Files
tri-pi/BOOTSTRAP.md
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Krystie 241fc68495
Watch Upstream triangles_v5 / Check for New Releases (push) Has been cancelled
Simplify BOOTSTRAP.md - focus on user installation only
Removed:
- Snapshot creation instructions (handled automatically server-side)
- Hosting instructions (not relevant to Pi users)
- Maintenance schedules (internal infrastructure)

Kept:
- Why bootstrap is useful
- Installation instructions
- What gets downloaded
- Security notes
- Troubleshooting

Docs now focus purely on end-user Pi setup experience.
2026-04-01 12:33:16 -07:00

2.4 KiB

TRI-PI Blockchain Bootstrap

Fast-sync your Raspberry Pi node with pre-synced blockchain data.

Why Use Bootstrap?

Without bootstrap:

  • Sync from genesis block (block 0)
  • Takes days/weeks on Raspberry Pi
  • Heavy CPU/disk usage during sync
  • Network bandwidth intensive

With bootstrap:

  • Start from latest block height
  • Ready to mine in minutes
  • Minimal resource usage
  • Download current blockchain snapshot

Installation

The TRI-PI installer offers automatic blockchain bootstrap during setup:

curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/SamiAhmed7777/tri-pi/main/bootstrap.sh | bash

When prompted, choose option 1 to download the pre-synced blockchain.

What Gets Downloaded

The bootstrap package includes:

  • blk*.dat - Blockchain data files
  • database/ - Block index
  • txleveldb/ - Transaction index
  • smsgDB/ - Secure messaging database
  • peers.dat - Known peer cache
  • smsg.ini - Messaging config

Not included (for security):

  • wallet.dat - Your wallet is created fresh on first run
  • debug.log - Generated during operation
  • onion/ - Hidden service keys generated automatically
  • tor_data/ - Tor state regenerated on startup

After Installation

Start your node:

trianglesd

Check synchronization status:

trianglesd getinfo

The blockchain will continue syncing from the bootstrap snapshot's block height to the current network tip.

First Run

On first startup, trianglesd will:

  1. Load the bootstrap blockchain data
  2. Generate a fresh wallet.dat
  3. Create Tor hidden service keys
  4. Begin syncing remaining blocks
  5. Connect to the network via onion seeds

Tip: Watch sync progress with:

watch -n5 'trianglesd getinfo | grep blocks'

Security Notes

  1. Fresh wallet - Always generated locally, never downloaded
  2. Verify source - Only use bootstrap from trusted URLs
  3. Network sync - Remaining blocks verified via network consensus
  4. Regular updates - Bootstrap snapshot updated weekly

Troubleshooting

If bootstrap download fails:

  • Installer automatically falls back to full sync from genesis
  • You can manually download and extract:
    cd ~/.triangles
    curl -O http://194.233.88.206:8085/triangles-bootstrap.tar.gz
    tar xzf triangles-bootstrap.tar.gz
    

Snapshot too old?

  • No problem! Your node will sync the remaining blocks automatically
  • This is still much faster than syncing from block 0