diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index a6a1986..2d8a3dc 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -14,12 +14,80 @@ This appliance is designed for hobbyists, home miners, and small operations who --- ## Features -- 🧱 **Full or Pruned Node Support** — Select from 550 MB to full blockchain retention. -- ⚡ **Solo Mining with ckpool** — Connect ASICs directly via Stratum (`stratum+tcp://your-node:3333`). -- 🔒 **Secure HTTPS Interface** — Self-signed TLS certificate generated on first boot. -- 🧭 **Web Dashboard** — View node sync progress, service health, and pool status. -- 💰 **Optional Donation (Pool Fee)** — At your own discretion, donate from 0 – 5% of a block reward to Robbie Ferguson. -- 🧩 **Automatic Service Management** — Fully integrated systemd services for `bitcoind` and `ckpool`. +- 🧱 **Full or Pruned Node Support** - Select from 550 MB to full blockchain retention. +- ⚡ **Solo Mining with ckpool** - Connect ASICs directly via Stratum (`stratum+tcp://your-node:3333`). +- 🔒 **Secure HTTPS Interface** - Self-signed TLS certificate generated on first boot. +- 🧭 **Web Dashboard** - View node sync progress, service health, and pool status. +- 💰 **Optional Donation (Pool Fee)** - At your own discretion, donate from 0 – 5% of a block reward to Robbie Ferguson. +- 🧩 **Automatic Service Management** - Fully integrated systemd services for `bitcoind` and `ckpool`. + +--- + +## Why Run Your Own Node? + +Running your own Bitcoin node isn't just about mining - it's about taking part in something bigger. In fact, even if you are not mining at all, you can have a positive impact on the state of the Blockchain. + +When you run **your own node**, you take ownership of your mined rewards, your connection to the blockchain, and your role in Bitcoin's decentralized future. + +### 🧱 Keep the **Full Block Reward** +If you choose to contribute a small donation (default 2%), it goes directly to someone *you* support (Robbie Ferguson, Category5 Technology TV) not to an unknown middleman. You can choose to donate nothing and take **100% of the block reward** and transaction fees. Either way, you're never tied to giving a cut to a pool operator or hosting service, and you don't have to worry about whether you can trust that your reward could be stolen by the operator. +Your work, your blocks, your reward. + +### 🌍 Strengthen Bitcoin's Decentralization +Every independently operated node helps **distribute trust** across the Bitcoin network. +- When you run your own node, you're not just mining - you're **helping secure Bitcoin itself**. +- The more individual nodes around the world that validate blocks, the more resilient Bitcoin becomes to censorship, manipulation, and infrastructure attacks. +- Solo nodes like yours **decentralize both the blockchain and the miners**, reducing the control held by a handful of massive pool operators. + +Your node doesn't just serve you - it quietly strengthens the entire Bitcoin ecosystem. + +### 🧩 Avoid Centralization Through "Solo Pools" +Many so-called "solo pool" websites are causiong **centralization of mining endpoints**. +They may advertise independence, but in practice, they're just smaller pools with one node handling thousands of miners. +If that node goes down, gets censored, or acts maliciously, every connected miner is affected. +By running your own node, **you eliminate that dependency** - no shared risk, no trust required. + +### ⚡ Reduce Rejected Blocks and Stale Shares +When your miners talk directly to a local node, you benefit from **ultra-low latency**: +- Work updates reach your ASICs faster when a new block is found. +- Shares are submitted more quickly, reducing "stales." +- If you find a block, it propagates across the network faster - lowering the chance of it being orphaned. + +In solo mining, milliseconds matter. A nearby node (and it doesn't get much nearer than on the same LAN) means you're always working on the latest block template and broadcasting your success before others. + +### 🚀 Faster Syncs and Direct Verification +Your node downloads and verifies the blockchain directly - no third-party APIs or untrusted intermediaries. +Even with pruning enabled, you can maintain a fully validated chain without huge storage requirements. +Once synced, your appliance acts as a **self-contained, fully independent mining environment** - fast, efficient, and under your control. + +### 🔒 Transparency and Trust +By running your own node, you can inspect everything: block templates, fees, policies, and results. +No hidden logic, no mystery fees, and no trusting that a remote server "did the right thing." +You're not outsourcing trust - you're taking it back. + +### 💡 A Maker's Project for Tinkerers and Builders +Beyond the technical advantages, this project is just plain *fun*. +It's a **maker project** - something for the curious, the independent, and the technically minded. +You'll learn how Bitcoin actually works: +- How blocks are built, validated, and broadcast +- How the peer-to-peer network stays in consensus +- How mining fits into the bigger picture + +Running your own mining node gives you a direct, hands-on connection to the most revolutionary financial system ever built - and the satisfaction of knowing you're a working part of it. + +### 🧭 The Greater Good +Each new node, each independent miner, contributes to a stronger, fairer Bitcoin. +Your single device helps ensure that **no one entity controls** how blocks are created or verified. +You're not just mining - you're helping preserve Bitcoin's founding principle: **a decentralized system owned and maintained by its users**. + +### 🎯 In Summary +If you've ever wanted to truly **mine on your own terms**, this appliance makes it possible - safely, securely, and simply. +Run your own node. +Own your rewards. +Strengthen the network. +Be part of Bitcoin's foundation. + +This project exists to make that possible - and to make it *fun*. --- @@ -35,7 +103,7 @@ When installation completes: 1. Open your browser to `https:///activate/` 2. Create your admin credentials (used for web access and RPC) 3. Optionally regenerate your HTTPS certificate -4. You’ll be redirected to the dashboard once activation is complete +4. You'll be redirected to the dashboard once activation is complete ---