Inside Bitcoin

Opening the selected file…

₿MyBitcoinExplorer

Bitcoin, in focus.
Explore the network. Understand the connections.

Explore Bitcoin with clarity.

READ THE CODE

Inside Bitcoin

The code behind the network, with room to understand it.

Stable release v32.1bitcoin/bitcoin · f0de87f04062 ↗3,020 source files · 47.5 MB stored on the server340 file guides

Release published 2026-10-28 · Snapshot fetched 2026-11-01. Latest stable release at fetch time; development branches and Git history are excluded. Only the selected code window and visible folders load here.

bitcoin / bitcoinstable

Find a file

▤ assets-attribution.md

▤ assumeutxo.md

▤ benchmarking.md

▤ bips.md

▤ bitcoin_logo_doxygen.png

▤ build-windows-msvc.md

▤ JSON-RPC-interface.md

▤ managing-wallets.md

▤ multiprocess.md

▤ multisig-tutorial.md

▤ offline-signing-tutorial.md

▤ translation_process.md

▤ translation_strings_policy.md

▤ CMakeLists.txtGuide

▤ libbitcoinkernel.pc.in

bitcoin / doc / README.md

Download source ↓

3,930 bytes · SHA-256 efa121f49b44bb11… · View upstream ↗

1Bitcoin Core
2=============
3
4Setup
5---------------------
6Bitcoin 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 several hundred gigabytes or more of disk space. Depending on the speed of your computer and network connection, the synchronization process can take anywhere from a few hours to several days or more.
7
8To download Bitcoin Core, visit [bitcoincore.org](https://bitcoincore.org/en/download/).
9
10Running
11---------------------
12The following are some helpful notes on how to run Bitcoin Core on your native platform.
13
14### Unix
15
16Unpack the files into a directory and run:
17
18- `bin/bitcoin-qt` (GUI) or
19- `bin/bitcoind` (headless)
20- `bin/bitcoin` (wrapper command)
21
22The `bitcoin` command supports subcommands like `bitcoin gui`, `bitcoin node`, and `bitcoin rpc` exposing different functionality. Subcommands can be listed with `bitcoin help`.
23
24### Windows
25
26Unpack the files into a directory, and then run bitcoin-qt.exe.
27
28### macOS
29
30Drag Bitcoin Core to your applications folder, and then run Bitcoin Core.
31
32### Need Help?
33
34* See the documentation at the [Bitcoin Wiki](https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Main_Page)
35for help and more information.
36* Ask for help on [Bitcoin StackExchange](https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com).
37* 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).
38* Ask for help on the [BitcoinTalk](https://bitcointalk.org/) forums, in the [Technical Support board](https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?board=4.0).
39
40Building
41---------------------
42The 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.
43
44- [Dependencies](dependencies.md)
45- [macOS Build Notes](build-osx.md)
46- [Unix Build Notes](build-unix.md)
47- [Windows Build Notes](build-windows-msvc.md)
48- [FreeBSD Build Notes](build-freebsd.md)
49- [OpenBSD Build Notes](build-openbsd.md)
50- [NetBSD Build Notes](build-netbsd.md)
51
52Development
53---------------------
54The Bitcoin repo's [root README](/README.md) contains relevant information on the development process and automated testing.
55
56- [Developer Notes](developer-notes.md)
57- [Productivity Notes](productivity.md)
58- [Release Process](release-process.md)
59- [Source Code Documentation (External Link)](https://doxygen.bitcoincore.org/)
60- [Translation Process](translation_process.md)
61- [Translation Strings Policy](translation_strings_policy.md)
62- [JSON-RPC Interface](JSON-RPC-interface.md)
63- [Unauthenticated REST Interface](REST-interface.md)
64- [BIPS](bips.md)
65- [Dnsseed Policy](dnsseed-policy.md)
66- [Benchmarking](benchmarking.md)
67- [Internal Design Docs](design/)
68
69### Resources
70* Discuss on the [BitcoinTalk](https://bitcointalk.org/) forums, in the [Development & Technical Discussion board](https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?board=6.0).
71* 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).
72
73### Miscellaneous
74- [Assets Attribution](assets-attribution.md)
75- [bitcoin.conf Configuration File](bitcoin-conf.md)
76- [CJDNS Support](cjdns.md)
77- [Files](files.md)
78- [Fuzz-testing](fuzzing.md)
79- [I2P Support](i2p.md)
80- [Init Scripts (systemd/upstart/openrc)](init.md)
81- [Managing Wallets](managing-wallets.md)
82- [Multisig Tutorial](multisig-tutorial.md)
83- [Offline Signing Tutorial](offline-signing-tutorial.md)
84- [P2P bad ports definition and list](p2p-bad-ports.md)
85- [PSBT support](psbt.md)
86- [Reduce Memory](reduce-memory.md)
87- [Reduce Traffic](reduce-traffic.md)
88- [Tor Support](tor.md)
89- [Transaction Relay Policy](policy/README.md)
90- [ZMQ](zmq.md)
91
92License
93---------------------
94Distributed under the [MIT software license](/COPYING).
95

A READING COMPANION

Source available. Guide coming next.

