Migrating a Bitcoin Core Full Node to AnubizHost
Bitcoin nodes need disk, bandwidth, and a host that doesn't get spooked by crypto-related traffic. AnubizHost offshore VPS and dedicated lines are explicitly crypto-friendly. This guide walks through moving an existing Bitcoin Core node, with blockchain data, wallet, and optional Tor onion service intact.
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Plan Storage and Bandwidth
Bitcoin blockchain in 2026 is ~600GB and growing. Plan for 1TB minimum on the target. Pruned nodes can run on 50GB but lose historical query capability. AnubizHost Bitcoin Full Node product at $140/mo is purpose-sized for this workload; alternatively use storage VPS with appropriate disk.
Bandwidth: a full node serves blocks to peers and can use 100+ GB/month outbound. AnubizHost includes generous bandwidth at the relevant tiers.
Stop Source Node and Copy Blockchain
On source: stop bitcoind cleanly with bitcoin-cli stop. Wait for shutdown. Rsync the data directory:
rsync -avHAX --info=progress2 \
/var/lib/bitcoind/ root@NEW_IP:/var/lib/bitcoind/For 600GB over the public internet at 500 Mbps, this takes ~3 hours. Alternative: AnubizHost can mail you a USB drive with synced blockchain to speed initial sync - useful for very large or slow-link migrations.
Wallet Migration and Security
If the source has a wallet.dat (encrypted Bitcoin Core wallet), copy it carefully. Encrypted wallet is fine to rsync. Unencrypted wallet should be encrypted first or moved out-of-band via age or gpg.
On target, install bitcoind matching the source version: apt install bitcoind. Configure bitcoin.conf to point at the rsynced data directory. Start the node: systemctl start bitcoind. Verify with bitcoin-cli getblockchaininfo.
Tor Onion Service Migration
If running an onion service, copy the Tor hidden_service directory (containing hostname and private key). This preserves the same .onion address. Install tor on target: apt install tor. Add HiddenServiceDir entry to torrc matching source. Start tor.
Why Offshore for Bitcoin Nodes
Bitcoin nodes attract surveillance attention in various jurisdictions. AnubizHost offshore (Iceland, Romania) gives jurisdictional protection plus crypto-only billing for the node hosting itself. Related reading: crypto node hosting, Monero node migration, anonymous hosting.
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