Migrating OS; Bitcoin Core from Win to Linux

[Libyanrav9]

Hi Bitcoiners:)

I am trying to get my full node optimized for inbound connections by using Tor but also switching to Linux as recommended by many people for security and technical support.
Any information regarding the following will be very appreciated!

• Can I use the Windows version of blockchain data in Linux? Or do I have to download it all over after switching OS?
  

• Could you share your personal take on running Bitcoin node on Linux?

• Also is it possible to copy the blockchain data multiple times to different HDDs and send them to another country where the internet is too inconvenient for the IBD, to run a full node there easier and faster?

• Is Bitnodes.io 100% accurate about quantitative and geographical data of nodes? For ex. it shows zero nodes in Turkey and Libya. Is this actually true or not necessarily so in case like the use of Tor / VPN hides or manipulates such location data?

Please pardon me for any brain pain, as I am a non technical person:)

BTC

[1714065761]

1714065761

[1714065761]

1714065761

[jackg]

• Can I use the Windows version of blockchain data in Linux? Or do I have to download it all over after switching OS?
  

You can use the same blocks data as the data should be the same. I'm not sure if it still needs to reindex though wehn you move the data directory (some files might be incompatible - particularly since Linux relies heavily on assigning files permissions and windows relies on assigning them to the user).

• Could you share your personal take on running Bitcoin node on Linux?

If you've not used Linux much, you might find it difficult to use. I think a lot of people struggle with the initial dependencies and some parts of the install (like database versions) can be confusing to understand for some distros (which one did you plan to use)?

• Also is it possible to copy the blockchain data multiple times to different HDDs and send them to another country where the internet is too inconvenient for the IBD, to run a full node there easier and faster?

Yes it's possible to distribute the blockchain this way. It's also possible to download the blockchain from satellites afaik (ref: https://blockstream.com/satellite/).

• Is Bitnodes.io 100% accurate about quantitative and geographical data of nodes? For ex. it shows zero nodes in Turkey and Libya. Is this actually true or not necessarily so in case like the use of Tor / VPN hides or manipulates such location data?

Afaik tor nodes will probably fall under another category of their own. There's probably a good chance a lot of aws services are just listed as being from the US too as well as many European IPs from major cities (some share the same group of IP addresses and are harder to determine the location of). [/list]

[BitMaxz]

Adding this from the post above on the first question yes the block data from Linux should be compatible with Windows just make sure to copy both chainstate folder and block folder and transfer it to your Windows OS.

And according to Achow101 from this post, it's advisable to install the same version of Bitcoin core due to the different database versions.

You can read this thread below it might answer some of your doubts.

- https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=2321137.0

[HCP]

Yes, it is entirely possible to copy all the blockchain data from one node to another... I did exactly this when setting up an umbrel node on a Raspberry Pi. I copied all the blocks from a Windows box, onto the harddrive being used by the Raspberry Pi/Umbrel.

As noted, make sure you also copy the chainstate, or you'll have to wait for you new node to reindex the entire blockchain (can take some hours depending on your hardware).

I second the recommendation to ensure that you initially use the same version of Bitcoin Core to avoid any database version issues, but by all means update afterwards once you've confirmed that everything has transferred OK and is working correctly.

[LoyceV]

Could you share your personal take on running Bitcoin node on Linux?

I've been doing it for years, and it works fine. But if you're new to Linux, it might be a steep learning curve. For security, in general Linux is considered better than Windows, but it doesn't do miracles: you can still mess up and lose your coins or data. Linux isn't as forgiving as Windows. Or better: Linux does what you tell it to do, without asking if you're sure about it. The wrong command can destroy your data, so make sure you know what you're doing before doing it.

[mocacinno]

• Could you share your personal take on running Bitcoin node on Linux?

All other answers were answered, but this one is rather personal... So i tought i'd chip in.
I'm a unix sysadmin (it's my daytime job), so i might not be the best reference, but i find running a full node on *nix much easyer to setup than running one on windows.

If you're stuck, i helped n0nce gathering all info he needed to write this nice topic: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5366854.0
It was losely based on this topic written by me (a long time ago): https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5217198.0

Both topics are much wider than your usecase, but they do describe (amongst other things) how to setup a full node on openSuse and Centos...
Installing a full node on ubuntu (which seems to be more or less the most popular "newbie" distro) is even easyer: https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/blob/master/doc/build-unix.md#ubuntu--debian (these are the complete build instructions)

I usually compile the reference client myself, but you can also just opt to download the pre-built binary version aswell (it does require some trust regarding to the person building the binary version).
https://bitcoin.org/en/download

[ABCbits]

• Could you share your personal take on running Bitcoin node on Linux?

As regular Linux user, i have easy time running Bitcoin node on Linux and i never encounter problem due to Linux.

• Can I use the Windows version of blockchain data in Linux? Or do I have to download it all over after switching OS?
  

You can use the same blocks data as the data should be the same. I'm not sure if it still needs to reindex though wehn you move the data directory (some files might be incompatible - particularly since Linux relies heavily on assigning files permissions and windows relies on assigning them to the user).

Based on my past experience, there's no problem with file/directory permission when i move from Windows to Linux.

• Could you share your personal take on running Bitcoin node on Linux?

If you've not used Linux much, you might find it difficult to use. I think a lot of people struggle with the initial dependencies and some parts of the install (like database versions) can be confusing to understand for some distros (which one did you plan to use)?

Might be true with other application. But Bitcoin Core on linux is easy to use. You just need to download archive file, extract it and double click bitcoin-qt.

[Libyanrav9]

jackg,  BitMaxz,  HCP,  LoyceV,  mocacinno,  ETFbitcoin Thank you all so much for sparing your valuable time and sharing knowledge!
I will post updates/Qs as I progress.

Cheers:)
BTC

[Pmalek]

Adding this from the post above on the first question yes the block data from Linux should be compatible with Windows just make sure to copy both chainstate folder and block folder and transfer it to your Windows OS.

OP is looking to migrate from Windows to Linux, so any data he has needs to be copied from his Windows machine to Linux. Since the data is compatible (I didn't actually it was), it doesn't matter.
@Libyanrav9
If you still want a Windows-like operating system, you can try Linux Mint. It's often recommended for those trying out a Linux distro for the first time.