<blockquote>
  <p>Start with the infamous bitcoin.conf which doesn't exist and nobody knows exactly how it should come into existence. </p>
</blockquote>

<p>Well, I know. </p>

<p>It should come into existence by you creating it with a text editor in your <code>datadir</code> directory, if you wish to do so.  It's completely optional.  If there are command line options you want to use every time without having to specify them (such as <code>-txindex=1</code>), you can put them into <code>bitcoin.conf</code>.  If you're happy continuing to give them on the command line, then there is no need for <code>bitcoin.conf</code> to exist at all.  </p>

<p>And now you know too.</p>

<hr>

<p>As for your other issue, if you use <code>getblockchaininfo</code> instead of <code>getinfo</code>, you'll get more detailed information.  Current versions of Bitcoin Core try to download block headers before getting the blocks themselves.  You'll see a <code>headers</code> field in <code>getblockchaininfo</code> which perhaps will be increasing.</p>

<p>Otherwise, any and all diagnostic information would be in a file called <code>debug.log</code> in your <code>datadir</code> directory.  Look at that file.  If it isn't self-explanatory, then you can post the last several lines of it in a question here, or to your other favorite Bitcoin support forum.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-01-21T13:48:22.037Z
I guess https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/pull/14057 is not yet in 0.17.1.
Tony
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-01-21T02:04:15.337Z
2019-01-21T02:04:15.337Z
Nate Eldredge
<p>I have been following Antonopoulos book but it seems to be outdated.</p>

<p>I am having elementary problems. Which command to run when, after I build bitcoind and bitcoin-cli. How am I to get blockchain to start downloading?</p>

<p>Start with the infamous bitcoin.conf which doesn't exist and nobody knows exactly how it should come into existence. </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>:~/.bitcoin$ bitcoind -datadir=/mnt/d/blockchain -txindex=1 -daemon
  Bitcoin server starting</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Ok, I assume it is now doing something, like downloading blocks.</p>

<p>But:</p>

<pre><code>~/bitcoin$ bitcoin-cli -datadir=/mnt/d/blockchain -getinfo
{
  "version": 170100,
  "protocolversion": 70015,
  "walletversion": null,
  "balance": null,
  "blocks": 0,
  "timeoffset": 0,
  "connections": 0,
  "proxy": "",
  "difficulty": 1,
  "testnet": false,
  "keypoololdest": null,
  "keypoolsize": null,
  "paytxfee": null,
  "relayfee": 0.00001000,
  "warnings": ""
}
</code></pre>

<p>implies that nothing is going on. Nothing is being downloaded.</p>

<bitcoind>
Good documentation on starting bitcoind and bitcoin-cli after building them on Ubuntu Bionic
Tony
# Good documentation on starting bitcoind and bitcoin-cli after building them on Ubuntu Bionic

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-01-21)

I have been following Antonopoulos book but it seems to be outdated.
I am having elementary problems. Which command to run when, after I build bitcoind and bitcoin-cli. How am I to get blockchain to start downloading?
Start with the infamous bitcoin.conf which doesn't exist and nobody knows exactly how it should come into existence. 

:~/.bitcoin$ bitcoind -datadir=/mnt/d/blockchain -txindex=1 -daemon
  Bitcoin server starting

Ok, I assume it is now doing something, like downloading blocks.
But:
~/bitcoin$ bitcoin-cli -datadir=/mnt/d/blockchain -getinfo
{
  "version": 170100,
  "protocolversion": 70015,
  "walletversion": null,
  "balance": null,
  "blocks": 0,
  "timeoffset": 0,
  "connections": 0,
  "proxy": "",
  "difficulty": 1,
  "testnet": false,
  "keypoololdest": null,
  "keypoolsize": null,
  "paytxfee": null,
  "relayfee": 0.00001000,
  "warnings": ""
}

implies that nothing is going on. Nothing is being downloaded.

**Tags:** bitcoind


---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2019-01-21. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

> Start with the infamous bitcoin.conf which doesn't exist and nobody knows exactly how it should come into existence.

Well, I know.

It should come into existence by you creating it with a text editor in your `datadir` directory, if you wish to do so. It's completely optional. If there are command line options you want to use every time without having to specify them (such as `-txindex=1`), you can put them into `bitcoin.conf`. If you're happy continuing to give them on the command line, then there is no need for `bitcoin.conf` to exist at all.

And now you know too.

---

As for your other issue, if you use `getblockchaininfo` instead of `getinfo`, you'll get more detailed information. Current versions of Bitcoin Core try to download block headers before getting the blocks themselves. You'll see a `headers` field in `getblockchaininfo` which perhaps will be increasing.

Otherwise, any and all diagnostic information would be in a file called `debug.log` in your `datadir` directory. Look at that file. If it isn't self-explanatory, then you can post the last several lines of it in a question here, or to your other favorite Bitcoin support forum.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: I guess https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/pull/14057 is not yet in 0.17.1.  

---

