<p>Your firewall allows outgoing connections.  </p>

<p>Bitcoind creates 8 outgoing connections (by default), over port 8333.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-04-08T22:27:27.740Z
So I am currently leeching from the Bitcoin network, but not helping it propagate transactions? Is that correct?
user3145
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-04-09T01:38:46.960Z
@user3145: You are helping to propagate transactions between the 8 nodes you've made outbound connections to, but that's it. I believe the Bitcoin network has no capacity shortage though, so there's no need to go to special efforts to contribute.
David Schwartz
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-04-08T22:19:31.290Z
2013-04-08T22:19:31.290Z
Stephen Gornick
<p>I am running bitcoind on the latest Ubuntu 12.10 Quantal Quetzel on amazon's EC2 network.</p>

<p>The security group I have attached to the box only allows port 22 so I can login via ssh.</p>

<p>How is bitcoind able to operate, then?</p>

<p>I started up bitcoind and it says it has 8 connections and is actively downloading blocks... but how? When port 22 is the only opened port on my box?
-confused</p>

<security><bitcoind><ubuntu>
Can the Bitcoin client be used without any incoming ports being opened?
user3145
# Can the Bitcoin client be used without any incoming ports being opened?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2013-04-08)

I am running bitcoind on the latest Ubuntu 12.10 Quantal Quetzel on amazon's EC2 network.

The security group I have attached to the box only allows port 22 so I can login via ssh.

How is bitcoind able to operate, then?

I started up bitcoind and it says it has 8 connections and is actively downloading blocks... but how? When port 22 is the only opened port on my box?
-confused

**Tags:** security, bitcoind, ubuntu


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2013-04-08. Score: 1 | Accepted answer

Your firewall allows outgoing connections.

Bitcoind creates 8 outgoing connections (by default), over port 8333.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: So I am currently leeching from the Bitcoin network, but not helping it propagate transactions? Is that correct?  
> **username_2**: @username_0: You are helping to propagate transactions between the 8 nodes you've made outbound connections to, but that's it. I believe the Bitcoin network has no capacity shortage though, so there's no need to go to special efforts to contribute.  

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