macOS Guide
Complete guide to setup Bitcoin Core, Fulcrum, and Sparrow Wallet on macOS
Scroll down to follow each step
Initial Setup
Create your Bitcoin workspace directory
Create "bitcoinnode" Directory
First, let's create a dedicated folder for all our Bitcoin files.
Creating the bitcoinnode directory using terminal
Download Binaries
Get the official Bitcoin software and verification files
Download Bitcoin Core
Use the following commands to download the necessary files
Downloading Bitcoin Core using wget
Downloading verification files
Navigate to https://bitcoincore.org/en/download
Downloading the approriate binary file
⚠️ Security Note
Always download from the official website only. These verification files are crucial for confirming the software hasn't been tampered with.
Verify Downloads
Ensure authenticity using checksums and signatures
Check SHA256 Hash
Open Terminal from your bitcointestnet directory and run:
Successfull verification of SHA256 hash
This confirms the file wasn't corrupted or tampered with during download.
Verify GPG Signature
Visit https://github.com/bitcoin-core/guix.sigs/tree/main/builder-keys and download:
Downloading achow101.gpg and guggero.gpg, public keys of bitcoin core developers
Importing the public keys of the Bitcoin Core developers
Use the public key of the Bitcoin Core developers to verify that the SHA256SUMS file is authentic.
Successful verification of the signatures
This confirms the SHA256SUMS file containing the SHA256 hash of the Bitcoin Core binary is authentic.
📝 Best Practice Note
It is good practice to import the public keys of multiple Bitcoin Core developers and use it in the verification process.
Install & Configure
Extract and configure Bitcoin Core
Extract Bitcoin Core
Use the following command to extract bitcoin core
Extracting the Bitcoin Core binary
Create Configuration File
Navigate to
~/Library/Application\ Support/bitcoin and create
bitcoin.conf
Creating the bitcoin.conf file
testnet4=1
# Enable Server mode
server = 1
# Set RPC Credentials
rpcuser=bitcoin
rpcpassword=bitcoin123
# Enable full transaction index
txindex=1
# Enable ZMQ notification
zmqpubrawblock=tcp://127.0.0.1:28334
zmqpubrawtx=tcp://127.0.0.1:28335
zmqpubhashblock=tcp://127.0.0.1:28336
[testnet4]
rpcbind=127.0.0.1
rpcallowip=127.0.0.1
rpcport=18332
📝 Configuration Note
This configuration runs Bitcoin Core on testnet4 - an
alternative Bitcoin blockchain specifically for testing and
development. For mainnet remove 'testnet4=1' and
[testnet4] in the above configuration.
Blockchain Sync
Launch and sync your Bitcoin node
Start Bitcoin Core
From your bitcoinnode directory:
Starting Bitcoin Core
Your node needs to sync with the testnet4 network. This process
can take some time. If a pre-synced testnet4 folder is provided by
your instructor, replace the existing testnet4 directory
~/Library/Application\ Support/bitcoin/testnet4/ for
faster setup. It is always best to verify the blocks yourself, by letting Bitcoin Core perform the initial block download (IBD).
Bitcoin Core is downloading and verifying all testnet4 blocks. This creates a complete copy of the testnet blockchain on your machine.
Install Fulcrum
Download, verify & Install your personal electrum server
Build Fulcrum from Source
Fulcrum needs to be built from source on macOS.
Building Fulcrum from source
Building Fulcrum from source
Configure Fulcrum
Set up Fulcrum to connect with Bitcoin Core
Create Fulcrum Configuration
Inside the Fulcrum directory, create a configuration file:
fulcrum.conf
testnet4=1
# Set data directory
datadir = /data
# BTC Core Credentials
bitcoind = 127.0.0.1:18332
rpcuser = bitcoin
rpcpassword = bitcoin123
rpcbind=127.0.0.1
rpcallowip=127.0.0.1
Launch Fulcrum
With Bitcoin Core running, launch Fulcrum using the following command
Fulcrum running successfully
⚠️ Important
Keep this terminal window open and running in the background. Fulcrum needs to index all transactions, which may take time.
Install Wallet
Get your Bitcoin wallet interface
Download Sparrow Wallet
Visit https://sparrowwallet.com/download/
Downloading manifest and signature files for verification
Verify Sparrow Wallet
Use Sparrow's built-in verification tool: Upload the signature, manifest, and installer files
Using the inbuilt verification tool to verify the installed Sparrow Wallet
Uploading the signature, manifest, and installer files for the in-built verifier to perform verification
Successful Verification of Sparrow Wallet
Connect Wallet
Link Sparrow Wallet to your Fulcrum server
Configure Sparrow Connection
In Sparrow Wallet:
Switching Sparrow Wallet to testnet4
127.0.0.1
50001
You should see:Connected to Fulcrum 1.12.0 on protocol version 1.4.2
Create Wallet
Set up a new testnet4 wallet
Generate New Wallet
Naming a new wallet
Creating a software wallet with 12 mnemonic words
Generating 12seed mnemonic words
🔒 Security Warning
Never input mnemonic words into any other device unless you are absolutely certain about what you are doing. Write down your mnemonic words in the exact order they appear. For maximum security, consider stamping them onto steel plates for long-term safekeeping. For long-term safekeeping, of mainnet bitcoins, use of Hardwate Wallet is strongly recommended.
To make sure that you have written down the words correctly, Sparrow asks you to reenter them.
Creating a keystore
Once created, the keystore is imported into your wallet.
Applying the settings to the wallet
Your Sparrow wallet is now ready to use. Get some testnet4 coins from a faucet and start experimenting!
🎉 Congratulations!
Your complete Bitcoin sovereignty stack is now ready! You have Bitcoin Core running, Fulcrum indexing transactions, and Sparrow Wallet connected to your personal infrastructure.