<p>The <code>-timeout</code> flag sets the amount of time to wait during an attempt to connect to a node. It defaults to <code>5000</code> ms. This is the connection to other peers on the network for syncing the blockchain, receiving and sending new transactions to the mempool, etc.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>A follow question is, would a node with a 15 second timeout hurt the
  coin network with a fast block-time of e.g. 45 seconds?</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Faster blocktimes mean that the network has less time to <strong>1 - propagate transactions</strong> and <strong>2 - validate them</strong> before the next block. This is definitely something to take into account when thinking about block times. A slower node (both in terms of network latency for syncing and cpu power for validation) may not be able to confirm new blocks fast enough, but the bigger problem is if a majority of the nodes are slow compared to the block time.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-06T14:25:10.017Z
Yes but I don't think you can change them through the bitcoind flags. See https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/blob/0.16/src/net.h
JBaczuk
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-06T13:24:57.690Z
2018-08-06T13:24:57.690Z
JBaczuk
<p>No, the <code>timeout</code> setting has nothing to do with the block time.</p>

<p>The timeout applies when connecting to another node on the network. This connection is independent of blocks being mined.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-06T13:19:29.190Z
2018-08-06T13:19:29.190Z
Raghav Sood
<p>According to <a href="https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Running_Bitcoin" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Running Bitcoin - Bitcoin Wiki</a>, timeout is described as following: </p>

<p><code>Specify connection timeout in milliseconds</code></p>

<p>To my understanding it would mean that if a response was expected, if not received in the specific time-range the client would drop connection.</p>

<p>A follow question is, would a node with a 15 second timeout hurt the coin network with a fast block-time of e.g. 45 seconds?</p>

<bitcoind><client>
Specific explanation of "timeout" configuration option in Bitcoin
dalslandan200
# Specific explanation of "timeout" configuration option in Bitcoin

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-08-06)

According to [Running Bitcoin - Bitcoin Wiki](https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Running_Bitcoin), timeout is described as following:

`Specify connection timeout in milliseconds`

To my understanding it would mean that if a response was expected, if not received in the specific time-range the client would drop connection.

A follow question is, would a node with a 15 second timeout hurt the coin network with a fast block-time of e.g. 45 seconds?

**Tags:** bitcoind, client


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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2018-08-06. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

The `-timeout` flag sets the amount of time to wait during an attempt to connect to a node. It defaults to `5000` ms. This is the connection to other peers on the network for syncing the blockchain, receiving and sending new transactions to the mempool, etc.

> A follow question is, would a node with a 15 second timeout hurt the
> coin network with a fast block-time of e.g. 45 seconds?

Faster blocktimes mean that the network has less time to **1 - propagate transactions** and **2 - validate them** before the next block. This is definitely something to take into account when thinking about block times. A slower node (both in terms of network latency for syncing and cpu power for validation) may not be able to confirm new blocks fast enough, but the bigger problem is if a majority of the nodes are slow compared to the block time.

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Yes but I don't think you can change them through the bitcoind flags. See https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/blob/0.16/src/net.h  

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### Answer by username_2 on 2018-08-06. Score: 0

No, the `timeout` setting has nothing to do with the block time.

The timeout applies when connecting to another node on the network. This connection is independent of blocks being mined.


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