Pruned vs full node
Both validate every rule. The difference is how many old blocks you keep, and what software can use them.
Both modes download every block since 2009 and verify it. A pruned node then deletes old block files and keeps only the UTXO set and the most recent blocks. A full node keeps everything. Consensus checking is identical.
What you keep on disk
| Mode | Blocks | UTXO set (chainstate) | Plan for |
|---|---|---|---|
Pruned, prune=550 | about 0.5 GB | about 11 GB | 25 GB or more |
| Full | roughly 760 to 800 GB | about 11 GB | 1 TB minimum, 2 TB for comfort |
Full plus txindex=1 | same, plus about 35 GB of index | about 11 GB | 2 TB |
The 550 MiB prune minimum is the small part. The UTXO set is about 11 GB and does not shrink when you prune, which is why "pruned needs 7 GB" is out of date. Figures are from mid-2026 and drift; sudo du -sh /var/lib/bitcoind/chainstate shows your real number. Sources: bitcoin.org for the 550 MiB minimum, Spark's storage calculator and the electrs docs for chain size.
# Pruned. Value is MiB of block files to keep; 550 is the minimum.
prune=550
# Full node: leave prune out entirely.Confirm it took effect:
$ bitcoin-cli getblockchaininfo | grep -E 'pruned|pruneheight|automatic|prune_target|size_on_disk'
"size_on_disk": 12304711680,
"pruned": true,
"pruneheight": 969226,
"automatic_pruning": true,
"prune_target_size": 576716800,pruneheight is the oldest block you still have.
What pruning costs you
- No old blocks to share. You cannot serve history to other peers or run a block explorer.
- No deep rescans. A wallet cannot scan for transactions older than
pruneheight. A new wallet is fine; restoring an old one onto a pruned node may miss history. - No Electrum server. electrs and Fulcrum both require an unpruned node. See Electrum server vs full node.
- Same bandwidth for the first sync. Pruning only saves disk after the fact. Plan on downloading the whole chain either way.
Which to pick
Pruned if you want to verify your own payments and connect a wallet directly to Bitcoin Core (how), or you are on a small disk or VPS plan. Full if you want an Electrum server for several wallets and devices, a local block explorer, or you already own a 2 TB drive. If unsure, start pruned. Switching to full later means re-downloading, which costs time but no money.
Disk speed matters more than prune mode for sync time: NVMe good, SD card and USB hard drives bad. See hardware and, for hosted nodes, VPS plans where the first sync can hit a bandwidth cap. Install steps are in setup.
FAQ
Is a pruned node less secure?
No. It downloads and checks every block with the same rules as a full node, then deletes old block files. It just cannot hand old blocks to other software or peers.
How much disk does each need?
Pruned at the minimum setting: about 12 GB (UTXO set plus recent blocks); allow 25 GB or more so the OS and logs have room. Full: roughly 800 GB and growing 70 to 80 GB a year. Check your own node with getblockchaininfo.
Can I switch from pruned to full later?
Only by downloading the whole chain again. Going from full to pruned is a config change.