Yes, a typical home set up is a dedicated computer as a "node" that is running bitcoin core and an indexer of the blockchain like electrum server. You then use a wallet like Sparrow on a laptop. You enter your nodes local ip address or a tor onion address into Sparrow. Then your wallet information will be using your node's copy of bitcoin to validate your uxtos.
Can you “remotely” connect an on-chain wallet (either on mobile, like BlueWallet, or on desktop, like with a hardware wallet + Sparrow) to a Bitcoin Core node (full or pruned) on a separate computer?
I have to believe you can, because you’re connecting to *some* node every time you use the wallet, but by default you’re just using the wallet service provider’s node.
In Sparrow you can choose a few others, like Bitaroo and nostr:npub1tr4dstaptd2sp98h7hlysp8qle6mw7wmauhfkgz3rmxdd8ndprusnw2y5g. But how do you connected it to your own node on a different device? Or to your Uncle Jim’s node? Or be Uncle Jim for your friends & fam, and connect their wallet to your node? Is it different if the node runs over Tor?
Many questions. Perhaps someone could point me in the right direction in terms of resources around nodes?
There is always more to learn and I fucking love it. Hope you’ve all had a stellar weekend, nostriches 🫂💜🤙
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Discussion
Thanks, that’s what I was going for!
How would one locate their node’s unique IP or Onion address?
You can use the local IP of the machine running Bitcoin core + Electrum (Electrs), which we call a Bircoin node. It works when you are at home. If you need acces outside your home you can VPN to your home using Wireguard, Tailscale or OpenVPN.
With Tailscale you can even tunnel only to your Bitcoin node machine without access to the rest of your network, depending on what you are looking for and which security level you accept.
Thanks! I see there’s much for me to learn here (that’s a good thing) 🫡
Do you know how a wallet like sparrow is able to “find” a node like Seth’s? Ie does it use one of the methods you listed above, just under the hood, or is there a different way it comnects?
I don't know what is Seth's, sorry.