How to run and install your own Monero node on Linux Server

What are the benefits of operating my own Monero node?

• Running your own Monero node gives you the independent capability to send, receive, and verify transactions, ensuring the utmost privacy and security.
• By not relying on others’ nodes to handle your transactions, you maintain a higher level of control and self-reliance.
• Operating your own node contributes to the decentralization of the Monero network, enhancing its overall resilience and security.
• To utilize a Monero wallet effectively, you need to connect to a fully synchronized node, and having your own node is the ideal choice.
• Connecting to the Monero network involves running a peer-to-peer application called monerod (with the “d” denoting daemon), which serves as the foundation of the Monero network.
• Additionally, you have the option to offer your node as a public remote note, volunteering your node as a public resource to assist in onboarding new Monero nodes and facilitating the relay of transactions for other Monero users.

There are two different types of Monero nodes available.

• Full Node: Stores all blockchain data

• Pruned Node: Stores a random 1/8th of the blockchain’s data and requires much less disk space

Minimum Full Node System Requirements

• Dual-core CPU
• 4+ GB RAM
• 160GB+ SSD HD

Minimum Pruned Node System Requirements

• Same as full node yet with a smaller HD
• 80GB+ SSD HD

1. Adjusting port settings and firewall configurations.

Suggestion: The most recommended choice is to set up a Public Full Node using port 18089, which includes a restricted RPC port. This option ensures optimal support for the Monero network while enabling both yourself and others to utilize it as a remote node for wallets. By following the instructions provided in this guide, you will successfully deploy a Monero node configured in this manner. If desired, you can modify the port settings to achieve a more limited functionality.

# By default, deny all incoming and outgoing traffic
sudo ufw default deny incoming
sudo ufw default allow outgoing
# Allow ssh access
sudo ufw allow ssh
# Allow monerod p2p port
sudo ufw allow 18080
# Allow monerod restricted RPC port
sudo ufw allow 18089
# Enable firewall
sudo ufw enable

# Verify status
sudo ufw status numbered

Setup service accounts.

# creates system user account for monero service
sudo adduser –system –group –no-create-home monero

Create some folders the service needs & set their ownership:

# logfile goes here
sudo mkdir /var/log/monero

# blockchain database goes here
sudo mkdir /var/lib/monero

# create file for config
touch /var/lib/monero/monerod.conf

# set permissions to service account
sudo chown -R monero:monero /var/lib/monero
sudo chown -R monero:monero /var/log/monero

Download the latest monero node binaries.

cd $HOME
wget –content-disposition https://downloads.getmonero.org/cli/linux64

Verify the download hash signature.

#download latest hashes.txt file
wget https://www.getmonero.org/downloads/hashes.txt

#search hashes.txt file for the computed sha256sum
grep -e $(sha256sum monero-linux-x64-*.tar.bz2) hashes.txt

A match appears and this confirms the file is valid.

Example output:

hashes.txt:b544452c5281970c6137c27dd11102fe6d4c9230bc37d81545b2f36c16e7d476 monero-linux-x64-v0.17.1.8.tar.bz2

Extract tar and copy to /usr/local/bin

tar -xvf monero-linux-x64-*.tar.bz2
sudo mv monero-x86_64-linux-gnu-*/* /usr/local/bin
sudo chown -R monero:monero /usr/local/bin/monero*

Cleanup files.

rm monero-linux-x64-*.tar.bz2
rm hashes.txt
rm -rf monero-x86_64-linux-gnu-*/

Configure your Monero Node with a config file.

sudo nano /var/lib/monero/monerod.conf

Add this to the file.

#blockchain data / log locations
data-dir=/var/lib/monero
log-file=/var/log/monero/monero.log

#log options
log-level=0
max-log-file-size=0 # Prevent monerod from managing the log files; we want logrotate to take care of that

# P2P full node
p2p-bind-ip=0.0.0.0 # Bind to all interfaces (the default)
p2p-bind-port=18080 # Bind to default port
public-node=true # Advertises the RPC-restricted port over p2p peer lists

# rpc settings
rpc-restricted-bind-ip=0.0.0.0
rpc-restricted-bind-port=18089

# i2p settings
tx-proxy=i2p,127.0.0.1:8060

# node settings
prune-blockchain=true
db-sync-mode=safe # Slow but reliable db writes
enforce-dns-checkpointing=true
enable-dns-blocklist=true # Block known-malicious nodes
no-igd=true # Disable UPnP port mapping
no-zmq=true # ZMQ configuration

# bandwidth settings
out-peers=32 # This will enable much faster sync and tx awareness; the default 8 is suboptimal nowadays
in-peers=32 # The default is unlimited; we prefer to put a cap on this
limit-rate-up=1048576 # 1048576 kB/s == 1GB/s; a raise from default 2048 kB/s; contribute more to p2p network
limit-rate-down=1048576 # 1048576 kB/s == 1GB/s; a raise from default 8192 kB/s; allow for faster initial sync

Configuration File Comments