Just finished downloading the entire blockchain. How can I help the network now?

[excro]

I have finally finished installing the entire Bitcoin Blockchain in Bitcoin Core. I've heard that I can support the Bitcoin Network by configuring the client properly.

Can someone guide me into configuring the client in order to help maintain the Bitcoin Network and/or give me tips.
I would also like to know what exactly is my computer doing when im "helping the network".

Regards, Excro 

[ranochigo]

By running a full node, you are already helping the network by being a node within the network that relays information. What you can do is to also portforward port 8333 on your router or firewall such that others can also connect to you. If you don't, it is fine as well because you are still relaying and validating blocks/transactions to and from others, thereby forming a part of the consensus. It would be far more beneficial for you to also be using Bitcoin with your full node and not just running it. There is an abundance of node such that an additional node won't really make that much of an improvement in rendundancy.

Just a quick note; Nodes aren't really particularly beneficial to the network at all stages... Yes it is beneficial in terms of redundancy and enforcing consensus but the main benefits would be to the user themselves.

[vv181]

~snip
I've heard that I can support the Bitcoin Network by configuring the client properly.

Can someone guide me into configuring the client in order to help maintain the Bitcoin Network and/or give me tips.

For an in-depth explanation, I suggest you refer to: https://bitcoin.org/en/full-node#network-configuration tutorial.

If you haven't yet look at that page, scrolling around on that tutorial also gives you a few understanding about how Bitcoin works, and also has few tips about running your own node.

[excro]

For an in-depth explanation, I suggest you refer to: https://bitcoin.org/en/full-node#network-configuration tutorial.

If you haven't yet look at that page, scrolling around on that tutorial also gives you a few understanding about how Bitcoin works, and also has few tips about running your own node.

Thank you! That ressource is probably all I'm gonna need as of now. I'll let you know/update my topic in case I have a question.

Regards, excro   

[n0nce]

I have finally finished installing the entire Bitcoin Blockchain in Bitcoin Core. I've heard that I can support the Bitcoin Network by configuring the client properly.

Can someone guide me into configuring the client in order to help maintain the Bitcoin Network and/or give me tips.
I would also like to know what exactly is my computer doing when im "helping the network".

Regards, Excro  

That sounds great, congratulations! Regarding the configuration, it's fine as is, but opening 8333 would be even a little bit better. It's super fine without it, too though!

Regarding what your computer is doing in 'helping the network': when a miner found a block, it submits it to the Bitcoin network. This means all nodes, including yours, will check this block and make sure it is proper and correct. If that's not the case, your node will reject it and not relay it further. This is the power of Bitcoin: there is no central entity deciding anything, it's all of our nodes, across the globe, as a whole. The distributed nodes decide (https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Consensus).
Additionally to verifying and relaying blocks, nodes also verify and relay transactions and reject faulty ones of course.

As was mentioned before though, as a node operators, we have another big benefit: thin clients have to 'ask' full nodes about the current state of the blockchain (what is the latest block? how much money is in this address? etc.) and trust them. Full node operators however, can instruct their thin clients to connect to their node, which they obviously know is not malicious and reports the blockchain state correctly. Thus full node operators eliminate any trust and instead rely on their node which with absolute certainty has verified each and every block since genesis and is guaranteed to give truthful information.

When you run a full node and use it with your various wallets, you 'don't trust, verify', as the saying goes!

[excro]

Thank you for your helpful response. I think I get pretty much how it works now, and thank you for actually answering my question!