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diff --git a/doc/files.md b/doc/files.md index 85c27f3fd0..b9c9ca309e 100644 --- a/doc/files.md +++ b/doc/files.md @@ -1,37 +1,100 @@ -Filename | Description ---------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -banlist.dat | stores the IPs/Subnets of banned nodes -bitcoin.conf | contains configuration settings for bitcoind or bitcoin-qt -bitcoind.pid | stores the process id of bitcoind while running -blocks/blk000??.dat | block data (custom, 128 MiB per file); since 0.8.0 -blocks/rev000??.dat | block undo data (custom); since 0.8.0 (format changed since pre-0.8) -blocks/index/* | block index (LevelDB); since 0.8.0 -chainstate/* | blockchain state database (LevelDB); since 0.8.0 -database/* | BDB database environment; only used for wallet since 0.8.0; moved to wallets/ directory on new installs since 0.16.0 -db.log | wallet database log file; moved to wallets/ directory on new installs since 0.16.0 -debug.log | contains debug information and general logging generated by bitcoind or bitcoin-qt -fee_estimates.dat | stores statistics used to estimate minimum transaction fees and priorities required for confirmation; since 0.10.0 -indexes/txindex/* | optional transaction index database (LevelDB); since 0.17.0 -mempool.dat | dump of the mempool's transactions; since 0.14.0 -peers.dat | peer IP address database (custom format); since 0.7.0 -wallet.dat | personal wallet (BDB) with keys and transactions; moved to wallets/ directory on new installs since 0.16.0 -wallets/database/* | BDB database environment; used for wallets since 0.16.0 -wallets/db.log | wallet database log file; since 0.16.0 -wallets/wallet.dat | personal wallet (BDB) with keys and transactions; since 0.16.0 -.cookie | session RPC authentication cookie (written at start when cookie authentication is used, deleted on shutdown): since 0.12.0 -onion_private_key | cached Tor hidden service private key for `-listenonion`: since 0.12.0 -guisettings.ini.bak | backup of former GUI settings after `-resetguisettings` is used - -Only used in pre-0.8.0 ---------------------- -* blktree/*; block chain index (LevelDB); since pre-0.8, replaced by blocks/index/* in 0.8.0 -* coins/*; unspent transaction output database (LevelDB); since pre-0.8, replaced by chainstate/* in 0.8.0 - -Only used before 0.8.0 ---------------------- -* blkindex.dat: block chain index database (BDB); replaced by {chainstate/*,blocks/index/*,blocks/rev000??.dat} in 0.8.0 -* blk000?.dat: block data (custom, 2 GiB per file); replaced by blocks/blk000??.dat in 0.8.0 - -Only used before 0.7.0 ---------------------- -* addr.dat: peer IP address database (BDB); replaced by peers.dat in 0.7.0 +# Bitcoin Core file system + +**Contents** + +- [Data directory location](#data-directory-location) + +- [Data directory layout](#data-directory-layout) + +- [Multi-wallet environment](#multi-wallet-environment) + +- [GUI settings](#gui-settings) + +- [Legacy subdirectories and files](#legacy-subdirectories-and-files) + +- [Notes](#notes) + +## Data directory location + +The data directory is the default location where the Bitcoin Core files are stored. + +1. The default data directory paths for supported platforms are: + +Platform | Data directory path +---------|-------------------- +Linux | `$HOME/.bitcoin/` +macOS | `$HOME/Library/Application Support/Bitcoin/` +Windows | `%APPDATA%\Bitcoin\` <sup>[\[1\]](#note1)</sup> + +2. The non-default data directory path can be specified by `-datadir` option. + +3. All content of the data directory, except for `bitcoin.conf` file, is chain-specific. This means the actual data directory paths for non-mainnet cases differ: + +Chain option | Data directory path +--------------------|-------------------- +no option (mainnet) | *path_to_datadir*`/` +`-testnet` | *path_to_datadir*`/testnet3/` +`-regtest` | *path_to_datadir*`/regtest/` + +## Data directory layout + +Subdirectory | File(s) | Description +-------------------|-----------------------|------------ +`blocks/` | | Blocks directory; can be specified by `-blocksdir` option (except for `blocks/index/`) +`blocks/index/` | LevelDB database | Block index; `-blocksdir` option does not affect this path +`blocks/` | `blkNNNNN.dat`<sup>[\[2\]](#note2)</sup> | Actual Bitcoin blocks (in network format, dumped in raw on disk, 128 MiB per file) +`blocks/` | `revNNNNN.dat`<sup>[\[2\]](#note2)</sup> | Block undo data (custom format) +`chainstate/` | LevelDB database | Blockchain state (a compact representation of all currently