Help Me Help BitCoin (and possibly Tor Network)

[jofus]

I appreciate both Bitcoin and the Tor network and would like to do my part to help.

Is there anyone that can help me set up a computer that will just be dedicated to running a Bitcoin node (I think that's what I am looking to set up) to help verify transactions.  Also if possible I would like to set up a Tor relay on the same machine.

Some questions I have are:

Is it possible to do both effectively and efficiently on the same machine?

What would the requirements be to do it the best way that is feasible for the average joe?

Would it use a considerable amount of my bandwidth?

What would the maintenance be for something like this?

Bonus question, would there be any personal benefit to myself by running something like this, i.e. being able to confirm my own bitcoin transactions faster, or will I be able to collect some transaction fees?  Not that its necessary for me to benefit from doing in order for me to do it.  I will regardless, I just want to make sure I take advantage of any pros that may be available to me for doing such a thing.

Thanks for your help.  As you may have guessed I am not the most computerly savvy, so it would need to be a dummies guide.

[achow101]

I appreciate both Bitcoin and the Tor network and would like to do my part to help.

Is there anyone that can help me set up a computer that will just be dedicated to running a Bitcoin node (I think that's what I am looking to set up) to help verify transactions. 

Download Bitcoin Core from https://bitcoin.org/en/download. Install it, and run. You are then running a full node. To further help the network, you can allow incoming connections. Check your firewalls (on both your computer and your router) and make sure that they allow port 8333 and are forwarding it to port 8333 on the machine running Bitcoin Core.

Also if possible I would like to set up a Tor relay on the same machine.

It is possible. If you are using Ubuntu/Debian, follow these instructions: https://www.torproject.org/docs/tor-relay-debian.html.en. You can also look at the instructions at: https://www.torproject.org/docs/tor-doc-relay.html.en for some more info on setting up a relay, especially the torrc file.

As a bonus you can also setup Bitcoin Core to also go over Tor and accept tor connections as well.

Some questions I have are:

Is it possible to do both effectively and efficiently on the same machine?

I don't see why not.

What would the requirements be to do it the best way that is feasible for the average joe?

Setting up a tor relay is kind of difficult for an average joe as it typically involves linux and command line. Bitcoin full nodes are super simple as it is just download and install Bitcoin Core.

Would it use a considerable amount of my bandwidth?

Yes. Bitcoin Core will use a lot as it has to download the blockchain, which is quite large, and keep in sync with it by downloading and uploading to several peers.

What would the maintenance be for something like this?

Practically none. Just make sure that the computer is still on and that both pieces of software are still running.

Bonus question, would there be any personal benefit to myself by running something like this, i.e. being able to confirm my own bitcoin transactions faster, or will I be able to collect some transaction fees?  Not that its necessary for me to benefit from doing in order for me to do it.  I will regardless, I just want to make sure I take advantage of any pros that may be available to me for doing such a thing.

Thanks for your help.  As you may have guessed I am not the most computerly savvy, so it would need to be a dummies guide.

There are no benefits like that for running your own full node. You will not get any sort of monetary compensation and your transactions will not confirm faster. What you do get is the security of a full node and an accurate estimate of the optimal transaction fee to get faster confirmations.

[OnkelPaul]

If you do it at all, you should do one at a time, especially since you're not experienced with either.
I can not give a dummies guide on how to set it up, just some thoughts that you should consider before starting.

For a Tor relay node, you'd need considerable bandwidth (look at https://www.torproject.org/docs/tor-doc-relay.html.en, they state that you should have at least 2 mbit/s.) ADSL connections normally don't have enough upload bandwidth, but cable internet might be ok. Of course, you should be able to run the node continuosly if possible, because intermittent nodes tend to introduce network problems until the network has reconfigured itself. Another thing to consider is the operating system: The description only covers the use of Debian/Ubuntu systems as Tor relays, I don't know whether Windows is supported at all.

A Bitcoin node needs less resources, but it is also only marginally useful when the bandwidth is limited and it's not online for considerable amounts of time. I run a node on my desktop linux system, but as the computer is only running when I use it, it's not really that useful to the rest of the network. After running for several hours, it begins to be "profitable" for the network, i.e. it shows more upstream data than downstream consumption, so it has carried some of the weight, so to speak. But when I only run it for a short tim, it just consumes bandwidth to sync the blockchain and does not have time enough to provide useful service. I do it for historical reason, but unless your computer is running continuously, I would not recommend it.

Of course, it you have a machine rented in a datacenter (hardware or virtual,) you could run such services on your machine, they normally have vastly better bandwidth than home internet connections. Many bitcoin nodes run on such servers, but of course it costs money to operate them. The lowest-level virtual private servers are probably not sufficient, though.

Just running a bitcoin node or Tor relay does not give you any benefit (except maybe the satisfaction that you're helping a project that you consider worthwhile.) If you operate a business that deals with bitcoins it is good to have a well-connected node, as you don't depend on external services. There is no advantage in transaction processing though, and you can't make money from it.

