Don't trust us. Check it.
A full node checks every transaction and block against the rules, on your own hardware, with nobody in the loop. Run one and you stop taking anyone's word for the state of the chain — you know it, because you checked it.
What a node buys you
Check your own balance
Your node holds the full UTXO set. Stop asking a block explorer what you own — ask your own node, and know the answer is right.
Enforce the rules yourself
Bad signature, double spend, oversized block — your node throws it out. It makes that call on its own, not because another node told it to.
Strengthen the network
Every node makes the chain harder to censor or rewrite. Your transactions hit the peer-to-peer network directly — no intermediary gets to quietly drop them.
Mine to your own node
Point your miner at your own node and you build on a chain you checked yourself — not on some remote endpoint you don't control and can't see inside.
Use the read-only API
The node serves a local REST API for block and transaction queries. Build tools, scripts, and integrations against your own chain data — no rate limits, no third party to depend on.
API reference →Relay transactions
A node passes valid transactions along to its peers. More honest relays means a legitimate transaction reaches miners faster and confirms sooner.
No special hardware
A plain, everyday machine does the job. MoonBite is early, so the chain is still small.
Hardware
Any halfway modern desktop, laptop, or small server. Day to day the node runs light. Initial block download (IBD) works it harder, but that's a one-time cost.
Disk
Chain data grows as the network ages. On a young chain the footprint is tiny. An SSD makes IBD noticeably faster, but a plain hard drive gets there too.
Bandwidth
Steady broadband is all it takes. Usage scales with your peer count and how much traffic flows through — under normal conditions it's a light load, not a firehose.
Ports
Open the default peer-to-peer port to the internet if you want to take inbound connections and give back to the network. Prefer to stay firewalled? A node behind NAT still validates every block locally.
Operating system
Linux (WSL included), macOS, and Windows all work. The reference implementation carries Litecoin Core lineage and builds cleanly on every one of them.
Uptime
A node earns its keep by staying online, but even part-time uptime helps the peer-to-peer graph. Restart it and it picks up where it left off — no resync from zero.
How to run a node
The full step-by-step lives in the developer docs and the README. Here's the quick lay of the land.
1 — Get the software
Clone or download the MoonBite Core source from GitHub, or grab a pre-built binary from releases. Check the checksum before you run a single thing.
MoonBite Core on GitHub →2 — Read the README
Build dependencies, config options, and how to start on mainnet, testnet, or regtest — it's all in the README. Start on regtest to break things safely before you join the live network.
README.txt →3 — Configure and start
A tiny config file is enough to get moving — the developer docs have an annotated example. Once it starts, the node finds peers, pulls the chain, and starts validating.
Developer setup guide →4 — Query your node
Once it's synced, the local REST API answers block and transaction queries. Point the MoonBite wallet at your own node and you stop leaning on the public seed node entirely.
API reference →Start the node, query the API
Illustrative only. Real flags and paths depend on your build and config — the README is the reference that counts.
./moonbited -testnet -daemon
# Check sync status via the read-only REST API (local node)
curl http://127.0.0.1:19444/api/status
# Query a block by height
curl http://127.0.0.1:19444/api/block/1
# Query the UTXO balance for an address
curl http://127.0.0.1:19444/api/address/tmoon1youraddresshere
Everything you need
Docs, source, and design records. Read before you run.
Developer docs
Setup guide, API reference, and how to contribute — all in the developer section.
Read the docs →MoonBite Core
The reference node. Source, releases, and issue tracker, all in one place.
MoonBite Core →Design records (ADRs)
Every major protocol and design choice, written down and reasoned out. Worth reading if you're going to run a node.
Browse ADRs →Get told when a new node release ships
One email per MoonBite Core release. No marketing, no price talk, ever.
We'll only email you about the exchange listing. No price predictions, no spam.