Bitcoin

Chapter 53: Bitcoin Nodes

Overview

Bitcoin is the first and largest cryptocurrency. Running a Bitcoin node helps with network decentralization and privacy.

53.1 Bitcoin Basics

Feature	Value
Consensus	Proof of Work
Block Time	~10 minutes
Block Size	1-4 MB
Token	BTC

53.2 Node Types

Type	Description
Full Node	Downloads entire blockchain
Pruned Node	Full validation, limited storage
Lightweight	SPV (Simplified Payment Verification)

53.3 Running Bitcoin Core

Install

# Install dependencies
sudo apt-get install build-essential libtool autotools-dev \
  automake pkg-config bsdmainutils python3 libevent-dev libboost-dev

# Clone and build
git clone https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin.git
cd bitcoin
./autogen.sh
./configure
make -j$(nproc)
sudo make install

Configuration

# Create config
mkdir -p ~/.bitcoin
nano ~/.bitcoin/bitcoin.conf

# bitcoin.conf
server=1
rpcuser=user
rpcpassword=password
rpcbind=127.0.0.1
rpcport=8332
prune=550

53.4 Commands

Start Node

# Start daemon
bitcoind

# Or with pruning
bitcoind -prune=550

RPC Commands

# Get block count
bitcoin-cli getblockcount

# Get balance
bitcoin-cli getbalance

# Send transaction
bitcoin-cli sendtoaddress "address" amount

Summary

Bitcoin uses PoW consensus
Full node requires ~600GB storage
Bitcoin Core is the reference implementation

End of Guide

This completes the Blockchain Node Guide. Review the chapters and practice the hands-on tasks before your interview!

Last Updated: 2026-02-20