Metered internet access.
I have a DIY laptop, running a full Bitcoin node.
Roughly how much data is currently (Jan 2025) required each and every month for a Bitcoin full node to be connected and available 24/7?
Are there any other services that also require a lot of data? Like Monero?
Is there a rule of thumb for figuring this out in the future? For example: 5% of the full node size, or similar? 600GB was a lot = half of my monthly limit, which I’m now concerned about hitting, depending on how much it will use each day moving forward.
Unfortunately, there’s no way I’m paying extra just to get the extra 50GB+ a day to support the BTC network.
I really wish that that type of data requirement info was in the DIY guide in the first place, as one of the basic requirements to even do this: Start9 | DIY x86
I probably would not have done all the work and sacrificed the machine to get it set up. Then again, if I can figure out how to limit it to connecting to the blockchain just part of the day, or the last week of the month, then I guess it’s ok.
And I can use it for many of the other services too I suppose.
It’s important to remember that StartOS is an operating system designed to run on a home server. It’s not a Bitcoin node specifically. Services that people choose to run on their server will have different bandwidth requirements. And those requirements might depend on how you choose to use it. For example, if you run Nextcloud and only sync on the LAN, you won’t use much WAN bandwidth. But if you have a laptop that connects over Tor, so that you can sync remotely, your WAN bandwidth may be substantial, as all of your sync files will traverse the WAN.
Yes thank you for the additional clarification.
So that I’m clear on the specifics, I think you mean that:
If the laptop is downloading from anywhere remotely (using someone else’s connection/bandwidth outside my home network) then I would still be using my own home ISP bandwidth for my home server to be uploading it. One data charge.
And if for some reason I am downloading files on the laptop while on my home network: if I use Tor to do so, then the laptop is going out and hopping all over the world just to connect back home, and would actually be using double my ISP data: once for server side to upload out into the Tor network, and then the same amount of data again for the download from the Tor network to the laptop. Double data charge.
Yes. Any new files you add to your laptop in this situation will be uploaded to your home server. Nextcloud has a feature called virtual files, which allows files on your server to appear available on your laptop without being downloaded until you attempt to open them. In this case, if you open a file stored in Nextcloud, it may need to be downloaded on demand. This means that your home server will need to upload the file across your WAN to deliver it to you.
This is correct. If you’ve configured your laptop to connect to Nextcloud remotely, the only currently supported method is through Tor. In this case, if you have enough storage space on your laptop to hold all your files, it’s advisable to first connect Nextcloud to the .local address with virtual files disabled. Once the synchronization is complete, you can then switch the connection to the Tor .onion address. There isn’t a convenient way to toggle between Tor and LAN, so after this, you’ll likely want to keep it configured to use Tor all the time, even when you’re on the LAN.
The reason I shifted the conversation is to illustrate that the bandwidth requirements for Bitcoin (or any other service you choose to run) are not the same as the bandwidth requirements for StartOS. I’m drawing a distinction between the operating system, the services, and how one might choose to use them in relation to bandwidth requirements.
I appreciate you sharing the extra info here in the “shifted conversation” too, since I can still try to put StartOS to good use.
My Netgear router already allows me to plug in a USB drive, and offer it to the network as centralize storage, and even remotely too. So, I will have to research how it works within/out of my VPN, and any other security concerns (ISP, NetGear, etc)