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 StackExchange](https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com).
* Ask for help on #bitcoin on Libera Chat. If you don't have an IRC client, you can use [web.libera.chat](https://web.libera.chat/#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)
- [FreeBSD Build Notes](build-freebsd.md)
- [OpenBSD Build Notes](build-openbsd.md)
- [NetBSD Build Notes](build-netbsd.md)
- [Android Build Notes](build-android.md)
- [Gitian Building Guide (External Link)](https://github.com/bitcoin-core/docs/blob/master/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)
- [Productivity Notes](productivity.md)
- [Release Notes](release-notes.md)
- [Release Process](release-process.md)
- [Source Code Documentation (External Link)](https://doxygen.bitcoincore.org/)
- [Translation Process](translation_process.md)
- [Translation Strings Policy](translation_strings_policy.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 Libera Chat. If you don't have an IRC client, you can use [web.libera.chat](https://web.libera.chat/#bitcoin-core-dev).

### Miscellaneous
- [Assets Attribution](assets-attribution.md)
- [bitcoin.conf Configuration File](bitcoin-conf.md)
- [Files](files.md)
- [Fuzz-testing](fuzzing.md)
- [I2P Support](i2p.md)
- [Init Scripts (systemd/upstart/openrc)](init.md)
- [PSBT support](psbt.md)
- [Reduce Memory](reduce-memory.md)
- [Reduce Traffic](reduce-traffic.md)
- [Tor Support](tor.md)
- [ZMQ](zmq.md)

License
---------------------
Distributed under the [MIT software license](/COPYING).

\mainpage notitle

\section intro_sec Introduction

This is the developer documentation of the reference client for an experimental new digital currency called Bitcoin,
which enables instant payments to anyone, anywhere in the world. Bitcoin uses peer-to-peer technology to operate
with no central authority: managing transactions and issuing money are carried out collectively by the network.

The software is a community-driven open source project, released under the MIT license.

See https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin and https://bitcoincore.org/ for further information about the project.

\section Navigation
Use <a href="modules.html"><code>Modules</code></a>, <a href="namespaces.html"><code>Namespaces</code></a>, <a href="classes.html"><code>Classes</code></a>, or <a href="files.html"><code>Files</code></a> at the top of the page to start navigating the code.