrator. In the command line, type “wsl.exe –install” to start installing a virtual machine system, Windows Subsystem for Linux, and Ubuntu on the PC.
Reboot the PC. If Windows Subsystem for Linux is not working, go to “Windows Features” in settings and make sure “Windows Subsystem for Linux” is checked.
Once the computer comes back online, a terminal window with Ubuntu should appear and prompt you to create login credentials. Run the update command on Ubuntu with “sudo apt update” followed by the upgrade command “sudo apt upgrade.”
Once Ubuntu is ready, return to the Umbrel terminal window and enter the command: “curl -L https://umbrel.sh | bash” to start the installation of Umbrel. If everything goes as expected, you should see a message that Umbrel was successfully installed and is now available at a specific local URL.
Visit the Umbrel URL provided, and you should see the UmbrelOS desktop display. Next, create a username and password for your Umbrel account. Now it’s time to set up Umbrel and sync the Bitcoin blockchain.
Umbrel comes with various satellite applications that can enhance your Bitcoin experience, including Lightning Nodes, self-hosting options, and streaming. To start syncing the Bitcoin blockchain, use Bitcoin Node and install it. Similar to Bitcoin Core, it’s time to let the Bitcoin blockchain sync with Umbrel.
You can adjust settings to prune old blocks to a desired size once Umbrel has completed the syncing process. Umbrel will start the validation process, and you should allow this to be completed before adding any additional applications.
Before using your Bitcoin node, be sure to set a password and any two-factor authentication available to protect your node and Bitcoin. When you’re ready to shut down Umbrel, go to the Ubuntu terminal and enter the command: sudo systemctl stop umbrel-startup docker system prune -f. Use this step to safely power down your node before turning off the PC.
To restart Umbrel, including after a system reboot, start Windows’ terminal as a system administrator, switch the terminal to Ubuntu, and use the command: sudo systemctl start umbrel-startup.
Final Tips
Once you’ve completed these steps, your computer will join the Bitcoin network as one of the nearly 20,000 nodes worldwide. While you work or rest, your PC will validate transactions and strengthen the Bitcoin network.
Umbrel offers a more engaging user interface, while Bitcoin Core has a more user-friendly setup. Being able to specify where you want to store the Bitcoin blockchain in Bitcoin Core can save you time compared to figuring out how to do so in Ubuntu.
For Bitcoiners seeking a diverse experience and various add-ons, Umbrel is a great choice. For those looking for a simplistic, streamlined experience, stick with Bitcoin Core.
Edited by Ryan Ozawa.
