Node Implementation Overview

The node implementation (blvm-node) is a minimal reference Bitcoin node: it adds only non-consensus infrastructure on top of the consensus and protocol layers. Treat mainnet and high-value deployments like any consensus-adjacent system—hardening, monitoring, and review are required. Consensus logic comes from blvm-consensus, and protocol abstraction from blvm-protocol.

Release mainnet IBD: use the blvm binary — Mainnet initial sync.

Architecture

The node follows a layered architecture:

Key Components

Network Manager

• P2P protocol implementation (Bitcoin wire protocol)
• Multi-transport support (TCP, Quinn QUIC, Iroh)
• Peer connection management
• Message routing and relay
• Privacy protocols (Dandelion++ when dandelion feature enabled; FIBRE via blvm-fibre module)
• Package relay (BIP331)

Storage Layer

• Database abstraction with multiple backends (see Storage Backends)
• Bitcoin Core drop-in: one-time import from a synced Core datadir into <datadir>/blvm/ when the rocksdb feature is enabled (see Operations — Starting from a Core datadir)
• Automatic backend fallback on failure
• Block storage and indexing
• UTXO set management
• Chain state tracking
• Transaction indexing
• Pruning support

RPC Server

• JSON-RPC 2.0 compliant API (see RPC API Reference)
• Bearer token RBAC (tokens, admin_tokens) and HTTP Basic (username, password) for ckpool / Core-style clients
• REST API (optional feature, runs alongside JSON-RPC)
• Optional QUIC transport support (see QUIC RPC)
• Authentication and rate limiting
• Method coverage

Module System

• Process-isolated modules (see Module System Architecture)
• IPC communication (Unix domain sockets, see Module IPC Protocol)
• Security sandboxing
• Permission-based API access
• Hot reload support

Mempool Manager

• Transaction validation and storage
• Fee-based transaction selection
• RBF (Replace-By-Fee) support with 4 configurable modes (Disabled, Conservative, Standard, Aggressive)
• Mempool policies and limits
• Transaction expiry
• Advanced indexing (address and value range indexing)

Mining Coordinator

• Block template generation (RPC)
• Stratum V2 (optional blvm-stratum-v2 module)

Payment Processing

• CTV (CheckTemplateVerify) when ctv feature enabled
• Lightning Network integration
• Payment vaults
• Covenant support
• Payment state management

Governance Integration

• Optional [governance] configuration (e.g. Commons URL, relay toggles) and NODE_GOVERNANCE P2P capability for extensions such as ban list sharing
• Module-visible governance events (proposal lifecycle, webhooks, fork detection) for optional out-of-process modules

Design Principles

1. Zero Consensus Re-implementation: All consensus logic delegated to blvm-consensus
2. Protocol Abstraction: Uses blvm-protocol for variant support (mainnet, testnet, regtest)
3. Pure Infrastructure: Adds storage, networking, RPC, orchestration only
4. Feature-complete infrastructure: Full node–style behavior (storage, P2P, RPC, modules) with performance optimizations; not a substitute for operational security review before production

Features

Network Features

• Multi-transport architecture (TCP, QUIC)
• Transaction relay (Dandelion++; FIBRE via blvm-fibre module)
• High-performance block relay (FIBRE module)
• Package relay (BIP331) Available in experimental build variant or local builds with utxo-commitments: UTXO commitments
• LAN peering system (automatic local network discovery for faster IBD when LAN peers exist)
• Parallel IBD with optional IBD UTXO engine (BLVM_IBD_ENGINE=1)

Storage Features

• Multiple database backends with abstraction layer (auto → heed3 (LMDB) in typical release builds; optional RocksDB, redb, sled, tidesdb)
• Common on-disk chain layouts via RocksDB backend
• Automatic backend fallback on failure
• Pruning support
• Advanced transaction indexing (address and value range indexes)
• UTXO set management

Security Features

• IBD bandwidth protection (per-peer/IP/subnet limits, reputation scoring)

Module Features

• Process isolation
• IPC communication
• Security sandboxing
• Hot reload
• Module registry

Mining Features

• Block template generation
• Stratum V2 protocol (optional blvm-stratum-v2 module)
• Merge mining (optional blvm-merge-mining plugin)
• Mining pool coordination

Payment Features

• Lightning Network module support
• Payment vault management
• Covenant enforcement
• Payment state machines

Integration Features

• Governance webhook integration
• ZeroMQ notifications (optional blvm-zmq module — see ZMQ module)
• REST API alongside JSON-RPC
• Module registry (P2P discovery)

Node Lifecycle

1. Initialization: Load configuration, initialize storage, create network manager
2. Startup: Connect to P2P network, discover peers, load modules
3. Sync: Download and validate blockchain history
4. Running: Validate blocks/transactions, relay messages, serve RPC requests
5. Shutdown: Graceful shutdown of all components

Metrics and Monitoring

The node includes metrics collection:

• Network Metrics: Peer count, bytes sent/received, connection statistics
• Storage Metrics: Block count, UTXO count, database size
• RPC Metrics: Request count, error rate, response times
• Performance Metrics: Block validation time, transaction processing time
• System Metrics: CPU usage, memory usage, disk I/O

Source

• network/mod.rs (module root), network_manager.rs (connection and message handling)
• mod.rs
• mod.rs
• manager.rs
• mempool.rs
• miner.rs
• mod.rs
• config/governance.rs, network/peer_manager.rs (governance feature), P2P governance extensions
• mod.rs
• metrics.rs

See Also

• Installation - Installing the node
• Quick Start - Running your first node
• Node Configuration - Configuration options
• Node Operations - Node management and operations
• RPC API Reference - JSON-RPC API documentation
• Mining Integration - Mining functionality
• Module System - Module system architecture
• Storage Backends - Storage backend details