Run a Blackcoin Protocol V4 node.

System requirements

• Disk: an archival node with txindex+shadowindex (required for full explorer/exchange integration) needs tens of GB and growing — budget ~100 GB of headroom on an SSD/NVMe (spinning disks stall initial sync). The chain adds ~1,350 blocks/day.
• RAM: 4 GB minimum, 8 GB recommended. Tune with dbcache(MB) — a larger dbcache dramatically speeds initial sync, e.g. dbcache=2048.
• CPU: any modern multi-core CPU. Signature verification during initial sync is the main cost; it is one-time.
• Bandwidth: initial sync downloads the full chain once (tens of GB); steady-state is light. Allow inbound on the P2P port for better peer connectivity.

Watch current network size and cadence on the live observatory and analytics; measure your own disk with du -sh on the datadir.

Install & first run, per OS

The package ships two programs: blackcoind (headless daemon, for servers / integration) and blackcoin-qt (desktop wallet + node). Use the daemon for exchange/explorer integration. The default datadir differs by OS:

• Linux: ~/.blackcoin/
• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Blackcoin/
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Blackcoin\

Unpack the verified archive, then launch the daemon:

# Linux / macOS — after verifying + extracting:
./blackcoind -daemon            # starts in the background; writes to the default datadir
./blackcoin-cli getblockchaininfo   # talk to it

# Windows (PowerShell), from the extracted folder:
.\blackcoind.exe -daemon
.\blackcoin-cli.exe getblockchaininfo

You are synced when getblockchaininfo shows blocks == headers and verificationprogress ≈ 0.9999+.

blackcoin.conf reference

Place blackcoin.conf in the datadir above. A full integration/staking config:

# ---- Indexing (required for full explorer / exchange integration) ----
txindex=1                 # every transaction is queryable by txid
shadowindex=1             # Protocol V4 Gold Rush / synthetic-payout index
# NOTE: txindex + shadowindex require a FULL (unpruned) node — see Pruning below.

# ---- RPC (local integration) ----
server=1
rpcuser=CHANGE_ME
rpcpassword=USE_A_LONG_RANDOM_SECRET   # or prefer rpcauth= / the .cookie file
rpcbind=127.0.0.1
rpcallowip=127.0.0.1
rpcport=15715

# ---- P2P ----
listen=1
port=15714
# addnode=<host>          # optional; peers are discovered automatically via DNS seeds
maxconnections=64

# ---- Performance ----
dbcache=2048              # MB; raise for faster initial sync if you have the RAM

# ---- Staking (Proof-of-Stake) ----
staking=1                 # participate in staking once coins mature and the wallet is unlocked

Ports: P2P 15714, RPC 15715. Never expose the RPC port to the public internet — keep it on 127.0.0.1 (or a private interface behind auth). Prefer the datadir.cookie or rpcauth= over a plaintext rpcpassword so no secret sits in process arguments.

Staking

Blackcoin secures the chain by Proof-of-Stake: coins that are confirmed and mature can stake to mint blocks and earn the stake reward. To stake:

• Set staking=1 and run a fully synced node.
• Hold mature coins in the node's wallet. Newly received/moved coins must age before they can stake.
• If the wallet is encrypted, unlock it for staking only:
  blackcoin-cli walletpassphrase "YOUR_PASSPHRASE" 999999999 true (the trailing true unlocks for staking without enabling spending).
• Check status with blackcoin-cli getstakinginfo — staking: trueand a non-zero weight once coins are mature.

Protocol V4 adds quantum cold-stake (owner/staker separation) via witness v14/v16 — see the whitepaper for the staking-tier and demurrage rules.

Pruning caveat

Pruning is incompatible with txindex and shadowindex. A pruned node deletes old block data, so it cannot serve arbitrary historical transactions or the Gold Rush shadow index. If you are integrating an explorer or exchange, run a full, unpruned node. Pruning (prune=<MB>) is only for a lightweight wallet that does not need history — and even then you cannot enable the indexes.

Run it as a service

systemd (Linux) — /etc/systemd/system/blackcoind.service:

[Unit]
Description=Blackcoin daemon
After=network-online.target
Wants=network-online.target

[Service]
User=blackcoin
Type=forking
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/blackcoind -daemon -datadir=/home/blackcoin/.blackcoin
ExecStop=/usr/local/bin/blackcoin-cli -datadir=/home/blackcoin/.blackcoin stop
Restart=on-failure
TimeoutStopSec=120
RestartSec=10

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

sudo systemctl daemon-reload && sudo systemctl enable --now blackcoind
journalctl -u blackcoind -f          # watch logs

Docker — a minimal run (mount a persistent datadir; keep RPC on loopback):

docker run -d --name blackcoind --init \
  -v blackcoin-data:/home/blackcoin/.blackcoin \
  -p 15714:15714 \
  <blackcoin-image> blackcoind -printtoconsole \
    -datadir=/home/blackcoin/.blackcoin -txindex=1 -shadowindex=1

For a complete deposit/withdrawal reference against a node, run Blackcoin Keystone — it wires a node + custody daemon with one docker compose up.

Monitor & troubleshoot

• Health: getblockchaininfo (height, verificationprogress), getnetworkinfo / getpeerinfo (connections), getstakinginfo (staking).
• No peers / stuck at 0 blocks: confirm outbound isn't firewalled; peers are found via DNS seeds automatically — you rarely need addnode. Check the system clock is accurate.
• Slow initial sync: raise dbcache, use an SSD/NVMe, and ensure the datadir isn't on a network mount.
• "Txindex is being built" / missing tx: after enabling txindexor shadowindex the node reindexes once; let it finish before integrating.
• RPC "couldn't connect": the daemon is still starting or therpcuser/rpcpassword/rpcport don't match; check the debug log in the datadir.
• Wallet won't stake: ensure it's synced, coins are mature, and the wallet is unlocked for staking (see above).