Bitcoin nodes online

What it means: 25,547 nodes are publicly reachable right now, and 65.6% of them only via Tor or I2P. Many more nodes run privately without accepting connections, so the whole network is several times larger.

Crawler snapshot 11 Oct, 12:43 London · checked 11 Oct, 13:10 London · source btcnodes.io (Bitnodes crawler; bitnodes.io redirects there), refreshed hourly.

• Tor (.onion)
  12,311
  48.2% · -0.1%
• IPv4
  7,566
  29.6% · -0.1%
• I2P
  4,451
  17.4% · +0.4%
• IPv6
  1,214
  4.8% · -1.6%
• CJDNS
  5
  0.0% · +0%

Tor and I2P hide a node's home IP address. Running over them improves privacy for the operator but makes geography and hosting impossible to measure, so the country and hosting charts below cover only clearnet (IPv4/IPv6) nodes.

Why it matters: Bitcoin Core 30 relaxed the default limit on OP_RETURN data; Knots keeps a strict policy, and BIP-110 proposed a temporary soft fork to limit arbitrary data (its BIP is now marked Closed; some nodes still signal it). Relay policy is each node's choice and does not change consensus, but the share shows where operators stand in the debate. BIPs and Core releases → · Blog →

42.3% of clearnet nodes sit in just 10 networks (of 1,225). Cloud hosting is convenient, but nodes at home spread the risk if a provider bans or loses servers.

• Hetzner Online GmbH (AS24940)827 · 9.4%
• Akamai Connected Cloud (AS63949)822 · 9.4%
• OVH SAS (AS16276)391 · 4.5%
• GOOGLE-CLOUD-PLATFORM (AS396982)342 · 3.9%
• AMAZON-02 (AS16509)275 · 3.1%
• COMCAST-7922 (AS7922)264 · 3.0%
• DIGITALOCEAN-ASN (AS14061)207 · 2.4%
• ATT-INTERNET4 (AS7018)191 · 2.2%
• UUNET (AS701)168 · 1.9%
• Contabo GmbH (AS51167)146 · 1.7%
• Deutsche Telekom AG (AS3320)141 · 1.6%
• IONOS SE (AS8560)101 · 1.2%

Lightning nodes are a separate layer: each one relies on a Bitcoin node underneath. Private channels and mobile wallets are not counted. Lightning section →

Source: open mempool Lightning API (mempool.emzy.de), updated 11 Oct, 13:23 London.

Specs and prices checked on the makers' official pages on 2026-10-11. Prices change; we only quote prices the maker publishes. Self-custody guide →

A full node is one of the easiest things to run off-grid: a low-power board or mini PC draws a few watts, all day. Size the system for your worst month, not for summer.

• Computer
  Raspberry Pi 5 (official PSU spec 5 V / 5 A over USB-C) or an Intel N100 mini PC (Intel TDP 6 W) + 2 TB SSD. Whole node typically 5–15 W ≈ 0.12–0.36 kWh/day. Measure yours with a DC meter: this is an estimate, not a spec.
• Solar panel
  100–200 W for a 5–15 W node in most places. Divide daily Wh by peak sun hours of your worst month, then add ~30% for losses.
• Battery
  LiFePO4 12 V (12.8 V nominal), 50–100 Ah, for 2–3 days without sun. LiFePO4 tolerates deep daily cycling far better than lead-acid; keep it above freezing when charging (follow the maker's BMS limits).
• MPPT charge controller
  Sized for panel current, with a LiFePO4 charge profile and a load output with low-voltage disconnect (LVD).
• DC-DC, not an inverter
  Feed the computer straight from 12 V through a DC-DC converter (12 V → 5 V 5 A USB-C PD for a Pi 5; 12 V → your mini PC's input, often 12 V or 19 V). An inverter to 230 V and back wastes 10–20% and adds idle draw.
• Initial sync on the grid
  The first download and check of ~740 GB takes hours to days at full CPU. Do it on grid power (or copy a synced node), then move to solar.
• Node software
  Umbrel (free on Pi 5 / x86), StartOS, RaspiBlitz (Pi 4/5), or plain Bitcoin Core / Knots.
• Connectivity
  4G/LTE router (a synced node uses a few hundred MB/day download by default; cap upload with maxuploadtarget). No internet at all? Blockstream Satellite broadcasts blocks 24/7 for free; you need a small dish and a USB receiver, and you still need some link to send transactions.

Sizing calculator

Maintenance checklist

• ☐ Clean the panel every few weeks (dust, pollen, snow); check the tilt for winter sun.
• ☐ Low-voltage disconnect on: the controller cuts the load before the battery is damaged, and reconnects when charged.
• ☐ Auto-boot after power loss: a Raspberry Pi starts as soon as power returns; on a mini PC enable "Restore on AC power loss / Power on" in BIOS.
• ☐ Use an SSD and a filesystem that survives sudden power cuts; keep a backup of wallet/channel data off the node.
• ☐ Updates: check for Core/Knots and OS updates monthly, and update when the battery is full.
• ☐ Fuse the battery positive and keep wiring short and thick enough for the current.

Power figures for a whole node are typical estimates, not manufacturer specs. Battery and panel sizes are rules of thumb; check local solar data and your battery maker's limits.

Sources and method

• btcnodes.io: the Bitnodes crawler (bitnodes.io/api now redirects here). Reachable count, networks, countries, ASNs, user agents and software policy from the latest complete crawl.
• coin.dance/nodes: cross-check of Core and Knots counts (Knots coin.dance ÷ btcnodes = 0.993 ✓).
• Luke Dashjr: independent daily estimate including non-listening nodes (since 2017) and Knots share (since May 2025).
• Refresh: hourly on our server. A new snapshot is published only if it passes checks (fresh ≤ 6 h, totals add up, no drop over 25% vs the last good value); otherwise the last good snapshot stays and is marked.

btcnodes_home ok · btcnodes_global90 ok · coindance ok · luke_dashjr ok