# Run a Bitcoin full node on a VPS or dedicated server | NulNet

> A pruned node fits a VPS; archival wants a storage tier. Bitcoin Core install, NVMe sizing from 60 GB up, port 8333, and what your node verifies. No ID at.

Source: https://nulnet.com/guides/run-bitcoin-full-node/

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# Run a Bitcoin full node on a VPS or dedicated server

![NulNet Bitcoin node abstract: lattice and local NVMe slabs](https://nulnet.com/img/theme-bitcoin.png) A pruned node fits a VPS; archival wants a storage tier. Bitcoin Core install, NVMe sizing from 60 GB up, port 8333, and what your node verifies.

Published 2026-08-30 · Updated 2026-09-08 · NulNet Editorial

**Short answer** Prune to about 25 GB on Sentry's 60 GB NVMe, or move archival to a 1 TB storage tier at $24. Open 8333 for inbound peers; prune unless you need the archive.

NulNet: VPS from $3/mo and dedicated from $30.80/mo annual. The map spans twenty-one locations — Reykjavik (Iceland) and Zurich (Switzerland) among them, plus Singapore, Dubai, Cape Town and fourteen others. Signup is email plus a 12-character password, or token-only. No KYC. Checkout is crypto-only across BTC, XMR, ETH, BNB, SOL, LTC, TRX, XRP, DOGE, DASH, ADA, GRAM (TON), and USDT (TRC-20/ERC-20/BEP-20/SPL). No payload or guest traffic logs; connection metadata ≤24h. DDoS included. One SKN company, one crypto checkout. Deploy at https://nulnet.com/deploy/.

## Why run your own node

A full node checks every block against consensus rules itself, so wallet balances come from your own verification instead of an API's word. [Bitcoin Core](https://bitcoincore.org/en/download/) is the reference client; [Bitcoin Core: running a full node](https://bitcoin.org/en/full-node) is the operator's checklist for disk, prune depth, inbound peers and sync time. Hosting the node on rented KVM is ordinary practice; the invoice can be paid in any of sixteen coins.

VPS from $3* (fund $50+), storage 1–5 TB NVMe from $24/mo annual-eff, dedicated with IPMI from $30.80/mo. Crypto invoice, no KYC.

[Launch now](https://nulnet.com/deploy/?kind=vps&plan=business/)

## Size the disk first

Storage decides the tier, not CPU. A pruned node keeps roughly 25 GB of chainstate plus the mempool, which fits Sentry's 60 GB NVMe with room to spare; a deeper prune past 100 GB wants Ranger at 120 GB; an archival node at 700 GB and climbing belongs on the storage line, where 1 TB NVMe lists at $30 ($24 annual-eff) and the ladder runs to 5 TB. Put blocks and chainstate on local NVMe only — an initial block download over a network share takes days where local disk takes hours.

## The install, compressed

Playbook
- Pruned node: Sentry or Ranger. Deep prune or archival: Vanguard, Sentinel, or a storage tier — dedicated when whole-core sync matters.
- Install from [Bitcoin Core](https://bitcoincore.org/en/download/) and point blocks and chainstate at local NVMe. Never run the IBD against a network share.
- Open 8333 if you want inbound peers; an optional Tor onion covers P2P without publishing the address further.
- Bucharest or Reykjavik are common picks; Amsterdam when most of your peers cluster at EU exchanges.

## Inbound peers and Tor

Port 8333 is open by policy, and inbound peers are what turn a node from a client into infrastructure. Traffic never meters — the ceiling is the port speed, 1 Gbps at entry and multi-gigabit up the ladder. If the node should not advertise its location, a Tor onion carries P2P on the same box.

## Location and latency

Peer count barely notices geography; your own administration does. One list price covers all twenty-one flags — Iceland +20% and Switzerland +35% are the published exceptions — so the flag decision is law and latency, not the invoice. A node serving EU wallets syncs fastest from Bucharest or Amsterdam; a private node sits wherever the jurisdiction suits you.

