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Basic Development

Time to get your hands dirty. This section covers the practical foundations every Bitcoin developer needs: running a node, understanding networks, and performing basic wallet operations.

Bitcoin Node​

Installation​

Refer to our environment setup guides for detailed installation instructions:

bitcoin-cli Basics​

bitcoin-cli is the command-line interface for interacting with your Bitcoin node:

# Check node status
bitcoin-cli getblockchaininfo

# Get network info
bitcoin-cli getnetworkinfo

# Get peer info
bitcoin-cli getpeerinfo

# Get mempool info
bitcoin-cli getmempoolinfo

bitcoin.conf​

The configuration file controls your node's behavior. Key options:

# Network (uncomment one)
#testnet=1
#regtest=1

# RPC settings
rpcuser=youruser
rpcpassword=yourpassword
server=1

# Performance
dbcache=450
maxmempool=300

# Pruning (save disk space)
#prune=1000

Networks​

Bitcoin has three networks, each serving a different purpose:

Mainnet​

The real Bitcoin network where transactions have actual monetary value.

  • Use for: Production applications, real payments
  • Never use for: Testing or experiments
  • Port: 8333

Testnet​

A public test network with worthless test coins. Behaves like mainnet but with free coins from faucets.

  • Use for: Integration testing, testing with other developers
  • Coins: Free from faucets (no monetary value)
  • Port: 18333
  • Current version: Testnet4
# Start node on testnet
bitcoind -testnet
bitcoin-cli -testnet getblockchaininfo

Regtest (Regression Testing)​

A local, private network where you control everything. You can mine blocks instantly and create transactions at will.

  • Use for: Local development, unit testing, rapid iteration
  • Coins: Mine your own instantly
  • Port: 18444
# Start regtest node
bitcoind -regtest

# Create a wallet
bitcoin-cli -regtest createwallet "dev"

# Generate an address
bitcoin-cli -regtest getnewaddress

# Mine 101 blocks (first 100 are immature, block 101 makes first coinbase spendable)
bitcoin-cli -regtest generatetoaddress 101 <your-address>

# Check balance
bitcoin-cli -regtest getbalance

Regtest is your best friend as a developer. Use it for all local experimentation.

Basic Wallet Operations​

Creating and Managing Wallets​

# Create a new wallet
bitcoin-cli -regtest createwallet "mywallet"

# List wallets
bitcoin-cli -regtest listwallets

# Get wallet info
bitcoin-cli -regtest getwalletinfo

Addresses​

# Generate a new receiving address
bitcoin-cli -regtest getnewaddress

# Generate a specific address type
bitcoin-cli -regtest getnewaddress "" "bech32"    # bc1q... (SegWit)
bitcoin-cli -regtest getnewaddress "" "bech32m"   # bc1p... (Taproot)
bitcoin-cli -regtest getnewaddress "" "legacy"    # 1...    (P2PKH)

Sending Transactions​

# Send to an address
bitcoin-cli -regtest sendtoaddress <address> 0.5

# Send with specific fee rate (sat/vB)
bitcoin-cli -regtest -named sendtoaddress address=<address> amount=0.5 fee_rate=10

# Get transaction details
bitcoin-cli -regtest gettransaction <txid>

# Decode a raw transaction
bitcoin-cli -regtest decoderawtransaction <hex>

Exploring Transactions​

# List recent transactions
bitcoin-cli -regtest listtransactions

# List unspent outputs (UTXOs)
bitcoin-cli -regtest listunspent

# Get raw transaction data
bitcoin-cli -regtest getrawtransaction <txid> true

What's Next?​

With these fundamentals under your belt, you're ready to choose a specialization track:

  • Protocol Developer — Dive into Bitcoin Core internals
  • Application Developer — Build wallets and apps
  • Infrastructure Developer — Create explorers and APIs (coming soon)
  • Mining Developer — Develop mining software (coming soon)

Check the Types of Developers page to help you decide.