Onkel Paul

[jofus]

Thanks for the tips.

I would buy a machine just to use for these purposes, and have it running non-stop.  So as of right now I am not running anything.  I've never used Linux, Ubuntu/Debian but I am guessing that one of these is the better option as an OS if this is my only plan for the machine?

What kind of minimum requirements should I look for on a machine to do these two things?


If I need to up my internet plan or pay for a service just for that unit, it is something I will consider depending on the cost.  the important part for me is to be a positive impact on the systems.


I am completely fine without any compensation, my main goal is to help the networks, but just out of curiosity where do the transaction fees go from each Bitcoin transaction?  I thought that running a Bitcoin node would be something that can verify transactions, and there for collect some transaction fees. 

To be clear, I am not worried about the few satoshis I may get from some transaction fees as I'm sure my cost of operation would be considerably higher then what I could earn (although the idea of earning some satoshis does make me smile).  My main focus is being able to help the bitcoin transactions verify faster.  I know my little drop in the bucket won't be much, but its what I have the capability to do.

[achow101]

Thanks for the tips.

I would buy a machine just to use for these purposes, and have it running non-stop.  So as of right now I am not running anything.  I've never used Linux, Ubuntu/Debian but I am guessing that one of these is the better option as an OS if this is my only plan for the machine?

Yes. I recommend that you use Ubuntu. Don't use Windows as it is too large and makes doing Tor stuff harder.

What kind of minimum requirements should I look for on a machine to do these two things?

You will need at least 4 Gb of RAM, 8 is preferable. You will probably also want an SSD instead of a normal HDD to reduce sync times for Bitcoin. As for CPU, any modern CPU will do, I recommend an Intel i3 or i5 as those are the cheaper lower end stuff. Lastly you will probably want something that can support a wired internet connection, not WiFi. Wired is better as it will be faster and it is guaranteed to work. Just make sure that the network card (or built in on the mobo) can handle several hundred Mbps.

If I need to up my internet plan or pay for a service just for that unit, it is something I will consider depending on the cost.  the important part for me is to be a positive impact on the systems.

You will need a decent internet connection, ideally with speeds of at least several hundred Mbps. Also make sure that your internet plan can allow hundreds of Gb per month. Bitcoin Core will use a few hundred Gb per month, and Tor will also use a lot of data, although probably not as much as Bitcoin Core.

I am completely fine without any compensation, my main goal is to help the networks, but just out of curiosity where do the transaction fees go from each Bitcoin transaction?  I thought that running a Bitcoin node would be something that can verify transactions, and there for collect some transaction fees. 

Fees go to the miners. Miners include the transactions into blocks and they get the fees. Satoshi used nodes and miners interchangeably in the Bitcoin Whitepaper but they are in fact two separate things.

To be clear, I am not worried about the few satoshis I may get from some transaction fees as I'm sure my cost of operation would be considerably higher then what I could earn (although the idea of earning some satoshis does make me smile).  My main focus is being able to help the bitcoin transactions verify faster.  I know my little drop in the bucket won't be much, but its what I have the capability to do.

It's always a good thing to have more full nodes on the network.

[jofus]

Alright, I am going to do it. 

So if I get a regular PC machine I can set it up with Ubuntu right, or does it need to be a machine designed for Ubuntu.

Then I can set up the bitcoin core node and start that running on it, and after I have that set up I can work on the Tor relay?


One more question, I read that you can use a node as a wallet?  How does that work?  Is there benefit over using what I use now, MYCELIUM for android?

Thanks for your time, you've been a lot of help.

[jofus]

Oh and how big of an SSD would one need?

[achow101]

Alright, I am going to do it.  

So if I get a regular PC machine I can set it up with Ubuntu right, or does it need to be a machine designed for Ubuntu.

Nope, any modern computer can run Ubuntu. There is no need for anything special. If it can run Windows or OS X, it can run Ubuntu.

Then I can set up the bitcoin core node and start that running on it, and after I have that set up I can work on the Tor relay?

Yes. Bitcoin Core is significantly easier than setting up a Tor relay.

One more question, I read that you can use a node as a wallet?  How does that work?  Is there benefit over using what I use now, MYCELIUM for android?

Thanks for your time, you've been a lot of help.

Yes. Bitcoin Core is actually part wallet. It runs a full node, but it itself is also a wallet software. You can send and receive Bitcoin with it. The benefit is that you are not relying on someone else to give you the right data. A full node will always validate and verify every single transaction and block it receives, and full nodes will receive every block and nearly every transaction sent. This validation gives you more security. Mycelium on the other hand is an SPV wallet. This means that it trusts a full node to give it transactions that your wallet needs and it trusts that that full node properly verified the transaction. This is less safe than a full node which does the verification itself.

Unfortunately there are not any full node wallets for mobile since full nodes use a ton of data and storage..

Oh and how big of an SSD would one need?

At least 256 Gb.