## Payment and provisioning

The invoice takes any of sixteen coins — XMR when the rail should stay quiet, USDT-TRC20 when the dollar figure must not move — and the VPS images about a minute after the credit. Archival on dedicated metal bills on the same checkout: Shield through Citadel at $38.50–$298.50 list, annual-eff $30.80–$238.80, with IPMI handed over after 2–4 hours of racking. Companion reading: the [backup playbook](https://nulnet.com/guides/vps-backup-and-restore/).

Is a pruned node enough? For verifying your own wallet, yes — pruning keeps full validation while dropping old block files, around 25 GB retained on Sentry's 60 GB NVMe. Archival is a disk-and-time purchase: 1 TB storage at $24 annual-eff and patience for the initial download.

Can Lightning run on the same box? Yes — LND or CLN sit alongside bitcoind on any plan, and the routing workload wants RAM before CPU. Hosting invoices stay on-chain at layer 1; the Lightning workload page has the channel specifics.

How long does the initial sync take? Hours, not days, on local NVMe — the initial block download is a disk-before-CPU workload. IBD over a network share multiplies the wait and is the one setup mistake worth avoiding.

Does the node need a static IP? No. Outbound sync works from any address, and inbound peers reconnect to the network rather than to you personally. The stable IPv4 every plan ships with is a convenience for 8333 reachability, not a requirement.

Why not run the node at home? You can — a home node is a fine first node. A rented box adds unmetered multi-gigabit transit, uptime independent of your ISP, and an NVMe queue that survives the mempool's worst evenings; entry pricing is $6.00 annual-eff on Sentry.

## Primary sources

- [Bitcoin Core](https://bitcoincore.org/en/download/)
- [Bitcoin Core: running a full node](https://bitcoin.org/en/full-node)

## Related guides

- [Minimum-data no-KYC checkout](https://nulnet.com/guides/anonymous-vps-crypto-no-kyc/)
- [Buy a VPS with crypto](https://nulnet.com/buy-vps-with-crypto/)
- [No-KYC VPS: requirements and limits](https://nulnet.com/no-kyc-vps/)
- [Pay with Monero](https://nulnet.com/monero-vps/)
- [Offshore VPS](https://nulnet.com/offshore-vps/)
- [VPS vs dedicated bare-metal](https://nulnet.com/guides/vps-vs-dedicated/)
- [Best no-KYC VPS 2026](https://nulnet.com/best-no-kyc-vps-2026/)
- [FAQ: crypto VPS](https://nulnet.com/guides/faq-crypto-vps/)

## Checkout facts

- **Price** VPS from $3/mo. Dedicated from $30.80/mo.
- **Identity** No KYC. Token-only (no email) or email plus a 12-character password. No passport, phone, or card.
- **Payment** Sixteen ways to settle, none of them a card: XMR and BTC lead, ETH, SOL, LTC, BNB and TRX follow, then XRP, DOGE, DASH and ADA, GRAM (TON) for Telegram-adjacent rails, and USDT on four networks — TRC-20, ERC-20, BEP-20, SPL. Live-rate invoice.
- **Logs** No payload / no guest traffic logs. Billing and panel actions retained. Connection metadata ≤24h.
- **Platform** KVM on ECC and local NVMe. DDoS filtering included. Facilities in 21 cities across four continents — the locations table lists each one's tier, uplink and governing law. Need Iceland or Switzerland plus no KYC? Those two carry a published premium (+20% / +35%); every other flag stays at base list. Pay BTC, USDT, XMR, BNB, XRP, GRAM (TON) or 10 more. Open deploy to pick a plan.

## Ready to launch?

Build the box — VPS, storage or bare metal — create the password, pay the invoice that follows.

[Launch now](https://nulnet.com/deploy/?kind=vps&plan=business/)[Dedicated](https://nulnet.com/dedicated/)