Whats the best configuration for knots ?

[thmsmullee]

I have following configuration, but my mempool is empty, no transactions are beeing relayed:

datacarrier=1
datacarriersize=42
permitbaremultisig=0
rejectunknownscripts=1
rejectparasites=1
txreconciliation=1
dustrelayfee=546
rejectnonstdoutputs=1
#minrelaytxfee=0.00000500
rejectabsurdfee=1
blocksonly=1

[BeastOfBodmin]

I would like to know the same thing. bitcoin.conf seems to be a black art.

[luke-jr]

dustrelayfee=546

This means 546 BTC per kvB... Nobody is going to pay fees anywhere close to that.

blocksonly=1

This disables your mempool entirely.

[JacobwLyman]

Here is an example bitcoin.conf file configuration that might be a useful reference for anyone else asking themselves this same question:

# --- Basic behavior ---
server=1 # Enable JSON-RPC server (needed to interact with the node via CLI or apps)
listen=0 # Do not accept inbound peer connections (outbound only)
discover=0 # Do not advertise local addresses to peers (extra privacy)
upnp=0 # Disable UPnP port mapping (prevents automatic router exposure)
maxconnections=12 # Limit total peer connections (default is higher; this reduces resource usage)
blocksonly=1 # Only accept/relay block data, not transactions (saves bandwidth, extra privacy)

# --- Networking / Tor-only mode ---
onlynet=onion # Only connect to peers over Tor (.onion addresses)
proxy=127.0.0.1:9050 # Use local Tor daemon as proxy
dnsseed=0 # Disable DNS seeding for peer discovery (avoids leaking queries outside Tor)

# --- Resource usage ---
dbcache=4096 # Database cache size in MB (improves performance if you have RAM available)
par=3 # Use 3 script verification threads (parallel validation, balances CPU load)
maxmempool=150 # Limit mempool size to 150 MB (prevents RAM overuse by unconfirmed txs)

# --- Miscellaneous ---
softwareexpiry=0 # Disable software auto-expiry warnings (useful if running long-term)

[walkjivefly]

I would argue this it too restrictive for general use. Especially if you plan on running a local miner as well.

You're not accepting inbound connections,
You're not participating in transaction relay (so any filters you define will do absolutely nothing),
You don't need such a large dbcache after completing IBD,
Your smaller than average mempool is always going to be empty except for your own transactions

IMO it's too selfish and not really very helpful to the overall network health.

But, it's your node, you do you ;-)

[JacobwLyman]

Yep, this is just an example. However, this is a useful configuration for node runners that are trying to sync the blockchain quickly (and to avoid certain attacks when doing so). Configuration settings can then be re-adjusted from there.

[JacobwLyman]

@walkjivefly you're certainly right though that this is too selfish of a configuration for a node that wants to help support the overall network's health. Could you share a configuration that you would recommend to new node runners here?