Initial block download
A new node's rite of passage: verifying every block since 2009, once.
In plain words
A full node's first act: download Bitcoin's entire history and check it, block by block, back to 2009. Nothing on faith. It takes hours to days, depending on hardware and connection — hundreds of gigabytes, every one verified. It happens once. Afterward the node keeps pace, one block roughly every ten minutes. The long first sync is the honest price of trusting no one.
Why it matters
- It ends with your own verified copy of history. Paid once, owned forever.
- The price is real, and it buys the real thing: proof.
- Apps that "sync in seconds" skipped the checking. That is the difference.
Numbers that matter
- 2009 — where the checking starts: the genesis block.
Go deeper
Updated 2026-07-29