Chapter Two: Creating a Bitcoin-Core VPS
To get started with Bitcoin, you first need to set up a machine running Bitcoin. The articles in this chapter describe how to do so, primarily by using a VPS (Virtual Private Server).
⚠️ VERSION WARNING: This version of the course was built with Bitcoin Core 30.2 (January 2026) for early parts of the course and Bitcoin Core 31.1 (July 2026).for later parts of the course. It was finalized with Bitcoin Core 32.1 (October 2026). All input is believed to work up to Bitcoin Core 32.1 (but send an Issue or PR If you find a problem), but some output may very slightly vary to reflect the earlier versions.
Objectives for this Chapter
After working through this chapter, a developer will be able to:
- Decide Between the Seven Major Types of Bitcoin Nodes
- Create a Bitcoin Node for Development
- Create a Local Instance of the Bitcoin Blockchain
Supporting objectives include the ability to:
- Understand the Basic Network Setup of the VPS
- Decide Which Security Priorities to Implement
- Understand the Difference between Pruned and Unpruned Nodes
- Understand the Difference between Mainnet, Testnet, Signet, and Regtest Nodes
- Interpret the Basics of the Bitcoin Configuration File
Table of Contents
You don't actually need to read this entire chapter. Decide if you want to run a StackScript to set a node up on a Linode VPS (§2.1); or if you want to set up on a different environment, such as on an AWS machine or a Mac (§2.2). Then, jump to the appropriate section. Additional information on our suggested setups may also be found in Appendix I.