Jump to: , The data directory is the location where Bitcoin's data files are stored, including the wallet data file.Contents 1 2 3 4 5 Go to Start -> Run (or press WinKey+R) and run this: Bitcoin's data folder will open.For most users, this is the following locations: "AppData" and "Application data" are hidden by default.You can also store Bitcoin data files in any other drive or folder.If you have already downloaded the data then you will have to move the data to the new folder.If you want to store them in D:\BitcoinData then click on "Properties" of a shortcut to bitcoin-qt.exe and add -datadir=D:\BitcoinData at the end as an example: Start Bitcoin, now you will see all the files are created in the new data directory.By default Bitcoin will put its data here: You need to do a "ls -a" to see directories that start with a dot.If that's not it, you can do a search like this: By default Bitcoin will put its data here: An overview of these is in [files.md] in the Bitcoin Core documentation.

The data, index and log files are used by Oracle Berkeley DB, the embedded key/value data store that Bitcoin uses.Contains testnet versions of these files (if running with -testnet) [v0.8 and above] Contains blockchain data.[v0.8 and above] A LevelDB database with a compact representation of all currently unspent transaction outputs and some metadata about the transactions they are from.The data here is necessary for validating new incoming blocks and transactions.It can theoretically be rebuilt from the block data (see the -reindex command line option), but this takes a rather long time.Without it, you could still theoretically do validation indeed, but it would mean a full scan through the blocks (7 GB as of may 2013) for every output being spent.[v0.8 and above] Contains "undo" data.You can see blocks as 'patches' to the chain state (they consume some unspent outputs, and produce new ones), and see the undo data as reverse patches.They are necessary for rolling back the chainstate, which is necessary in case of reorganizations.

There is a torrent file that gets updated every few months that enables a much faster download of the blockchain.Once downloaded, the bootstrap.dat file can be placed in the root of the data directory, and Bitcoin Core 0.7.1 and above will automatically import it.NOTE: As of Bitcoin Core version 0.10.0 and later, the blockchain bootstrap torrent is slower than a direct download using the bitcoin P2P protocol & client.[2]This section may be of use to you if you wish to send a friend the blockchain, avoiding them a hefty download.Other files and folders (blocks, blocks/index, chainstate) may be safely transferred/archived as they contain information pertaining only to the public blockchain.The database files in the "blocks" and "chainstate" directories are cross-platform, and can be copied between different installations.These files, known collectively as a node's "block database", represent all of the information downloaded by a node during the syncing process.In other words, if you copy installation A's block database into installation B, installation B will then have the same syncing percentage as installation A. This is usually far faster than doing the normal initial sync over again.

However, when you copy someone's database in this way, you are trusting them absolutely.Bitcoin Core treats its block database files as 100% accurate and trustworthy, whereas during the normal initial sync it treats each block offered by a peer as invalid until proven otherwise.how to sell bitcoin legallyIf an attacker is able to modify your block database files, then they can do all sorts of evil things which could cause you to lose bitcoins.bitcoin news hard forkTherefore, you should only copy block databases from Bitcoin installations under your personal control, and only over a secure connection.intel hd 3000 bitcoin miningEach node has a unique block database, and all of the files are highly connected.bitcoin pool efficiency

So if you copy just a few files from one installation's "blocks" or "chainstate" directories into another installation, this will almost certainly cause the second node to crash or get stuck at some random point in the future.If you want to copy a block database from one installation to another, you have to delete the old database and copy all of the files at once.bitcoin xcubicleBoth nodes have to be shut down while copying.voiture bitcoinOnly the file with the highest number in the "blocks" directory is ever written to.The earlier files will never change.Also, when these blk*.dat files are accessed, they are usually accessed in a highly sequential manner.Therefore, it's possible to symlink the "blocks" directory or some subset of the blk*.dat files individually onto a magnetic storage drive without much loss in performance (see Splitting the data directory), and if two installations start out with identical block databases (due to the copying described previously), subsequent runs of rsync will be very efficient.

Bitcoin Core runs as a full network node and maintains a local copy of the block chain.This data independence improves wallet privacy and security.Unlike some SPV wallets that transmit addresses to peers, Bitcoin Core stores all transactions locally.With local access to the complete set of headers and transactions, Bitcoin Core can use full verification to tell when peers lie about payments.However, dealing with the block chain comes at a price.An ever-growing data set causes smaller hard drives to fill up quickly.Furthermore, a new wallet can't be used until the full block chain is downloaded and processed, which can take several hours on mid-range equipment.These problems can be solved by moving and copying Bitcoin Core's data directory.This article describes two approaches that can be used with either a new or existing Bitcoin Core 0.10.0 installation.Although the procedures described here have been tested several times, Murphy's law can strike at any time.To protect yourself from loss of funds, make a backup of your wallet now.