This file is included in the stable source snapshot. A file-specific guide has not been published yet.

340 guided files · 2,680 pending. Guides cover key sections, not every line.

cmake/bitcoin-build-config.h.in src/consensus/amount.h src/consensus/consensus.h src/primitives/block.h src/primitives/transaction.h src/crypto/sha256.h src/util/moneystr.h src/clientversion.h src/uint256.h src/script/script.h src/policy/policy.h CMakeLists.txt README.md COPYING src/consensus/tx_check.cpp src/consensus/tx_verify.cpp src/consensus/merkle.cpp src/pow.cpp src/validation.cpp src/script/interpreter.cpp src/script/solver.cpp src/script/sign.cpp src/key_io.cpp src/net.cpp src/net_processing.cpp src/netaddress.cpp src/protocol.h src/wallet/wallet.cpp src/wallet/spend.cpp

Code page 1

src/wallet/receive.cpp

src/wallet/coinselection.cpp

src/consensus/validation.h

src/primitives/transaction.cpp

src/script/descriptor.cpp

src/bitcoin-cli.cpp

src/rpc/blockchain.cpp

src/rpc/rawtransaction.cpp

src/init.cpp

src/crypto/sha256.cpp

src/consensus/merkle.h

src/consensus/tx_check.h

src/consensus/tx_verify.h

src/policy/feerate.h

src/policy/feerate.cpp

src/primitives/transaction_identifier.h

src/chainparamsbase.h

src/chainparamsbase.cpp

src/util/moneystr.cpp

src/crypto/ripemd160.h

src/crypto/sha1.h

src/crypto/sha512.h

src/crypto/hmac_sha256.h

src/crypto/hmac_sha512.h

src/crypto/hmac_sha256.cpp

src/crypto/hmac_sha512.cpp

src/crypto/hkdf_sha256_32.h

src/crypto/hkdf_sha256_32.cpp

src/support/cleanse.h

src/support/cleanse.cpp

src/crypto/siphash.cpp

src/crypto/muhash.h

src/crypto/chacha20.h

src/crypto/poly1305.h

src/crypto/chacha20poly1305.h

src/crypto/chacha20poly1305.cpp

src/util/chaintype.cpp

src/util/obfuscation.h

src/util/byte_units.h

src/util/overflow.h

src/blockencodings.cpp

src/net_permissions.cpp

src/policy/packages.cpp

src/policy/rbf.cpp

src/policy/truc_policy.cpp

src/policy/ephemeral_policy.cpp

src/policy/settings.cpp

src/policy/policy.cpp

src/node/transaction.cpp

src/node/coin.cpp

src/rpc/client.cpp

src/rpc/external_signer.cpp

src/rpc/request.cpp

src/rpc/server_util.cpp

src/rpc/fees.cpp

src/rpc/output_script.cpp

src/rpc/rawtransaction_util.cpp

src/rpc/rawtransaction_util.h

src/rpc/register.h

src/rpc/request.h

src/rpc/server_util.h

src/rpc/protocol.h

src/rpc/server.h

src/rpc/signmessage.cpp

src/rpc/txoutproof.cpp

src/rpc/util.cpp

src/rpc/util.h

src/wallet/rpc/addresses.cpp

src/wallet/rpc/backup.cpp

src/wallet/rpc/coins.cpp

src/wallet/rpc/encrypt.cpp

src/wallet/rpc/signmessage.cpp

src/wallet/rpc/util.cpp

src/wallet/rpc/util.h

src/wallet/coincontrol.cpp

src/wallet/coincontrol.h

src/wallet/context.cpp

src/wallet/context.h

src/wallet/crypter.cpp

src/wallet/crypter.h

src/wallet/db.cpp

src/wallet/export.cpp

src/wallet/external_signer_scriptpubkeyman.cpp

src/wallet/rpc/spend.cpp

src/wallet/rpc/transactions.cpp

src/wallet/rpc/wallet.cpp

src/wallet/feebumper.cpp

src/wallet/feebumper.h

src/index/base.h

src/index/base.cpp

src/index/txindex.h

src/index/txindex.cpp

src/index/txindex_key.h

src/index/txospenderindex.h

src/index/txospenderindex.cpp

src/index/blockfilterindex.h

src/index/blockfilterindex.cpp

src/index/coinstatsindex.h

src/index/coinstatsindex.cpp

src/index/db_key.h

src/index/disktxpos.h

src/kernel/chain.cpp

src/kernel/chain.h

src/kernel/checks.cpp

src/kernel/checks.h

src/kernel/context.cpp

src/kernel/context.h

src/kernel/cs_main.cpp

src/kernel/cs_main.h

src/kernel/disconnected_transactions.cpp

src/kernel/disconnected_transactions.h

src/kernel/mempool_removal_reason.cpp

