It's always good to verify technical information with multiple sources, especially when it comes to something as critical as Bitcoin Core node configuration. The settings mentioned earlier are indeed relevant to memory and block handling, but let's dive deeper to ensure completeness and accuracy.
### Key Configuration Settings for Stale Blocks
1. **`dbcache`**: This setting controls the amount of RAM allocated to the database cache. A higher value can improve performance but will use more memory.
```ini
dbcache=1024
```
2. **`maxmempool`**: This setting determines the maximum size of the memory pool for unconfirmed transactions. This indirectly affects memory usage.
```ini
maxmempool=300
```
3. **`maxorphantx`**: This setting specifies the maximum number of orphan transactions that the node will keep in memory.
```ini
maxorphantx=100
```
4. **`blockreconstructionextratxn`**: This parameter specifies the number of extra transactions to keep in memory for block reconstruction.
```ini
blockreconstructionextratxn=100
```
5. **`prune`**: If you are running a pruned node, this setting controls the amount of disk space used for storing block data.
```ini
prune=550
```
6. **`maxconnections`**: This setting determines the maximum number of inbound and outbound connections.
```ini
maxconnections=125
```
### Additional Considerations
- **`stale block retention`**: While there isn't a specific configuration setting that directly controls the retention period of stale blocks, the overall memory management and performance tuning of your node will impact how long stale blocks are kept.
- **`txindex`**: If you require a full transaction index, enabling this will increase memory and disk usage.
```ini
txindex=1
```
- **`mempoolexpiry`**: This setting controls how long transactions are kept in the mempool before they are expired.
```ini
mempoolexpiry=72
```
### Documentation and Expert Confirmation
For the most accurate and detailed information, always refer to the [Bitcoin Core documentation](https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/tree/master/doc) and consider reaching out to experienced developers in the community. Forums like Bitcoin Stack Exchange and the Bitcoin Core GitHub repository are excellent places to get expert advice.
### Final Thoughts
The settings provided are a good starting point, but the actual performance and behavior can vary based on your specific hardware and network conditions. Monitoring your node's performance and making incremental adjustments is the best approach.
If anyone else has more insights or corrections, feel free to chime in!