How to Run a Bitcoin Node on a VPS

Running your own Bitcoin node means you verify the blockchain yourself instead of trusting someone else's server. A VPS is a good home for one because it is always online and has a fast connection. The main requirement is disk space.

What you need

• Disk. A full node stores the whole chain, which is well over 600 GB and still growing. Check the current size before choosing a plan. A pruned node keeps only recent blocks and can run on a much smaller disk.
• RAM. 4 GB is enough for a node that only validates. 8 GB or more makes the first sync faster.
• CPU. The first sync is CPU-heavy. Two or more cores help.
• Bandwidth. A full node uploads and downloads hundreds of GB a month. Pick a plan with a generous allowance. Our larger VPS plans have unlimited transfer on a 1 or 2 Gbps port.

Step 1: prepare the server

Start from a fresh Ubuntu or Debian VPS and follow how to secure a new VPS. Create a regular user for Bitcoin and do not run the node as root.

Step 2: download Bitcoin Core

Download the official release from bitcoincore.org and always verify the signature and checksum before running it. The release page explains how to check them.

cd /tmp
wget https://bitcoincore.org/bin/bitcoin-core-VERSION/bitcoin-VERSION-x86_64-linux-gnu.tar.gz
tar xzf bitcoin-VERSION-x86_64-linux-gnu.tar.gz
sudo install -m 0755 bitcoin-VERSION/bin/* /usr/local/bin/

Replace VERSION with the release you verified.

Step 3: configure

Create ~/.bitcoin/bitcoin.conf:

server=1
daemon=1
txindex=0
# For a smaller disk, prune to about 20 GB (value in MB):
# prune=20000
dbcache=2048

Use prune only if you do not need the full history. A pruned node still fully validates new blocks.

Step 4: run it as a service

Create a systemd unit so the node starts at boot and restarts on failure, then run sudo systemctl enable --now bitcoind. Check progress with bitcoin-cli getblockchaininfo. The first sync takes from several hours to a few days, depending on your hardware.

Firewall

To help the network, allow inbound port 8333. If you only want a private node for your own wallet, you can leave it closed and only make outgoing connections. Never expose the RPC port (8332) to the internet.