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### Table of Contents
1. [What is bootstrap.dat?](#What)
2. [What are the pros and cons of using bootstrap.dat?](#ProsCons)
3. [Where do I get bootstrap.dat?](#Obtaining)
4. [How do I know I can trust the bootstrap.dat I downloaded?](#Trust)
5. [How do I use bootstrap.dat with btcd?](#Importing)
### 1. What is bootstrap.dat?
It is a flat, binary file containing bitcoin blockchain data starting from the
genesis block and continuing through a relatively recent block height depending
on the last time it was updated.
See [this](https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=145386.0) thread on
bitcointalk for more details.
**NOTE:** Using bootstrap.dat is entirely optional. Btcd will download the
block chain from other peers through the Bitcoin protocol with no extra
configuration needed.
### 2. What are the pros and cons of using bootstrap.dat?
Pros:
- Typically accelerates the initial process of bringing up a new node as it
downloads from public P2P nodes and generally is able to achieve faster
download speeds
- It is particularly beneficial when bringing up multiple nodes as you only need
to download the data once
Cons:
- Requires you to setup and configure a torrent client if you don't already have
one available
- Requires roughly twice as much disk space since you'll need the flat file as
well as the imported database
### 3. Where do I get bootstrap.dat?
The bootstrap.dat file is made available via a the Piggy-Coin.com website. See
[this](vhttps://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=633803.msg15620760#msg15620760) thread on bitcointalk
for the download details.
### 4. How do I know I can trust the bootstrap.dat I downloaded?
You don't need to trust the file as the `addblock` utility verifies every block
using the same rules that are used when downloading the block chain normally
through the Bitcoin protocol. Additionally, the chain rules contain hard-coded
checkpoints for the known-good block chain at periodic intervals. This ensures
that not only is it a valid chain, but it is the same chain that everyone else
is using.
### 5. How do I use bootstrap.dat with btcd?
Extract bootstrap.dat
Linux
xz -d bootstrap.dat.zip
Mac
You can obtain xz from MacPorts or http://macpkg.sourceforge.net/.
Windows
7Zip is a free utility that can decompress .zip files. The latest version of WinRAR also supports .zip files.
Copy bootstrap.dat to data directory
Copy bootstrap.dat to your data directory. After Piggycoin has used bootstrap.dat, the file will be renamed to bootstrap.dat.old; at this point you can choose to delete it or keep it.
Linux
Piggycoin's data directory is located in ~/.newpiggycoin/ by default. You can run ls -a to see directories that start with a dot.
You can also search for the directory with the following command: find / -name wallet.dat -print 2>/dev/null
Mac
Piggycoin's data directory should be located in ~/Library/Application Support/newpiggycoin/.
Windows
Go to Start>Run (or press WinKey+R) and run: explorer %APPDATA%\newpiggycoin
Piggycoin's data directory will open. "AppData" and "Application Data" are hidden by default in Windows.
Data directory location
Operating system Default data directory location Typical path to configuration file
Linux $HOME/.newpiggycoin/ /home//.newpiggycoin/newpiggycoin.conf
Mac $HOME/Library/Application Support/newpiggycoin/ /Users//Library/Application Support/newpiggycoin/newpiggycoin.conf
Windows %APPDATA%\newpiggycoin\ XP -- C:\Documents and Settings\\Application Data\newpiggycoin\newpiggycoin.conf
Vista, 7 -- C:\Users\\AppData\Roaming\newpiggycoin\newpiggycoin.conf