Published on: 2017-05-08T22:15:48+00:00
A proposal was made on the bitcoin-dev mailing list regarding the downloading of the blockchain from full nodes. The proposal suggests that full nodes should advertise a bitcoin address for users to send a tip to the peers that served them. It is recommended that a tip of 10mbit should suffice. This approach aims to incentivize users to contribute to the peers that provided them with blockchain data.However, there are concerns that this could create a barrier for hosting one's own full node, as users would have to pay $15 just to obtain a copy of the blockchain. In response to this concern, the proposal suggests that full nodes can require a tip for downloading the blockchain. In this case, users who do not specify a tip amount would not be able to use these nodes. The intention behind this requirement is to encourage stable nodes to remain online for longer periods and discourage "installation spam" attacks on the network.It is important to note that adding a cost to the blockchain could potentially lead to centralization, as most users are likely to download the blockchain from a node that does not enforce a tip requirement. This raises questions about the long-term implications of the proposal.The proposal also highlights that if a user downloads the blockchain from a full node that requires a tip, they should receive their money back and more as long as the full node remains online. This creates an incentive for quality, long-term hosting of full nodes.If successful, this approach could pave the way for considering fees for other node operations in the future. However, further discussion and consideration are required to address the potential centralization issues and ensure the effectiveness of this proposed system.
Updated on: 2023-08-01T20:32:49.383275+00:00