unspent transaction outputs and some metadata about the transactions they are from) +`indexes/txindex/` | LevelDB database | Transaction index; *optional*, used if `-txindex=1` +`wallets/` | | [Contains wallets](#multi-wallet-environment); can be specified by `-walletdir` option; if `wallets/` subdirectory does not exist, a wallet resides in the data directory +`./` | `banlist.dat` | Stores the IPs/subnets of banned nodes +`./` | `bitcoin.conf` | Contains [configuration settings](bitcoin-conf.md) for `bitcoind` or `bitcoin-qt`; can be specified by `-conf` option +`./` | `bitcoind.pid` | Stores the process ID (PID) of `bitcoind` or `bitcoin-qt` while running; created at start and deleted on shutdown; can be specified by `-pid` option +`./` | `debug.log` | Contains debug information and general logging generated by `bitcoind` or `bitcoin-qt`; can be specified by `-debuglogfile` option +`./` | `fee_estimates.dat` | Stores statistics used to estimate minimum transaction fees and priorities required for confirmation +`./` | `guisettings.ini.bak` | Backup of former [GUI settings](#gui-settings) after `-resetguisettings` option is used +`./` | `mempool.dat` | Dump of the mempool's transactions +`./` | `onion_private_key` | Cached Tor hidden service private key for `-listenonion` option +`./` | `peers.dat` | Peer IP address database (custom format) +`./` | `.cookie` | Session RPC authentication cookie; if used, created at start and deleted on shutdown; can be specified by `-rpccookiefile` option +`./` | `.lock` | Data directory lock file + +## Multi-wallet environment + +Wallets are Berkeley DB (BDB) databases: + +Subdirectory | File(s) | Description +-------------|-------------------|------------ +`database/` | BDB logging files | Part of BDB environment; created at start and deleted on shutdown; a user *must keep it as safe* as personal wallet `wallet.dat` +`./` | `db.log` | BDB error file +`./` | `wallet.dat` | Personal wallet (BDB) with keys and transactions +`./` | `.walletlock` | Wallet lock file + +1. Each user-defined wallet named "wallet_name" resides in `wallets/wallet_name/` subdirectory. + +2. The default (unnamed) wallet resides in `wallets/` subdirectory; if the latter does not exist, the wallet resides in the data directory. + +3. A wallet database path can be specified by `-wallet` option. + +## GUI settings + +`bitcoin-qt` uses [`QSettings`](https://doc.qt.io/qt-5/qsettings.html) class; this implies platform-specific [locations where application settings are stored](https://doc.qt.io/qt-5/qsettings.html#locations-where-application-settings-are-stored). + +## Legacy subdirectories and files + +These subdirectories and files are no longer used by the Bitcoin Core: + +Path | Description | Repository notes +---------------|-------------|----------------- +`blktree/` | Blockchain index; replaced by `blocks/index/` in [0.8.0](https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/blob/master/doc/release-notes/release-notes-0.8.0.md#improvements) | [PR #2231](https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/pull/2231), [`8fdc94cc`](https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/commit/8fdc94cc8f0341e96b1edb3a5b56811c0b20bd15) +`coins/` | Unspent transaction output database; replaced by `chainstate/` in 0.8.0 | [PR #2231](https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/pull/2231), [`8fdc94cc`](https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/commit/8fdc94cc8f0341e96b1edb3a5b56811c0b20bd15) +`blkindex.dat` | Blockchain index BDB database; replaced by {`chainstate/`, `blocks/index/`, `blocks/revNNNNN.dat`<sup>[\[2\]](#note2)</sup>} in 0.8.0 | [PR #1677](https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/pull/1677) +`blk000?.dat` | Block data (custom format, 2 GiB per file); replaced by `blocks/blkNNNNN.dat`<sup>[\[2\]](#note2)</sup> in 0.8.0 | [PR #1677](https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/pull/1677) +`addr.dat` | Peer IP address BDB database; replaced by `peers.dat` in [0.7.0](https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/blob/master/doc/release-notes/release-notes-0.7.0.md) | [PR #1198](https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/pull/1198), [`928d3a01`](https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/commit/928d3a011cc66c7f907c4d053f674ea77dc611cc) + +## Notes + +<a name="note1">1</a>. The `/` (slash, U+002F) is used as the platform-independent path component separator in this paper. + +<a name="note2">2</a>. `NNNNN` matches `[0-9]{5}` regex. + |