How to Build a btcd/LND Full Node on OSX (w/external SSD)

Inspiration

The Lightning Network is an amazing new technology that I watched blossom from an idea to main net. I decided that I wanted to participate in this historical project by running my own full node. However, my laptop's storage capacity was insufficient. So, I went out to pick up an external drive and figured out how to store the blockchain there so I could make my first lightning purchase.

What it does

It is a guide on how to setup a full btcd/LND node on a Mac with an external SSD.

How I built it

I put together btcd and LND documentation and laid out the steps from start to finish.

Challenges I ran into

I'm not extremely open source savy, so being able to put together multiple sources of documentation into one cohesive guide was pretty difficult for me.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

Purchasing a Blockstream, "I Got Lightning Working" sticker via the lncli. Now I can put it on my laptop as a badge of honor.

What I learned

How to run a full bitcoin node with lightning on top. I learned how to create a wallet, fund it, and open a channel on the main network.

What's next for How to Build a btcd/LND Full Node on OSX (w/external SSD)

I'd like to extend it to all the other operating systems so this will provide as a useful guide to bootstrap Bitcoin/Lightning enthusiasts.

Built With

• btcd
• external-drive
• full-node
• lnd
• osx
• ssd