Why Run Your Own Node?

When you use someone else's node (like a wallet company's server), you trust them to tell you the truth about your balance and transactions.

When you run your own node, you:

• Verify every transaction yourself
• Don't trust any company to tell you what's real
• Support the Bitcoin network directly

• Independence — no foreign company between you and Bitcoin
• Privacy — your node checks transactions locally, not through a third party
• Resilience — if services go down, your node still works
• Education — you see how Bitcoin really works under the hood

No. You can hold bitcoin and use wallets without running a node. But running one is the gold standard of sovereignty — the difference between using a bank app and owning the bank's ledger yourself.

• A computer or Raspberry Pi (always on, or most of the day)
• Stable internet (home broadband works well in Indian cities)
• ~600 GB storage for a full node (or less for pruned — covered next)
• Patience for initial sync (hours to days depending on setup)