Open shuijian-xu opened 4 years ago
A node is connected to the network as soon as a connection is open between it and another node. Connections to other nodes can be used to increase its bandwidth to the network. Typically, the client can open and maintain 6-10 connections.
Once connected, the node will be able to freely exchange messages with the Bitcoin network.
To connect to a decentralized network, a node must first discover a list of the other active nodes. The primary piece of information necessary is the IP address or the domain name of the node. Usually, the client comes with a list of root nodes or well known nodes that can handle lots of connections. From there, various algorithms are used to find and share the list of active nodes on the network. The lists are actively maintained by the nodes and are freely shared.