Bitcoin Core ============= Setup --------------------- Bitcoin Core is the original Bitcoin client and it builds the backbone of the network. It downloads and, by default, stores the entire history of Bitcoin transactions, which requires a few hundred gigabytes of disk space. Depending on the speed of your computer and network connection, the synchronization process can take anywhere from a few hours to a day or more. To download Bitcoin Core, visit [bitcoincore.org](https://bitcoincore.org/en/download/). Running --------------------- The following are some helpful notes on how to run Bitcoin Core on your native platform. ### Unix Unpack the files into a directory and run: - `bin/bitcoin-qt` (GUI) or - `bin/bitcoind` (headless) ### Windows Unpack the files into a directory, and then run bitcoin-qt.exe. ### macOS Drag Bitcoin Core to your applications folder, and then run Bitcoin Core. ### Need Help? * See the documentation at the [Bitcoin Wiki](https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Main_Page) for help and more information. * Ask for help on [#bitcoin](http://webchat.freenode.net?channels=bitcoin) on Freenode. If you don't have an IRC client, use [webchat here](http://webchat.freenode.net?channels=bitcoin). * Ask for help on the [BitcoinTalk](https://bitcointalk.org/) forums, in the [Technical Support board](https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?board=4.0). Building --------------------- The following are developer notes on how to build Bitcoin Core on your native platform. They are not complete guides, but include notes on the necessary libraries, compile flags, etc. - [Dependencies](dependencies.md) - [macOS Build Notes](build-osx.md) - [Unix Build Notes](build-unix.md) - [Windows Build Notes](build-windows.md) - [OpenBSD Build Notes](build-openbsd.md) - [NetBSD Build Notes](build-netbsd.md) - [Gitian Building Guide](gitian-building.md) Development --------------------- The Bitcoin repo's [root README](/README.md) contains relevant information on the development process and automated testing. - [Developer Notes](developer-notes.md) - [Release Notes](release-notes.md) - [Release Process](release-process.md) - [Source Code Documentation (External Link)](https://dev.visucore.com/bitcoin/doxygen/) - [Translation Process](translation_process.md) - [Translation Strings Policy](translation_strings_policy.md) - [Travis CI](travis-ci.md) - [JSON-RPC Interface](JSON-RPC-interface.md) - [Unauthenticated REST Interface](REST-interface.md) - [Shared Libraries](shared-libraries.md) - [BIPS](bips.md) - [Dnsseed Policy](dnsseed-policy.md) - [Benchmarking](benchmarking.md) ### Resources * Discuss on the [BitcoinTalk](https://bitcointalk.org/) forums, in the [Development & Technical Discussion board](https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?board=6.0). * Discuss project-specific development on #bitcoin-core-dev on Freenode. If you don't have an IRC client, use [webchat here](http://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=bitcoin-core-dev). * Discuss general Bitcoin development on #bitcoin-dev on Freenode. If you don't have an IRC client, use [webchat here](http://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=bitcoin-dev). ### Miscellaneous - [Assets Attribution](assets-attribution.md) - [bitcoin.conf Configuration File](bitcoin-conf.md) - [Files](files.md) - [Fuzz-testing](fuzzing.md) - [Reduce Traffic](reduce-traffic.md) - [Tor Support](tor.md) - [Init Scripts (systemd/upstart/openrc)](init.md) - [ZMQ](zmq.md) - [PSBT support](psbt.md) License --------------------- Distributed under the [MIT software license](/COPYING). This product includes software developed by the OpenSSL Project for use in the [OpenSSL Toolkit](https://www.openssl.org/). This product includes cryptographic software written by Eric Young ([eay@cryptsoft.com](mailto:eay@cryptsoft.com)), and UPnP software written by Thomas Bernard.