How to Run a Monero Node on a VPS

A Monero node lets your wallet talk to the network without trusting a third-party server. Using a remote node run by someone else reveals your IP address and your wallet activity to its operator, so many people run their own. A VPS keeps it online all the time.

What you need

• Disk. The Monero blockchain is a few hundred gigabytes and grows over time. Check the current size on getmonero.org before you pick a plan.
• RAM. 4 GB is a comfortable minimum. More helps during the first sync.
• Bandwidth. The first sync downloads the whole chain, then traffic settles down. Choose a plan with generous transfer.

Our VPS plans with NVMe storage are a good fit.

Step 1: prepare the server

Update the system and secure it first. Our guide to securing a new VPS covers SSH keys, a firewall and automatic updates. Create a dedicated user for Monero.

Step 2: download and verify

Download the official command-line tools from getmonero.org and verify the hash and signature published on the download page before you run anything.

tar xjf monero-linux-x64-vVERSION.tar.bz2
sudo mv monero-x86_64-linux-gnu-vVERSION /opt/monero

Step 3: start the daemon

/opt/monero/monerod --detach --prune-blockchain \
  --data-dir /home/monero/.bitmonero

The --prune-blockchain option keeps about a third of the data and cuts the disk requirement a lot. Leave it out for a full node. Watch progress with /opt/monero/monerod status or in the log.

Step 4: use it with your wallet

To use the node from a wallet on another device, run the daemon with restricted RPC and point the wallet at your server's address and port 18081. Keep the full RPC private: do not expose it openly. For remote use, prefer the restricted RPC option and a firewall rule that only allows your own IP.

Firewall notes

• Port 18080 is the peer-to-peer port. Opening it helps the network.
• Port 18081 is the RPC port. Restrict it to your own address.