What is preventing you from running your own Bitcoin node?
2471 sats \ 21 comments \ @r3drun3 18 Dec 2023 bitcoin
This post is addressed to all those Bitcoin enthusiasts who would like to, but have never mustered the courage to run their own Bitcoin node
What exactly is holding you back? I am in the process of establishing a consulting activity aimed at both private individuals and businesses to onboard as many people as possible. One of the consultations I would like to offer is how to set up your own full node and, why not, perhaps even a Lightning node.
Therefore, I would greatly appreciate hearing from those directly interested about the specific obstacles preventing you from doing so. I understand that the community can sometimes be strict towards those who identify as Bitcoiners but do not have their own node. However, rest assured, I do not pass judgment on anyone. Despite possessing a strong technical background and having been a Bitcoin holder for years, I only set up my own node a few months ago.
Feel free to share everything with me without fear of judgment. The more honest you are, the more you will assist me in my mission to bitcoinize the world 🌎
Heartfelt thanks to all those who take the time to respond 😊
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16 sats \ 3 replies \ @criptopanas 18 Dec 2023
I started the process of having a own node a week ago. I still have more than 100K blocks to catch up.
My main issue was/is related to trying to find the most user friendly set up and with low price.
I end up buying a second hand laptop (8bg RAM), I installed Ubuntu and my mistake was buying a 1Tb HDD instead of a SSD.
I'm doing this journey watching and reading tutorials mainly in spanish video
So, IMO the biggest barrier was finding the right hardware.
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @SpaceHodler 18 Dec 2023
1 TB will fill up soon anyway, you have maybe one more year to go. Buy a 2 TB SDD next time.
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0 sats \ 1 reply \ @r3drun3 OP 18 Dec 2023
Ah yes...HDD is a BIG mistake...I did the same at the beginning. Now with raspi4 and a 4TB SSD never had a single problem :) Of course If you have a spare laptop that is even better but it may consume more current.
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @dk 9 Jan
Will a USB thumb drive be fast enough?
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5 sats \ 3 replies \ @wispy 18 Dec 2023
Costs. A 2TB SSD costs around 350 USD in Argentina. That's about 3 months of salary for me.
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10 sats \ 0 replies \ @nullama 18 Dec 2023
You can run it prunned, that way you won't need that much.
Yes, it's not as good, but it's almost there.
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0 sats \ 1 reply \ @02bcd3eeb0 18 Dec 2023
That's wild to me, because they are ~$80 on Amazon. I thought Milei was meant to be dropping import controls and switching to market exchange rate for currency?
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @wispy 19 Dec 2023
Oh, yes, that's what they said. Many of us warned about him being a fraud and just engaging in 'chad-like discourse' without solid foundations. The party has no experience in anything meaningful and is revealing its true nature: a group of improvisers. The Economy Minister (who claims to have received the worst economic inheritance in history) also held the position during the Macri period, and he was the one who secured the largest loan ever from the IMF. Milei has already reinstated the income tax that he himself voted for just a month ago. And, with no real impact on the economy but merely to showcase his true colors, one of their very first decisions (after preaching about the political class privileges for months) was to repeal a law preventing relatives from being hired for him, and appointing his sister as an assistant, with an accompanying big salary of course
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15 sats \ 3 replies \ @kakocuro 18 Dec 2023
I think, it is the fear of unknown that stops people from doing a lot of things. Even though, the thing in question is simple, you still might not do it, because you are not comfortable in the area.
You should also add running your own bitcoin miner to heat up your house in your consultations. Also very simple, yet not many venture out and do it. (the hardest part is to convince your wife, everything else is smooth sailing). In that sense, your wife does not even need to know about you running a bitcoin node :)
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10 sats \ 2 replies \ @nullama 18 Dec 2023
Running a proper miner at home sounds crazy.
It's incredibly loud and hot.
The miners designed for home use, like the Apollo or the Compac F, can be tuned to run almost silently. They don't hash too much though, max about 3GH/s for the Apollo (about 1-2GH/s silently)
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0 sats \ 1 reply \ @kakocuro 19 Dec 2023
You can run the miners at lower watts and then they are not that loud. For example: S9 works at home quite fine. Hot - you can heat your house if needed Or take the hot air outside
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @nullama 20 Dec 2023
Yeah, but still very noticeable...
The ones I mentioned can run basically fanless (Compac F), and the Apollo can be run very quietly with an extra Noctua Fan at low speeds, which keeps the main fan off/not audible.
Also, an S9 looks... industrial, whereas the ones I mentioned have a more polished look.
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1 sat \ 0 replies \ @nullama 18 Dec 2023
It's literally just downloading Bitcoin Core and running it.
That's it.
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Jackriddles 19 Dec 2023
The problem initially was that you don't know exactly what you need to run a node. Asking the question tends to pull up expensive rigs and configurarions that, while helpful and convenient, are not a great entry way into node running. I remember downloading bitcoin core for the first time, getting it all synced up on my laptop and being in this weird mental limbo state of disbelief that what I had downloaded for free was sufficiently considered a full node. Ive since moved to rasp pi with umbrel to lighten the load on my laptop, however, anyone can run a node for free. If not a full node, at least a partial. I'm hold out on lightning until this ordinal/maxi war is settled.
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0 sats \ 1 reply \ @Scholarhacker 19 Dec 2023
For me the big thing is Infrastructure and Security. As a non-IT guy, there are a few basic things that hold me back.
  1. What hardware and in what configuration do I need to run a node and a lightning node. Simplest, easiest for non-IT people.
  2. How do I keep my network safe and all my equipment safe?
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100 sats \ 0 replies \ @wassersnaus 19 Dec 2023
umbrel I would say is really good for non technical people. it can run on a raspberry pi with a 1tb ssd, and you can use tailscale vpn to access it without worrying about exposing your network.
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @boisechampion 19 Dec 2023
Variety and the fear of future sunk cost. So many options. Umbrella, start9, Ronin Dojo, on and on and on.
Then there is always the “what can I do when I have it”. I’ve watched a few tutorials and it doesn’t seem like you can really do much. But I am ignorant to it
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0 sats \ 1 reply \ @dk 18 Dec 2023
If starting from scratch today (assuming no existing hardware) what would you recommend buying for this purpose? A detailed spec with links could be helpful for people looking to get started. When I search the web for this I get a 3 year old Reddit post.
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105 sats \ 0 replies \ @nullama 19 Dec 2023
A mac mini is perfect for this.
Lots of storage, small, almost fanless, and the ones with an M1 chip can sync the blockchain overnight.
Plus you can use it for other things as well.
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @brianh 18 Dec 2023
costs and mainly a lack of understanding of all the things that go on under the hood
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @030e0dca83 18 Dec 2023
I'm far from my house and don't know when I'll be. At the moment I'm adding to bookmarks hardware to make node in the future
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