Simple Guide to Running Your Own Node

Saw some talk about the benefits of running your own node with HD wallets. So I thought a super simple guide would help those who aren’t very tech-savvy with Linux. I picked Umbrel for this guide because it’s pretty straightforward to install and manage.

LTS version has fewer bugs, right? Consider using Debian if Umbrel supports it. Unlike Ubuntu, the latest Debian is more stable since it's based on a fixed snapshot.

Totally agree, LTS is the way to go. Just fixed my earlier comment to point to the right link for LTS (22.04). Appreciate the heads up! Debian definitely feels more stable, less bloat compared to Ubuntu.

Do you still think Umbrel will be solid in 2025? Curious about the long term.

If you have a decent LAN, maybe you won’t even need a USB. Use PXE boot to load Linux from the network. There’s a guide on netboot.xyz. They also have USB options for other distros.

For sure, but things have shifted since this thread was created. Umbrel isn't in alpha/beta anymore and has moved to umbrelOS, which you install directly instead of using a script.

Yep, I'm still in. Unless you enjoy wrestling with tricky Linux setups. Just to note, this guide is for the older version. The new UmbrelOS is a breeze to install but works best on a dedicated machine, ideally with a 2TB HDD for the full Bitcoin blockchain.

Thanks for this guide, super helpful! I want to try it on a spare Raspberry Pi 4B+, but just for kicks. Isn’t there a version of Umbrel that you can burn directly to an SD card?

Exactly, it’s a good move since developers can focus on the OS without dealing with distro-specific bugs. They actually stopped recommending microSDs for stability.

Yeah, just learned that too. They used to suggest SD cards, but clearly they realized it's not the best for long-term. Running my Raspberry OS on SSD instead, feels much safer. Thanks for sharing!