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Bitcoin Core Whitelist Permissions: Trusted Peer Guide
Bitcoin Core 0.20 whitelist guide covering bloomfilter, noban, forcerelay, relay and mempool permissions, implicit defaults, CIDR scope and safe peer trust.
This guide explains Bitcoin Core whitelist permissions in plain English. It focuses on what the subject is, why it matters and what a beginner should remember.
TL;DR
- What it is: Bitcoin Core 0.20 allowed whitelist and whitebind entries to carry explicit peer permissions. The historical set included bloomfilter, noban, forcerelay, relay and mempool; forcerelay implied relay, while entries without an explicit permission prefix received implicit defaults.
- Why it matters: Peer whitelisting deliberately relaxes Bitcoin Core safeguards. Safe operation grants explicit individual permissions to the smallest reliable address scope and verifies the effective connection after every restart.
- Current position: Require a second reviewer and explicit rollback or expiry, and pause payments, signing or network-dependent services until post-change evidence is complete.
What this means in simple English
Technical standards often describe several layers at once. This article separates the basic idea from the detailed rules so the practical meaning is clear.
Start with the simple explanation and current status. Use the later sections and primary sources only when you need more detail.
Simple example
Think of a mempool as one node’s waiting room for valid transactions that have not yet entered a block. Different nodes can have different waiting rooms, and the contents can change from one second to the next.
Key terms in plain English
- BIP:
- Bitcoin Improvement Proposal: a document describing a proposed rule, standard or process. Its status must be checked separately.
- Bitcoin Core:
- Widely used software that validates Bitcoin and can provide wallet, network and operator tools.
- Mempool:
- A node’s changing local collection of valid, unconfirmed transactions.
- Node:
- A computer running Bitcoin software that checks data and communicates with other peers.
Whitelist versus whitebind
whitelist applies permissions to peers from an IP address or CIDR network. whitebind listens on an address and port and grants permissions to peers connecting there. Neither authenticates an organisation by name.
Explicit permission prefix
Use comma-separated permissions before an at sign and the address. Omitting the prefix invokes version-specific implicit defaults, so explicit minimal sets are safer and easier to audit.
noban risk
noban exempts a peer from automatic banning for misbehaviour in this version. It does not make messages valid and can increase resource exposure if granted to an attacker or broad subnet.
Relay permissions
relay permits transaction relay even in blocksonly mode; forcerelay can relay transactions already known to the mempool and implies relay. Grant only where that behaviour is operationally necessary.
Data permissions
mempool permits BIP 35 mempool requests and bloomfilter permits BIP 37 filtering. Both can expose data or consume resources and should not be default trust badges.
Address scope
Use the narrowest valid host or subnet and a dedicated whitebind interface where appropriate. NAT, proxies and shared networks can make source address a weak identity signal.
How specialists test it
Developers test the proposal with made-up data on an isolated test network. They check normal cases and deliberately invalid cases. Different implementations should reach the same result before anyone relies on the proposal.
Frequently asked questions
What is Bitcoin Core Whitelist Permissions?
Bitcoin Core 0.20 allowed whitelist and whitebind entries to carry explicit peer permissions. The historical set included bloomfilter, noban, forcerelay, relay and mempool; forcerelay implied relay, while entries without an explicit permission prefix received implicit defaults.
Is Bitcoin Core Whitelist Permissions active or supported today?
Require a second reviewer and explicit rollback or expiry, and pause payments, signing or network-dependent services until post-change evidence is complete.
Why does Bitcoin Core matter?
Peer whitelisting deliberately relaxes Bitcoin Core safeguards. Safe operation grants explicit individual permissions to the smallest reliable address scope and verifies the effective connection after every restart.
Do beginners need to use the technical details?
No. The opening explanation and questions cover the main idea. The detailed sections are available for readers who need to go further.
Conclusion
Peer whitelisting deliberately relaxes Bitcoin Core safeguards. Safe operation grants explicit individual permissions to the smallest reliable address scope and verifies the effective connection after every restart.
Primary sources
Check the current specification status and the documentation for the exact implementation you operate before moving production funds or changing a mining node.
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