2018-05-02 16:17:02 +00:00
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### Table of Contents
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1. [What is bootstrap.dat?](#What)<br />
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2. [What are the pros and cons of using bootstrap.dat?](#ProsCons)
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3. [Where do I get bootstrap.dat?](#Obtaining)
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4. [How do I know I can trust the bootstrap.dat I downloaded?](#Trust)
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5. [How do I use bootstrap.dat with btcd?](#Importing)
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<a name="What" />
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### 1. What is bootstrap.dat?
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It is a flat, binary file containing bitcoin blockchain data starting from the
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genesis block and continuing through a relatively recent block height depending
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on the last time it was updated.
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See [this](https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=145386.0) thread on
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bitcointalk for more details.
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**NOTE:** Using bootstrap.dat is entirely optional. Btcd will download the
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block chain from other peers through the Bitcoin protocol with no extra
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configuration needed.
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<a name="ProsCons" />
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### 2. What are the pros and cons of using bootstrap.dat?
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Pros:
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- Typically accelerates the initial process of bringing up a new node as it
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downloads from public P2P nodes and generally is able to achieve faster
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download speeds
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- It is particularly beneficial when bringing up multiple nodes as you only need
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to download the data once
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Cons:
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- Requires you to setup and configure a torrent client if you don't already have
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one available
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- Requires roughly twice as much disk space since you'll need the flat file as
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well as the imported database
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<a name="Obtaining" />
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### 3. Where do I get bootstrap.dat?
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The bootstrap.dat file is made available via a torrent. See
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[this](https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=145386.0) thread on bitcointalk
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for the torrent download details.
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<a name="Trust" />
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### 4. How do I know I can trust the bootstrap.dat I downloaded?
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You don't need to trust the file as the `addblock` utility verifies every block
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using the same rules that are used when downloading the block chain normally
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through the Bitcoin protocol. Additionally, the chain rules contain hard-coded
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checkpoints for the known-good block chain at periodic intervals. This ensures
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that not only is it a valid chain, but it is the same chain that everyone else
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is using.
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<a name="Importing" />
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### 5. How do I use bootstrap.dat with btcd?
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btcd comes with a separate utility named `addblock` which can be used to import
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`bootstrap.dat`. This approach is used since the import is a one-time operation
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and we prefer to keep the daemon itself as lightweight as possible.
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1. Stop btcd if it is already running. This is required since addblock needs to
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access the database used by btcd and it will be locked if btcd is using it.
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2. Note the path to the downloaded bootstrap.dat file.
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3. Run the addblock utility with the `-i` argument pointing to the location of
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boostrap.dat:<br /><br />
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**Windows:**
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```bat
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C:\> "%PROGRAMFILES%\Btcd Suite\Btcd\addblock" -i C:\Path\To\bootstrap.dat
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```
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**Linux/Unix/BSD/POSIX:**
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```bash
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$ $GOPATH/bin/addblock -i /path/to/bootstrap.dat
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```
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