Bitcoin Forum

Is it me or is the block chain growing exponentially?  It seems like in the last month to six weeks it has gone from ~13 GB to over 15 GB.  13% growth for 3 or 4% of its life?   How long before it's 100 GB?  a year?

You don't have to speculate.

All time:

https://blockchain.info/charts/blocks-size?timespan=all&showDataPoints=false&daysAverageString=1&show_header=true&scale=0&address=

one year:

https://blockchain.info/charts/blocks-size?timespan=1year&showDataPoints=false&daysAverageString=1&show_header=true&scale=0&address=

On a one year basis looks fairly linear.
On an all time basis you can see some exponential growth.

It is almost entirely driven by this graph:

https://blockchain.info/charts/avg-block-size?timespan=all&showDataPoints=false&daysAverageString=1&show_header=true&scale=0&address=

which is the average block size. More transactions per minute, larger average block size.

damn from 4GB to 13GB in less than a year.. seems like a solution needs to be drawn up relatively soon. by this time next year, that number could easily be 30GB.

There is a solution. It's called quark coin.

A modest expenditure really...
https://www.bitcoinstore.com/fantom-greendrive-2-tb-external-hard-drive-1036078.html

it keeps growing exponentially though. in 5 years that 2 TB hard drive might not be enough. and if you had newcomers wanting to download the blockchain? that would take... a very very long time. the cost in the electricity bill in leaving the computer on would be killer.

Why you people are saying that the size is growing exponentially?

Looking at the chart, the line looks more linear than logarithmic.

https://blockchain.info/charts/blocks-size?timespan=1year&showDataPoints=false&daysAverageString=1&show_header=true&scale=0&address=

In Dec 2012, the size was around 3.5 GB, which has increased to 8 GB in July 2013 (5.5GB or 130%).

The current size is 11.8 GB, which represents an increase of 3.8 GB or just 48%.

If the increase was exponential, then the increase could have been like this:

3.5 GB ==> 8 GB ==> 18.3 GB

(I am just a noob, so pardon me if there is anything silly in what I said).

Perhaps a service that sells the blockchain preloaded on a drive will be a success then.

Can't the blockchain be compressed?

Even if it were 'linear' - it would still be exponential. A linear line is still 'exponential' - its just that the exponent is '1'.  Even a dead flat late with 'no growth' is 'exponential growth'. 

'logarithmic' - that's a whole other can of worms.

Either way, the blockchain is still very small compared to cheap drives to store it on. Once it gets up to 2Tb - I am going to start to worry. 

Please read the Bitcoin white paper before acting like this has not been considered from the beginning.

From the bloackchain.info chart, I assume that the size is increasing at a rate of <10 GB per year. So I don't think it'll reach the 2 TB size anytime soon.

That's all good and well for someone operating in a business / server environment but for the average user: Hey want to use bitcoin?  OK:

1.) Go buy a 2 TB hard drive

2.) Install

3.) Download bitcoin and configure it to use this secondary drive.

4.) Let it run for a month to download and process the block chain

5.) Enjoy!

It's really unrealistic.

P.S. To the guy that said it's only 11 GB...  mine is over 15 GB fore my bitcoin data dir.  If it's only 11 where is my extra 4 GB coming from?  I don't have one billion addresses in my address book or addresses of my own.  My specific user data cannot be more than a few kilobytes.

Want to use bitcoin? OK:

Download vanitygen.exe

./vanitygen.exe 1CIMINE
output:
public key: 1CIMINE23HssO34H9FjsduFq3HapP32jLjfi3
private key 5J39H40h48hwh2H3gJ30wdfFkh23biedfhFksdhFaAb

Send Bitcoin to public key.

When you need to spend, import keys to blockchain.info and send them. Generate new keys. Send remaining BTC to new public key. Keep in cold storage. (or keep a small amount for spending at an online wallet, the rest in cold storage)

Google quark coin , first result:
"At Least 54 Bitcoin Clones Have Been Created Since April"
So , what does it do , have Kermit jumping up and down and reducing the blockchain?

hey Elwar - I was wondering about this yesterday. Whats the probability that the vanitygen would generate an already existing address? Set up a farm to run these programs, generate addresses and check their balances?

Sorry for sounding dumb!,  ??? or if ive not understood this, BUT, how does your average joe with a phone and wallet handle this, does the phone wallet download the whole blockchain, all 13Gb of it?

if so this is surely unsustainable as it grows.

 ???

No it doens't

There are plenty of light-weight clients that don't download the entire blockchain but instead rely on other nodes for transaction-information. These exist for both desktop and mobile platforms.

That sounds great but there must be some risks associated with this otherwise everybody would do this...???

whats checking balances going to achive

PLEASE, for the love of god, PLEASE search for this and do not start another thread on this subject (address collision) there are at least 1,000 threads on this subject already.

No its not.  But it doesn't matter, because these guys know there are ways around it, with different clients etc.   ::)

Honestly guys, the failure to deal this sort of problem, or rather how you respond to and address them, will probably the difference between wide spread use or not.  such technical issues need to be removed from sight for the masses.

Shouldn't we have some easily linkable FAQ covering this and thousands other questions ?
Or have we got that already ?
I'm evangelizing a lot and getting tired of answering the same questions. If there is no comprehensive resource like that I might set up one.

https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/FAQ

Thanks a lot ; is this the right place for a "common objections" or "false problems" section, with questions like :
"The blockchain keeps growing, can I use Bitcoin without downloading 15 GB ?" (this one is partially answered already but the answer is short and a bit hard to find)
"What happens when miners stop getting block rewards ?"
"Will Bitcoin crumble to death if the underlying crypto is borken ?"

Currently some "objection" questions are listed under General or Economy. I might just add my own under in the existing sections. I'll keep thinking about it, any adivce appreciated !

Even if you have the FAQ on a sidebar in this forum , there will be still people asking those question.
It happens everywhere and not only with bitcoin.

Look at the amount of posts regarding the newbie restriction when there is a sticky post just in that sub forum.

You're right.
But replying with a link to a good FAQ entry really helps. And the replies might help enrich the FAQ (sometimes...)

Mine is showing up as 21GB. Wonder what is causing the huge size differences.

In 5 years, that 2TB HDD will be in the bottom of your bone-pile.

15gb here too.  It just fits on a 16gb SDCard. 

I'm curious about the differences , 14-15 even 21 gb?
Whats could be the reason for that?
Mine it's at about 14 , but not updated for about one week.

Or you just download Multibit and use it instead of bitcoin-qt. No need to download 15gb of data you don't really need (unless you plan to keep a node running)

I don't get why so many people advice Multibit. I think that Electrum is a lot better.

Mercedes ,Audi ,Bmw ... and you know the rest.
But mostly because of this:

"Get started fast and easy

MultiBit is an app you can download for Windows, Mac and Linux.
Bitcoin Wallet for Android runs on your phone or tablet."
Bitcoin.org site.

Here's what Guark really is:

http://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/1s1t1s/quark_is_out_of_control

I see. Sounds like Bitcoin.org isn't fair ::)
Multibit also relies on other nodes, but they don't say that in the description. However, they do show it with Electrum and dump the program on a lower rank without their name underneath it. I would guess that Multibit either paid for this or the Bitcoin.org admins are involved with the Multibit project (which doesn't change my point).

And strangely enough that doesn't amaze me the slightest.