96d32a7bc0
- Create a release notes draft wiki for collaborative editing at https://github.com/bitcoin-core/bitcoin-devwiki/wiki as seen for releases 0.17.0 and 0.18.0. - As per http://www.erisian.com.au/bitcoin-core-dev/log-2019-03-28.html#l-342, for the period during which the notes are being edited on the wiki, the version on the branch should be wiped and replaced with a link to the wiki which should be used for all announcements until final. - Before final, remove the "Needs release note" label from relevant PRs/issues and merge the release notes from the wiki into the branch. - Create a pinned meta-issue dedicated to testing the release candidate and communicate it in release announcements where useful. The former is done in practice (e.g. #15555, #14902) and the latter addresses the discussion here: https://x0f.org/web/statuses/101753569204220416. - Adapt and merge the updates in https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/pull/15692. - Update the version numbers in all the examples. - Reorganise the headers in the Branch Updates section.
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.
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) orbin/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 for help and more information.
- Ask for help on #bitcoin on Freenode. If you don't have an IRC client, use webchat here.
- Ask for help on the BitcoinTalk forums, in the Technical Support board.
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
- macOS Build Notes
- Unix Build Notes
- Windows Build Notes
- FreeBSD Build Notes
- OpenBSD Build Notes
- NetBSD Build Notes
- Gitian Building Guide (External Link)
Development
The Bitcoin repo's root README contains relevant information on the development process and automated testing.
- Developer Notes
- Productivity Notes
- Release Notes
- Release Process
- Source Code Documentation (External Link)
- Translation Process
- Translation Strings Policy
- JSON-RPC Interface
- Unauthenticated REST Interface
- Shared Libraries
- BIPS
- Dnsseed Policy
- Benchmarking
Resources
- Discuss on the BitcoinTalk forums, in the Development & Technical Discussion board.
- Discuss project-specific development on #bitcoin-core-dev on Freenode. If you don't have an IRC client, use webchat here.
- Discuss general Bitcoin development on #bitcoin-dev on Freenode. If you don't have an IRC client, use webchat here.
Miscellaneous
- Assets Attribution
- bitcoin.conf Configuration File
- Files
- Fuzz-testing
- Reduce Traffic
- Tor Support
- Init Scripts (systemd/upstart/openrc)
- ZMQ
- PSBT support
License
Distributed under the MIT software license. This product includes software developed by the OpenSSL Project for use in the OpenSSL Toolkit. This product includes cryptographic software written by Eric Young (eay@cryptsoft.com), and UPnP software written by Thomas Bernard.