Start Bitcoin Core and select the File -> Backup Wallet… option.After the backup has been saved, exit Bitcoin Core.If your data directory already contains a complete block chain and or/wallet, you may want to move it rather than start from scratch.The first step is finding the default data directory.Mac, Windows, and Linux version of Bitcoin Core each store data in a different location.The procedure described here will use a graphical file browser to find it.On Windows 7, begin by clicking on the Windows menu.Then click your username from the right-hand menu.Windows Explorer should show a folder containing other folders such as Contacts and Desktop.Another folder, AppData is hidden by default.It can be shown by selecting the Organize -> Folder and Search options menu.From the View tab, click the “Show hidden files, folder, and drives” option, then click “OK”.Windows Explorer should now display an AppData folder.Then enter the Roaming folder, where the Bitcoin folder is contained.

On OS X, open a file browser by selecting the File -> New Finder Window menu option while running Finder.Next, select the Go -> Go to Folder… menu option.Enter ~/Library into the box and press enter.Double click on the Application Support folder.If you've already run Bitcoin Core, you will see a folder called Bitcoin.On Ubuntu, open a file browser by clicking on the folder icon in the launcher.The data directory, .bitcoin, is hidden by default.To show it, select the View -> Show Hidden Files menu option.Having found the default data directory, we can now copy it.Be sure that Bitcoin Core has been shut down and is no longer running.The software occasionally takes a minute or two to completely exit.Begin by renaming the Bitcoin Core data directory.Use the name bitcoin-backup.Don't move the renamed folder.This allows recovery of the original data directory in case something goes wrong.To recover the original, reinstate the original name of the bitcoin-backup folder (either Bitcoin or .bitcoin).

If you'd rather not change the default data directory, you may be able to use the alternative approach described below.Next copy the renamed bitcoin data directory to a destination of your choice.This can be the same hard drive, an external hard drive, or a removable medium such as USB drive or SD card.Copying data may require only a few minutes or a couple of hours, depending on how up-to-date your copy of the block chain is and the speed of your hardware.You can now rename the copied folder.For example, it might be convenient to use the name Bitcoin.If you plan to run Armory on Mac, skip this step.With no default data directory, Bitcoin Core assumes that this is its first session.Launching Bitcoin Core should yield a welcome screen.This screen gives you to option to store data in the default location or a custom location.Select the second option.Then Click the “…” button to point to the new location of the Bitcoin Core data directory.Bitcoin Core should continue starting up.When the process completes, the software should work exactly as it did before.

When ready to proceed to the next step, close the application.At this point your system contains two more or less identical copies of the data directory.Assuming there were no issues with the move, the original can now be deleted.Browse to the location of the bitcoin-backup directory and delete it.Users of Armory on Mac face a tricky problem when trying to move the Bitcoin Core data directory.Armory only recognizes the default data directory on OS X. Moving it means that Armory will no longer function.Fortunately, the solution is relatively simple.Create a symbolic link from the new data directory to the old default directory.Creating this link allows the new data directory to be used as if it still resided at the old location.Although creating a shortcut through the Finder seems like it should work, it doesn't.Begin by launching the Terminal application.This is most conveniently done by pressing ⌘-space, then typing the word “terminal” into the search box.Enter the following command at the prompt to create the symbolic link, where {newpath} is the path to the new data directory.

For example, if you moved the data directory to a folder called Bitcoin on the external drive called “Bigdata”, then replace {newpath} with /Volumes/Bigdata/Bitcoin.The backslash after “Application” is required.Instead of pulling the data directory out from under Bitcoin Core and then supplying a new path after startup, the data directory can be passed as the command line parameter datadir.This approach keeps the existing default data directory intact.It also allows multiple data directories to be used side-by-side.The disadvantages are that this method requires some extra configuration, and it won't work easily on OS X.Windows users can create a shortcut that uses the command line option datadir.Doing so directs Bitcoin Core to use, not the default data directory, but the one given as a parameter.Begin by right-clicking on the desktop and selecting New -> Shortcut.Browse to the location of the Bitcoin Core executable (C:\Program Files\Bitcoin\bitcoin-qt.exe) and click the OK button.