How to Run a Monero Node on a VPS

Running your own Monero node means you verify the blockchain yourself, broadcast transactions without trusting a stranger's server, and stop leaking your wallet activity to third-party remote nodes — and a VPS is the cleanest way to keep it online 24/7.

Why run your own Monero node

Most wallets default to a public remote node run by someone else. That node sees every request your wallet makes and can correlate your IP, timing, and the block range your wallet scans.

A node you control removes that middleman. You get authoritative validation, faster and more private wallet syncing, and the ability to serve your own devices from anywhere.

What kind of VPS you actually need

Monero's chain is large and grows steadily. The single most important resource is disk, followed by RAM and a stable connection — CPU matters mainly during the initial sync.

For an offshore, unmetered box with the disk headroom a growing chain needs, a privacy-focused VPS is a natural fit — ChainVPS offshore VPS plans are prepaid, no-KYC, and come with unmetered bandwidth so a busy node never runs into an overage.

Pruned vs full node

A full node stores the entire blockchain. A pruned node keeps all block headers and the data needed to validate, but discards most historical ring member data it no longer needs to serve.

• Pruned node: roughly one-third the disk, validates just as strictly, and can still serve wallets — ideal for a lean VPS.
• Full node: keeps everything, useful if you want to serve pruned peers or run archival tooling.
• For a personal or wallet-serving node, pruned is the sensible default and saves you the most on storage.

Step-by-step: install and run monerod

1. 1

   Provision the VPS

   Spin up a Debian or Ubuntu box that meets the specs above. SSH in and create a non-root user for the daemon.

2. 2

   Harden first

   Update packages, enable a firewall (allow SSH plus 18080/18081), and set up key-only SSH before you expose anything.

3. 3

   Download the official binaries

   Get the CLI tools from getmonero.org and verify the GPG signature and hashes against the signed hashes file. Never skip verification.

4. 4

   Extract and place monerod

   Unpack the archive and move monerod into /usr/local/bin so it is on your PATH.

5. 5

   Create a data directory

   Make a dedicated folder like /var/lib/monero owned by your daemon user, and point the node there so data lives on your big disk.

6. 6

   Write a config file

   Create monerod.conf with your data-dir, log settings, pruning flag, and RPC binding. A config file beats a long command line and survives restarts.

7. 7

   Run under systemd

   Create a systemd service so the node starts on boot, restarts on failure, and runs unprivileged. Enable and start it.

8. 8

   Watch the initial sync

   Tail the log or run status in monerod. Initial sync takes hours to a day depending on disk speed; let it finish before relying on the node.

A minimal monerod.conf

• data-dir=/var/lib/monero — keep the DB on your large volume
• prune-blockchain=1 — run pruned to save disk
• log-file=/var/log/monero/monerod.log and log-level=0
• rpc-bind-ip=127.0.0.1 and rpc-bind-port=18081 — keep RPC local unless you deliberately publish it
• p2p-bind-port=18080 — the peer-to-peer port that keeps you connected
• no-igd=1 and enable-dns-blocklist=1 — skip UPnP on a VPS and drop known-bad peers

Connecting your wallet to your node

Once synced, point your wallet's daemon address at your node. Do it privately — a plaintext RPC port on the open internet defeats the purpose of running your own node.

Running an offshore or public node

You can help the network by serving others through the restricted RPC port 18089, which only exposes what a wallet needs and hides sensitive operations.

• Use --public-node and --rpc-restricted-bind-port=18089 to advertise a restricted endpoint.
• Consider running over Tor or I2P so your node's location isn't tied to your identity — privacy networks are first-class in Monero.
• Rate-limit and firewall carefully; a public node invites traffic and the occasional abusive peer.

Keeping the node healthy

• Update monerod promptly around network upgrades — an outdated node can fork off and stop validating correctly.
• Monitor disk usage; the chain only grows, so alert before the volume fills.
• Back up your monerod.conf and systemd unit, not the blockchain — the chain re-syncs from peers.
• Check peer count and sync height periodically so you notice a stalled or isolated node early.