How to run a Bitcoin node

A Bitcoin node is software that downloads every Bitcoin block ever mined and re-checks every transaction against the protocol's consensus rules.

When you run a node, you stop trusting anyone else's view of the blockchain. You verify your own balance, your own transactions, and the 21 million supply cap directly from the source.

It also gives you privacy: your wallet can query your own node instead of leaking your addresses to a third-party server.

And it strengthens the network. Every additional node makes Bitcoin harder to censor or attack.

A Bitcoin node is not demanding. The minimum recipe is a computer that can stay on, an internet connection, and roughly 700 GB of free disk space (the blockchain is ~620 GB and growing slowly).

Common setups, from cheapest to easiest:

An old laptop or desktop you already own — install Bitcoin Core for free. A Raspberry Pi 5 with an external SSD running Bitcoin Core or RaspiBlitz — under $200 all-in. A small mini PC for better performance and storage. Or a pre-built node from a vendor like Umbrel, Start9, or Nodl that ships ready to plug in.

If disk space is tight, Bitcoin Core supports a pruned mode that throws away old block data after verification. A pruned node still validates everything but only needs ~10 GB of disk.

No. You can run a node only when you need it, but uptime matters for two reasons.

First, syncing. A node that's been offline has to catch up on all the new blocks before you can use it. The longer it's been off, the longer the wait.

Second, network health. A node that's always online helps relay blocks and transactions to other nodes around the world.

Yes. Most node software (Umbrel, Start9, myNode, Nodl) can run a Lightning node on top of your base-layer Bitcoin node, using your own validated blockchain as its source of truth.

Lightning is a separate network for fast, cheap Bitcoin payments. Running your own Lightning node gives you the same self-sovereignty for payments that a Bitcoin node gives you for savings — but it's more work to maintain (channels, liquidity, backups).

If you're new to nodes, start with a base-layer Bitcoin node first. Then add Lightning later once you're comfortable. See our Lightning wallet guide for more on the trade-offs.