Thinking about downloading Bitcoin Core but I'm kinda confused. I saw that it needs 600 GB, but I don’t have that much space. What’s this pruning thing? How do I turn it on?
Need help with downloading Bitcoin Core
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You can enable pruning by editing the bitcoin.conf file. Just add prune=<Amount in MB>. Or you can launch bitcoind with prune=<Amount in MB>. If you’re on Windows, make a shortcut for bitcoind.exe, edit it, and add -prune=<Amount in MB> there.
Honestly, full nodes are better if you can handle it. You won't be relying on anyone else to verify blocks, plus it helps decentralize Bitcoin. Definitely worth considering.
Are you using the GUI version? If so, just go into the settings and check the prune block storage option. Set it to at least 2GB, that’s the default.
When you first open Bitcoin Core, there’s a welcome screen where you can set pruning and the data directory. But keep in mind, even with the lowest prune setting of 550MB, you’ll still need around 12GB for other data.
About decentralization, it’s not that simple. Having a pruned node means you don’t have all the blocks, so you’re not really contributing much to the network. Plus, privacy is a whole different story.
I think this is the best response since OP hasn’t run Bitcoin Core yet. Here’s a screenshot of my welcome screen. Just remember, you will need some extra space for the 'chainstate' folder.
It’s not debatable. Full nodes validate everything. They’ve done this comparison with SPV wallets before. Ideally, you shouldn’t have to trust anyone.
I think OP has probably downloaded it already and skipped the pruning setup. If that’s true, uninstalling and reinstalling might not prompt for pruning again.
Glad to see you came here for info! Bitcoin is decentralized, and downloading from the right place matters. Just make sure to verify your download.
I got all my questions answered from this chat. Feeling confident now about downloading Bitcoin Core. Thanks, everyone! I’ll close this thread to keep things tidy, but I’ll reopen it if I need more help.