TL;DR
With your own node, Sparrow asks your own copy of the blockchain about your wallet, and no outside server learns your addresses. A pruned Bitcoin Core node needs a spare computer, about 20 GB of disk and a day or more to sync.
What you gain
- Privacy: no outside server sees your addresses or balance.
- Independence: your node checks every block itself and doesn’t depend on anyone’s server staying online.
What it takes
| Pruned node | Full node | |
|---|---|---|
| Disk space | About 20 GB | Several hundred GB and growing |
| First sync | A day or more | A day or more |
| Can look up old wallet history | Only after the node’s prune point | Yes |
| Good for | A new wallet, set up after the node | Any wallet, any age |
A pruned node throws away old blocks after checking them. That’s fine for a wallet you create after the node is running. For a wallet that already has transactions, which is most wallets built with the guide, use an unpruned node. An Electrum server such as Fulcrum or electrs also needs an unpruned node.
Connecting Sparrow
- Install Bitcoin Core on a spare computer or home server and let it sync.
- In Sparrow, open File → Settings → Server and choose Bitcoin Core.
- Enter the node’s address and authentication, as described in the Sparrow documentation. On a separate machine, set
server=1,rpcbindandrpcallowipfor your home network only, and a username and password inbitcoin.conf. Never expose the RPC port to the internet. - Click Test Connection. Sparrow sets up a watch-only wallet in Bitcoin Core with your descriptor.
Ready-made options
Node packages such as Umbrel and Start9 bundle Bitcoin Core and an Electrum server with a web interface, which is easier if you don’t want to use the command line.
Related: Sparrow over Tor · advanced topics