src/kernel/mempool_removal_reason.h

src/kernel/coinstats.cpp

src/kernel/coinstats.h

src/kernel/chainparams.cpp

src/kernel/chainparams.h

src/wallet/sqlite.cpp

src/wallet/sqlite.h

src/wallet/transaction.cpp

src/wallet/transaction.h

src/wallet/dump.cpp

src/wallet/dump.h

src/wallet/init.cpp

src/wallet/walletutil.cpp

src/wallet/walletutil.h

src/wallet/wallettool.cpp

src/wallet/wallettool.h

src/wallet/export.h

src/wallet/migrate.cpp

src/wallet/migrate.h

src/wallet/db.h

src/wallet/walletdb.cpp

src/wallet/interfaces.cpp

src/wallet/scriptpubkeyman.cpp

src/wallet/scriptpubkeyman.h

src/kernel/bitcoinkernel.cpp

src/kernel/bitcoinkernel.h

src/kernel/bitcoinkernel_wrapper.h

src/node/chainstate.cpp

src/node/chainstate.h

src/node/blockstorage.cpp

src/node/blockstorage.h

src/node/mempool_persist.cpp

src/node/mempool_persist.h

src/node/utxo_snapshot.cpp

src/node/utxo_snapshot.h

src/node/kernel_notifications.cpp

src/node/kernel_notifications.h

src/node/blockmanager_args.cpp

src/kernel/blockmanager_opts.h

src/util/expected.cpp

src/policy/settings.h

src/util/types.h

src/kernel/messagestartchars.h

src/kernel/warning.h

src/util/exception.h

src/common/license_info.h

src/node/coins_view_args.h

src/node/database_args.h

src/util/batchpriority.h

src/util/ui_change_type.h

src/node/coins_view_args.cpp

src/node/peerman_args.h

src/util/serfloat.h

src/node/blockmanager_args.h

src/node/database_args.cpp

src/util/overloaded.h

src/interfaces/types.h

src/node/chainstatemanager_args.h

src/node/minisketchwrapper.h

src/util/macros.h

src/util/syserror.h

src/common/run_command.h

src/util/bytevectorhash.cpp

src/node/mempool_persist_args.cpp

src/util/exec.h

src/util/rbf.h

src/crypto/hex_base.h

src/node/mempool_persist_args.h

src/interfaces/echo.h

src/util/any.h

src/util/batchpriority.cpp

src/util/threadnames.h

src/node/coin.h

src/node/mempool_args.h

src/util/asmap.h

src/util/bytevectorhash.h

src/node/context.cpp

src/util/insert.h

src/util/readwritefile.h

src/node/peerman_args.cpp

src/node/interface_ui.cpp

src/interfaces/handler.h

src/node/mining_args.h

src/util/hasher.cpp

src/common/init.h

src/kernel/mempool_limits.h

src/common/system.h

src/crypto/sha3.h

src/util/threadinterrupt.cpp

src/node/protocol_version.h

src/util/exception.cpp

src/common/messages.h

src/node/connection_types.cpp

src/util/bip32.h

src/common/license_info.cpp

src/util/stdmutex.h

src/common/run_command.cpp

src/util/check.cpp

src/util/golombrice.h

src/node/types.h

src/node/timeoffsets.h

src/util/readwritefile.cpp

src/util/fastrange.h

src/util/signalinterrupt.h

src/util/task_runner.h

src/util/syserror.cpp

src/common/interfaces.cpp

src/common/types.h

src/util/threadinterrupt.h

src/kernel/chainstatemanager_opts.h

src/node/psbt.h

src/policy/ephemeral_policy.h

src/util/trace.h

src/common/url.cpp

src/kernel/mempool_options.h

src/util/serfloat.cpp

src/kernel/notifications_interface.h

src/node/timeoffsets.cpp

src/node/warnings.cpp

src/util/hash_type.h

src/crypto/hex_base.cpp

src/node/eviction.h

src/util/tokenbucket.h

src/crypto/aes.h

src/common/pcp.h

src/util/feefrac.cpp

src/node/transaction.h

src/util/threadnames.cpp

src/common/signmessage.h

src/util/exec.cpp

src/util/signalinterrupt.cpp

Independent explanations by MyBitcoinExplorer. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Bitcoin Core. Guides are educational and do not replace the source or its tests.

Bitcoin Core source © its contributors, distributed under the MIT license. Original notices and bundled third-party licenses are retained in the source tree.