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Title: how to find/connect to a trustworthy server with a lightweight wallet Post by: joe1234 on December 06, 2016, 05:30:06 PM Hello forum
Under chapter 2.8 of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitcoin (Lightweight clients) it's written: "When using a lighweight wallet however, the user must trust the server to a certain degree" Questions: - does that mean, a Bitcoin-user using a lighweight wallet is able to select such "servers" manually? - how can such trustworthy server be to found and connected to (with lightweight wallet)? Any feedback is appreciated very much. Thank you! Joe Title: Re: how to find/connect to a trustworthy server with a lightweight wallet Post by: Lauda on December 06, 2016, 05:33:36 PM That depends on the type of wallet used. Different wallets may differently handle this aspect. For example, Electrum has a list of 'official' servers available in the client IIRC. Alternatively, if you want to be really sure, then you could just host your own server somewhere and use your SPV client to solely connect to it.
Title: Re: how to find/connect to a trustworthy server with a lightweight wallet Post by: Coin-Keeper on December 06, 2016, 07:52:27 PM Lauda is correct about that stuff. In addition you can handle some of the trust issues on your own by selecting the onion Electrum servers from the list. This allows you to stay anonymous even from the actual Electrum server you are using. Nobody in the entire route can sniff your traffic that way because there is no exit node.
Title: Re: how to find/connect to a trustworthy server with a lightweight wallet Post by: Coding Enthusiast on December 07, 2016, 05:09:24 AM ♯For example, Electrum has a list of 'official' servers available in the client IIRC. ♯ I don't know if we can call these servers official but there are a list of servers hard-coded (https://github.com/spesmilo/electrum/blob/master/lib/network.py#L49-L65) in the client. I may be wrong but this is possibly for finding an initial number of servers (similar to core and finding peers the first time) Lauda is correct about that stuff. In addition you can handle some of the trust issues on your own by selecting the onion Electrum servers from the list. This allows you to stay anonymous even from the actual Electrum server you are using. Nobody in the entire route can sniff your traffic that way because there is no exit node. The problem with using Electrum server (or generally a third party SPV server for any other wallet) is not revealing your IP. The problem are two things: 1) Privacy: For example with Electrum the servers see all your addresses and transactions and in case they keep log your privacy is compromised. In this case your IP is the least important. Solution: use a full node yourself, use servers that promise no-log (not fool proof), use different wallets 2) Trust: When you are relying on a server to tell you about your balance, transaction, confirmation,... you must trust that said server is telling you the truth. Solution: wait for more confirmation, change server, double check on an online block explorer Some additional good information (https://gist.github.com/justusranvier/451616fa4697b5f25f60) |