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, initialblockdownload: false, and a recent tip on the intended network. Check peer connectivity too; matching heights alone is not sufficient.

blackcoin.conf reference

Find public peers and copy addnode entries →

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 and you only want PoS, choose staking-only unlock in the wallet. RPC operators should use protected local input and a bounded timeout; never put a wallet passphrase in shell history or process arguments.
• 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.

Gold Rush PoW mining is a separate signing authority

The base chain remains Proof-of-Stake. The built-in Gold Rush miner creates transaction-carried claims, which require a normal wallet unlock; staking-only unlock deliberately cannot sign them. Locking or relocking stops that authority. Keep the machine secure and grant only the scope you intend.

Use getpowmininginfo to inspect the typed mining gate. Zero hashrate can mean a legitimate live-claim wait or relay, not a broken miner. Do not infer health from raw quarantine or unresolved-history counts. Never delete history or unlock reserved claim inputs to bypass a refusal.

30.1.5 introduced authenticated same-anchor continuation and separately authorized recovery. The 30.1.5.1 guide covers additional large-wallet capacity fixes and version-identification details. Optional fee-paying conflict recovery remains off by default and requires explicit reviewed authority.

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).