How I run my own Full Litecoin node in my HomeLab

Disclaimer: I have decided to run a Litecoin node because I own some LTC and I prefer to verify the cryptocurrency I use on my own terms. I also own BTC and ETH and run nodes for them too. While there are various types of nodes for different cryptocurrencies, I won't delve into the technical details here. However, I may write a post in the future about how I do it. I have attempted to run several other nodes even Solana but their requirements were too demanding for my homelab setup.

Hello everyone, today I want to share with you how I successfully set up my own Full Litecoin node on Debian 11 (Windows is easier via GUI but I like Linux CLI ^-^). By running your own node, you can directly interact with the Litecoin network and verify transactions, making it a valuable tool for any cryptocurrency enthusiast.

My Litecoin Node running in My HomeLab Hypervisor setup and forget :)

Requirements I use:

• Debian 11 installed on your system or a Virtual Machine
• At least 150GB of available space if you want to run a Full node
• A stable internet connection
• Basic knowledge of the command line

Installation:

Optional: you can also download the official binary from the Litecoin releases page so no compilation required.

1. Open your terminal and update your system packages:

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sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y sudo apt install build-essential libtool autotools-dev automake pkg-config bsdmainutils curl git libssl-dev libevent-dev libboost-system-dev libboost-filesystem-dev libboost-chrono-dev libboost-program-options-dev libboost-test-dev libboost-thread-dev libdb-dev libdb++-dev libminiupnpc-dev libzmq3-dev -y 

1. Clone the Litecoin source code from Github:

   git clone https://github.com/litecoin-project/litecoin.git

2. Build and install Litecoin:

   cd litecoin ./autogen.sh ./configure make sudo make install

Configuration

1. Create the Litecoin data directory:

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mkdir ~/.litecoin 

1. Add the following lines to the litecoin.conf file:

   nano ~/.litecoin/litecoin.conf

And write this;

rpcuser=<your username> rpcpassword=<your password> daemon=1 listen=1 server=1 rpcallowip=127.0.0.1 rpcport=9332 testnet=0 

Replace <your username> and <your password> with your preferred values.

1. Save and close the litecoin.conf file.

2. Create a litecoin.service

   sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/litecoin.service

and write this (change user by your Debian user):

[Unit] Description=Litecoin Core After=network.target [Service] Type=simple User=user ExecStart=/home/user/litecoin/bin/litecoind [Install] WantedBy=multi-user.target 

and reload systemd services and enable litecoin.service with:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload sudo systemctl enable litecoin 

Running the Litecoin Node

1. Start the Litecoin daemon:

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sudo systemctl start litecoin 

1. To check the status of the Litecoin service, run:

   systemctl status litecoin

you will see the following:

My running litecoin.service

Me verifying a block with my own Full node

As you can see from the output above, the Litecoin node is running as expected. It's actively connected to the Litecoin network and is receiving new blocks and transactions in real time. This provides me with a high level of confidence in the security and accuracy of my Litecoin transactions.

In conclusion, setting up your own crypto node may require a bit of extra effort, but the benefits are well worth it. By compiling the software yourself, you can ensure that your node is secure and trustworthy. And by running your own node, you can directly interact with the Litecoin network and verify transactions, giving you a deeper understanding and appreciation of the underlying technology.