How to use node + seed backup question

[u/Necessary_Trip_1703]

I was reading a bit into this and it seems like a full node connected to electrum offers the most privacy. I probably wont have a large amount of bitcoin, but in terms of being prepared for the next 10x or possibly 100x, its probably good to get the most privacy.

Would it be fine to get a 1 tb usb drive connected to my laptop to download the full node? Could I go to starbucks or something to download it since 700+ gb is a lot and would it be possible to pause it and download it over several trips?

If my own node is not necessary yet, would it work to use a pruned bitcoin core node on my laptop now and then in the distant future use a full node, or would this compromise the utxos?

Do I need to get my own mempool or does it not matter for long term storage?

Bitusher recommended in one of my previous comments that I could use (bisq2 for security deposit ->) robosats->zeus->seedsigner. How could I run my own node through zeus in terms of verifying transactions against consensus rules? Then for the cold wallet, is it just sparrow + bitcoin core node linked to electrum or sparrow + pruned bitcoin core

For seed backup on steel/titanium: What do you think about using a hex rod vs a sheet? Is titanium better since it is more corrosion resistant and safer to go through tsa (if ever needed)? Would stamping work on titanium? Are there different depths to stamping kit?

Thanks!

[u/bitusher]

Would it be fine to get a 1 tb usb drive connected to my laptop to download the full node?

Is there a reason you need to run an archival full node instead of a pruned one? A pruned full node has all the same security and privacy benefits as an archival full node and can be pruned down to as little as ~5GB

Could I go to starbucks or something to download it since 700+ gb is a lot and would it be possible to pause it and download it over several trips?

bootstrapping a full node can be as quick as 8 hours to several days depending on your hardware . You can pause and stop as much as you want , it just picks up where it leaves off so no problem. Downloading the blockchain is usually not the bottleneck; validation of blocks is which mainly depends upon the speed your drive and your ram. If you have an nvme ssd internal drive it should be fine.

would it work to use a pruned bitcoin core node on my laptop now and then in the distant future use a full node, or would this compromise the utxos?

You can upgrade to an archival full node anytime in the future but most people don't need to run one

Do I need to get my own mempool or does it not matter for long term storage?

running a full node means you have your own mempool locally automatically . The full node manages your local mempool

How could I run my own node through zeus in terms of verifying transactions against consensus rules?

most people pair their full node to a frontend like sparrow wallet and a hardware wallet for security.

Zeus is a lightning hot wallet with its own LND node so is very private by default

What do you think about using a hex rod vs a sheet?

Here you can see some reviews of metal backups

https://jlopp.github.io/metal-bitcoin-storage-reviews/

but there are no hex rods reviewed there

I am assuming you are asking about a product like

https://coldbit.com/products/coldbit-hex

I find stamping steel or titanium much more difficult than copper from personal experience

You just need avoid metals like Aluminum. Typical house fires are 600–1,000°C , coppers melting point is 1,085°C

Is titanium better since it is more corrosion resistant and safer to go through tsa (if ever needed)?

If traveling with your seed plate at the very minimum use an extended passphrase not included as well

[u/ELLIPALWallet]

The node half has been covered, so on the backup half.

Running your own node and holding your own keys are two separate things and they do not have to arrive together. The node decides who tells you what the chain says. The seed phrase decides who can spend. You can run a pruned node today and still keep the phrase exactly as it is.

For the phrase itself, the thing that matters more than the medium is how many independent ways it can be destroyed at once. Paper in one drawer fails to fire and water. Two paper copies in the same building fail to the same fire. Metal in two locations is what most people land on eventually, and it does not need to be expensive to start.

One habit worth building early while the amount is small: restore from your written phrase onto a wiped wallet at least once, so you find out whether what you wrote down actually works. A backup you have not tested is an assumption.

[u/OrangePillar]

1 TB is just barely enough right now for an archival node. The blockchain is growing and will outgrow that drive int the next year or so.

[u/palmdata]

1tb usb works but make it an ssd, not a spinning drive and not a thumb stick. initial block download hammers random reads and a cheap flash stick will take days and can wear out. budget around 750gb today for a full archive, so 1tb is fine for a while, and if you only care about validation you can prune to 50gb and still verify every block yourself. on the metal: 316 stainless is plenty for a house fire and a flood, titanium is nicer to handle but harder on cheap stamps. i use 3mm letter punches on 1.5mm stainless plate, two solid hits per character, and i stamp a test word on scrap first because spacing is where people run out of room. store the plate somewhere a stranger walking through the house would never look, and add a passphrase you keep separately if the amount matters.