Self-hosted Bitcoin Node Distros
Pre-configured Linux distributions / app frameworks for running a Bitcoin node + Lightning + apps with minimal setup.
Major distros
Umbrel
- Most popular self-host distro.
- App store ecosystem (Lightning, BTCPay, mempool.space, Specter,
Jam, ~390 apps in
getumbrel/umbrel-appsas of September 2026). - Runs on Raspberry Pi 5, x86, mini PC, VM. Standalone OS only:
since umbrelOS 1.0 it cannot be installed on top of an existing
Linux distro, and
curl -L https://umbrel.sh | bashnow just prints a pointer to the ISO downloads (September 2026). - Tor is off by default: Settings -> Advanced -> "Remote Tor
access" is opt-in, and umbreld stores
torEnabled: falseon first start (umbrelOS 1.7.4, July 2026). - Open-source, easy onboarding.
- Default Bitcoin Core + LND.
- umbrelOS 1.7.4 (July 2026) is the current stable line.
- umbrelOS 2.0.0-beta.1 (September 2026) adds Machines (Windows, Ubuntu, Debian, Android), multiple user accounts, Storage Manager with FailSafe (RAID), GPU acceleration, automatic HTTPS and an MCP server for AI agents.
Start9 StartOS
- Privacy-first, sovereignty-focused.
- Named StartOS; the Embassy / EmbassyOS branding is retired.
- App marketplace with curated services shipped as signed S9PK packages.
- StartOS 0.4.0 (July 2026) is a full rewrite: LXC replaces Docker/Podman, new clearnet-capable networking stack, Tor demoted to an optional plugin.
- Hardware: Server One (store.start9.com, September 2026) or DIY; 0.4.0 images cover x86_64, aarch64 (incl. Pi) and RISC-V.
RaspiBlitz
- Raspberry Pi-focused.
- Ecosystem of plugins (BTCPay, RTL, ThunderHub, JoinMarket, etc.).
- Active community; v1.12.1 (March 2026) is the latest tagged release and the repo is still receiving commits as of September 2026.
- Tor is on out of the box: a fresh setup writes
runBehindTor='on'intoraspiblitz.confand provisioning then runstor.network.sh on(v1.12.1 anddev, September 2026). - Boot from microSD or external SSD.
MyNode
- Premium product (closed-source for paid features) + free tier.
- App library similar to Umbrel.
- Tor is on out of the box: the installer runs
systemctl enable torand the stock/etc/tor/torrccarries an activeHiddenServiceDir /var/lib/tor/mynode/(v3) for the web UI, plus separate onions for bitcoind and LND (mynodebtc/mynodemaster, September 2026). - Mac/Linux installer.
Citadel (historical)
- Fork of Umbrel; community-driven, FOSS-exclusive.
- Dormant as of September 2026:
runcitadel/corearchived on GitHub (last commit October 2023), no public GitLab project touched since June 2024,runcitadel.spaceno longer resolves. - Context for Umbrel-fork design, not a deployment target.
Common features
- Bitcoin Core auto-configured.
- LND (or CLN) integrated.
- Tor v3 hidden service for remote access - available everywhere, but the out-of-box default splits the field as of September 2026: on StartOS 0.4.0+ (July 2026) Tor is an optional plugin on a clearnet-first stack and on umbrelOS it is an opt-in Settings switch ("Remote Tor access"), while RaspiBlitz and MyNode both turn it on during setup.
- Web UI for monitoring + app management.
- Backups and updates managed.
Hardware requirements
- CPU: Raspberry Pi 4/5 minimum; better with x86.
- RAM: 4 GB minimum, 8+ GB recommended.
- Disk: 1+ TB SSD for an unpruned node - block data alone was
~769 GB (716 GiB) on 15 September 2026 and grows ~88 GB/year at
the current rate (blockchain.com Blockchain Size chart), before
chainstate,
txindexor an Electrum index. - Network: stable, decent bandwidth (~770 GB to download for a full IBD as of September 2026).
App ecosystem
Common apps across distros (checked 16 September 2026 against the Umbrel, Start9 and Start9-Community package repos and the RaspiBlitz services menu):
- Bitcoin Core, LND, Core Lightning.
- BTCPay Server.
- mempool.space.
- electrs / Fulcrum (Electrum server).
- Ride The Lightning (RTL).
- ThunderHub (LND web UI) - community-packaged on Start9.
- Specter Desktop - community-packaged on Start9.
- Jam / JoinMarket.
Not common, despite frequently being listed as such:
- Eclair - Start9 only (
Start9Labs/eclair-startos). - BitFeed - Umbrel only.
- Sphinx Relay - Umbrel only, and legacy: upstream
stakwork/sphinx-relayhas had no push since July 2024 and the Umbrel package has not been version-bumped since October 2024.
Use cases
- Personal Bitcoin sovereignty.
- Self-hosted Lightning routing node.
- Family / small business with shared infrastructure.
- Privacy-conscious users doing Tor-only - check the distro's default first. As of September 2026 StartOS 0.4.0+ (July 2026) ships Tor as a plugin and umbrelOS ships it behind the "Remote Tor access" switch, both off out of the box; RaspiBlitz and MyNode enable it during setup.
Compared
| Aspect | Umbrel | Start9 | RaspiBlitz | MyNode | Citadel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open-source | yes | yes | yes | partial | yes |
| App store | rich | curated | many | rich | frozen |
| Tor default | off (opt-in) | plugin (0.4.0+) | on | on | unverified |
| Hardware | Pi 5 + x86 | Server One + DIY | Pi only | x86 | Pi + x86 |
| Maturity | high | high | high | high | dormant |
Row data as of September 2026: umbrelOS 1.7.4 stable / 2.0.0-beta.1,
StartOS 0.4.0.1, RaspiBlitz v1.12.1. "Tor default" is about what a
fresh install does, not about what is available, and was read from
each project's source: umbreld's torEnabled: false, the StartOS
0.4.0 plugin model, runBehindTor='on' in RaspiBlitz _bootstrap.sh,
and MyNode's stock /etc/tor/torrc plus systemctl enable tor in its
installer. Citadel is dormant and was not re-checked.
Common issues
- microSD wear → use SSD when possible.
- ISP NAT preventing inbound P2P → use Tor or port forwarding.
- Resource over-allocation when running too many apps simultaneously.
- Update breaks: take snapshots before major upgrades.