Hey, I got a question about running a node. Didn’t want to clutter the challenge thread... So, while my Bitcoin core wallet is syncing, I see blocks downloading as.dat files, just like my Electrum wallet. Can someone break down for me what this format is and how it differs from wallet files? If I have the block files, why is my node still checking current blocks?
Those files might share the same.dat extension, but they’re different formats. Most of the time, Electrum saves wallets without any extension. You should check out Bitcoin Core's wallet.dat specifically, that one's also.dat.
Also, when syncing, remember you need to copy the whole folder, which includes other important stuff like the chainstate folder.
Yeah, privacy is key here. With more nodes, we decentralize the network. Just like mining, every extra node helps keep your mempool safe and keeps that blockchain info immovable.
Totally agree with that. I back up everything in Bitcoin Core’s directory. After reinstalling, I copied all the files over, but it’s still syncing super slowly. Feels like headers just won’t budge anymore, so I might have to start over.
When syncing, nodes put together the entire UTXO set. This is basically the unspent outputs for every Bitcoin address. They gotta read blocks in order, no skipping, to check for invalid transactions. Even if you saved blocks, it checks them again after loading.
Yeah, verification takes the most time. Download speeds are usually fine everywhere, but verifying can take ages. A day to download, but checking it all can take a week, depending on your computer.
File extension doesn't matter that much. Could be.txt or anything. What’s important is the data inside. The blk.dat has block data, transactions mined, while wallet.dat has your wallet info.
Each block is intertwined with the previous one, so your node needs to verify that everything’s legit going all the way back to the genesis block.
Thanks for all the info. This is new to me.
@NotATether, I want to use this thread to ask about my syncing issue. Bitcoin Core slows down crazy at 15% while the Bitcoind syncs fine. Not sure what’s up since my RAM and CPU are fine with the prune command you suggested.
That’s normal, syncing can slow down. Your node has to check each block’s validity. Since your node's only synced up to 2016, and those blocks weren’t as popular, they had fewer transactions to verify.
Totally get it. It was syncing fast at first, hit 15%, and then slowed way down. I guess the blocks post-2016 are just heavier files. Is there a way to speed things up with leftover RAM and CPU?
How do I know if the dbcache setup is working? Bitcoind processes so much data quick that the initial summary is hard to read when I open it. Also, why doesn’t my command have a # in front like others do?
The # is just for comments. It hides that line from being read by the code.
As for dbcache, usually, it’s 1/4 of your RAM, so for 16GB, aim for dbcache=4096.
Make sure your bitcoin.conf is saved as.conf, not.txt. When you're set, you should see those changes.
The # just comments out, so it’s easier to read and helps clarify what each command is.
Quick follow-up: why did blocks from 2016 sync slower when 2017 and later had more transactions? Now that I finished 2016, my sync is at 85%, but it crawled before.