Bitcoin Forum

Hello All,

I hope you all are safe and enjoying . . .

This is my first time configuring bisq.network to use as my DEX on Windows 11. I have backed up the directory, written my seed words, and have my passphrase.

Now I am looking at TWO NODES, that is, my BTC Full  Node, that  bisq.network recognizes and utilizes, as well as the option for Bisq DAO Full Node (network settings).

Question 1:

Bisq needs to ensure that in my BTC node, that:
bloom filters are enabled: peerbloomfilters=1 in bitcoin.conf AND that pruning is disabled: prune=0 in bitcoin.conf.

How do I check this? I cannot find bitcoin.conf and I cannot find a console command that could give me these confirmations.

Question 2:

I want to turn on Bisq Full Node in Settings. I need to enable RPC. bisq.network documentation gives me these parameters:


# The default rpcPort for regtest from Bitcoin Core 0.16 and higher is: 18443
# The default rpcPort for testnet is: 18332
# For mainnet: 8332
[regtest]
peerbloomfilters=1
rpcport=18443

Question 2:

Since I intend to use mainnet only, will it be sufficient to open 8332 mainnet port (in my router port forwarding config.) ONLY?  [I also see that the default rpc port for regtest for Bitcoin Core is the same as the rpcport, which is a little confusing].

What I’m not understanding is reciprocity, that is, what my running a bisq full node has to do with my use versus the uses of others. So that if I open the mainnet port only does that mean that I am preventing others from using regtest and testnet?

So again, open all ports or only what I need?

Side questions: Resources? Will I benefit the bisq network if I run a full node? FYI, I run BTC Core 24/7 to support the blockchain, not to use the wallet. If it helps, I'd like to do the same for bisq regardless of whether this DEX even works for me as an exchange.

Many thanks!

Your bitcoin.conf should be in:

Unless you set another during the installation.

Yes, although you could avoid port forwarding by just relaying your node's info from Tor. Bisq routes your activity through Tor by default.

The default RPC port for regtest is 18444 as far as I can see (https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/blob/59ac8bacd573891d84e8ab96ff43ea12bd266f26/src/chainparams.cpp#L428), but you can change it in the configuration file.

You will run your own node, and connect to it from Bisq, for your own good. It reduces your threat model as it preserves you privacy.

Yes, you will.

If you are running a full Bisq node, then every time your node receives a block, Bisq will find all the BSQ transactions within that block and broadcast those BSQ transactions across the Bisq network. Your node can also respond to requests from other users not running full nodes for information regarding BSQ transactions. Essentially, even if you aren't actively trading on Bisq, your node helps to keep Bisq decentralized. Just as if even if you aren't making transactions with bitcoin, your node helps to keep bitcoin decentralized.

You can read more about it here: https://docs.bisq.network/dao-technical-overview.html#infrastructure

Great! This is what I need to know. I will read the link. Whether it's the BTC CORE or the bisq DEX, I want to support decentralization regardless of whether bisq fits my use case for trading or not.

C:\Users\<YourUsername>\AppData\Roaming\Bitcoin

It's actually very easy. You can just use Notepad.exe for this. Right-click and 'open with...' Notepad.

You just write the two things into the file, one per line. You can see my Bitcoin Core config here (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5366854.msg58233711#msg58233711) in step 6 when it comes to the syntax / format of this file. Though I obviously don't have the bloomfilters setting that seems to be required for Bisq.

You don't need to open ports if using Tor, since Tor basically tunnels everything. That's one of my favourite aspects about it; no need to set port rules, no need for static IP and of course no risk of open ports in the router's firewall.

I just tried Jameson Lopp's config generator[1] and found out where it should be located[2]. Prune is disabled by default, so there's no need to add prune=0 manually.


[1] https://jlopp.github.io/bitcoin-core-config-generator (https://jlopp.github.io/bitcoin-core-config-generator)
[2] https://jlopp.github.io/bitcoin-core-config-generator/#config=eyJuZXR3b3JrIjp7InBlZXJibG9vbWZpbHRlcnMiOjF9fQ== (https://jlopp.github.io/bitcoin-core-config-generator/#config=eyJuZXR3b3JrIjp7InBlZXJibG9vbWZpbHRlcnMiOjF9fQ==)

That's right; but as his own website says, this file will be completely sufficient:


You don't need all those sections if they're empty anyway, and the [network] section is just for legibility anyways.

For example, the config in my full node install guide has no sections at all:

This appears as a contradiction. If bisq.network runs Tor by default, why does its documentation specify ports for mainnet, etc. Is it just a FYI that Tor uses these ports and that they do not need to be set manually? Compare this with BTC Core and 8113. If I don't set that port trigger in my router I will not have a Full Node as my "in" will be zero. And since bisq.network uses the BTC blockchain for verification, I think that setting that port is mandatory.

As a side question, do I have to do any configuration for Tor or is the process completely automated? And thanks for your help.

---

 Prune is disabled by default, so there's no need to add prune=0 manually.


OP: I messed up the text badly. Sorry. THANKS for pointing out that prune is disabled by default.

If you mean the following port specification, it's just referring to a local Bitcoin Core install (on the same machine).

It's not a contradiction; you don't need to open a port when using Tor. Tor tunnels the traffic and you're reachable simply by your Tor v3 address. These are even briefly mentioned a few lines later:

If you run Bitcoin Core over clearnet and don't open your port, you won't get incoming connections, right. Besides this not being a big issue, that's exactly what I'm trying to say: clearnet nodes need opened firewall ports, while Tor nodes do not.
You actually don't need to open this port at all; Bitcoin Core works without it, by connecting 'outbound'. This just means someone can't initiate a connection towards you, but your node can connect to others and the two nodes will exchange Bitcoin messages just the same. You will still get the full blockchain, transactions and can verify everything. Bisq should work just fine with Bitcoin Core only having outbound connections.

I'm pretty sure you do need some configuration; there's no automated Tor setup. I would link to my own full node setup guide, but for simplicity, I had written it in a way that puts Bitcoin Core on clearnet (with closed ports) and everything else (electrs, Core Lightning) on Tor.

@nOnce

My response is embedded and I don't know if you'll see it:

YOUR CLARIFICATIONS are appreciated. While we are on the topic of Tor ports being routed automatically versus the clearnet instance of BTC Core, I need to ask you about a problem! Now that I am running bisq.network in DAO Full Node I am seeing > 10 outbound peers. BUT I receive an error messge that says that my environment is blocking Tor inbound. How do I enable Tor inbound? The error message mentioned VM as a possiblility but I'm not running a VM. I have checked bisq documentation and I cannot find details on this item.

OP: SOLVED  An inbound connection has showed up, after a few hours, with a lot of data, so I must have inbound!

Most guides on the web recommed to open Tor's control port so that Bitcoin Core can access it and set itself up (simplified explanation here), like this:

While this certainly works, it's also what was recommeded in the Core Lightning TOR install guide (https://github.com/ElementsProject/lightning/blob/master/doc/TOR.md), but I avoided it using a few other parameters in torrc and the lightningd config.

Something similar should be possible for Bitcoin Core as well, but I haven't yet tried it.