Floresta has a different architecture for figuring out the state of the network than nodes like Bitcoin Core or Knots.
Instead of creating a utxoset, Floresta uses utreexo where nodes generate a proof of the state of the network, only keeping the data for transactions that are relevant to them.
When they see new transactions, they have to request information about those transactions from other nodes, because a Floresta node cannot verify this on its own.
Floresta nodes start by downloading a trusted state of the network and later download all the blocks verify them in the background over time.
A Bitcoin Core or Knots node stores all the unspent transaction outputs in its utxoset. A Floresta node stores a commitment to the state of the network, and keeps locally those utxos that are relevant to transactions in the wallets it is watching.
One of the advantages of this construction is that you might be able to run such a node on a mobile device...
Here comes Mandacaru!Here comes Mandacaru!
Run a full Bitcoin node directly on your phone with minimal storage requirements thanks to Utreexo's compact accumulator design.
FeaturesFeatures
- ⚡ Lightweight: Uses Utreexo to dramatically reduce storage requirements
- 🔒 Self-sovereign: Validate Bitcoin transactions directly on your device
- 🌐 Multi-network: Support for Bitcoin Mainnet, Testnet, Testnet4, Signet, and Regtest
- 🔍 Transaction & Broadcast: Search transactions and broadcast raw transactions
- 🧱 Blockchain Explorer: Search blocks by height or hash, view headers and chain status
- 👥 P2P Networking: Connect, disconnect, and ping Bitcoin peers
- 💼 Wallet Integration: Load descriptors and track your Bitcoin addresses
- 🔌 Electrum Server: Built-in Electrum server for wallet pairing
- 📊 Real-time Sync: Monitor blockchain synchronization progress
- 🩺 Diagnostics: Monitor node uptime and memory usage
- 🎨 Modern UI: Beautiful Material Design 3 interface with dark/light themes
ScreenshotsScreenshots
Node infoNode info
TransactionsTransactions
BlockchainBlockchain
Settings and configurationSettings and configuration
I'm gonna wipe one of my old phones and see if I can get this thing working.
Not useful for me. I do not see the usefulness of a onchain only node wallet on a mobile device.
Mobiles are for payments not for validating onchain txs.
Even that is a light node, I do not see it useful. All onchain activity I am doing is on desktop, as it should be.
why not fully validate by default, if it's just as cheap as spv validation?
more validating nodes, less edge cases for errors, less cognititive load, less shenanigans, simpler.
It's a good point. I suppose if a person only had a mobile device and no access to a laptop/desktop, they might want to run a node like this to validate transactions they receive. But I'm not sure it's that much better of a trust trade-off than relying on someone else's node.
It does look very slick. I'll test it next time I cycle phones (soon, ugh... what an expensive world it is)
hallelujah 🫵🏼🎄✖️⭕
Hippie name