Quick Start Guide

This guide walks you through deploying your first blockchain node on BitHub Cloud. You’ll create an account, set up billing, and launch a node in under 10 minutes.

What Is the Quick Start Process?

The quick start process for BitHub Cloud involves four main phases: account creation, billing setup, node deployment, and initial monitoring. Each phase builds upon the previous one, ensuring you have the foundation needed to successfully operate blockchain infrastructure.

BitHub Cloud simplifies this process by handling the complex infrastructure provisioning behind the scenes. While traditional blockchain node deployment requires hardware procurement, network configuration, and ongoing maintenance, our managed service eliminates these barriers. You focus on selecting your preferred blockchain network and configuration, while we handle the rest.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

• A valid email address for account creation
• A credit card or payment method for billing
• Basic understanding of blockchain networks (optional)

Step 1: Create Your Account

Account creation establishes your identity within the BitHub Cloud ecosystem and enables access to our managed blockchain infrastructure. The process involves email verification to ensure security and prevent unauthorized access.

1. Navigate to the BitHub Cloud console 
2. Click Create Account on the sign-in page
3. Enter your email address and create a secure password
4. Verify your email address through the confirmation code sent to your inbox
5. Complete the account verification process

Your account is now active and ready for use. The verification process typically completes within minutes, though delivery times may vary depending on your email provider’s spam filtering.

Step 2: Set Up Payment Methods

BitHub Cloud requires a valid payment method before you can launch nodes. This requirement ensures uninterrupted service and allows us to provide transparent, usage-based billing. We use Stripe for secure payment processing, which encrypts and securely stores your payment information.

1. In the BitHub Cloud console, navigate to Billing → Payment Preferences
2. Click Add Payment Method
3. Enter your payment information securely through our Stripe integration
4. Set this payment method as your primary billing option

The payment method setup process includes validation to ensure your card is active and has sufficient funds. Once verified, you’ll see the payment method listed in your billing preferences with the option to set it as primary or add additional methods.

Step 3: Launch Your First Node

Node deployment represents the core of the BitHub Cloud experience. Our deployment wizard guides you through each configuration decision, ensuring your node meets your specific requirements while maintaining security and performance standards.

1. From the dashboard, click Launch Node or navigate to Nodes → Launch

2. Select your blockchain type:

   • Bitcoin: For Bitcoin Core v27.0 nodes
   • Ethereum: For Geth + Lighthouse nodes (currently Hoodi testnet)
   • Litecoin: For Litecoin Core v0.21.4 nodes

3. Choose your network type:

   • Mainnet: Production network for real transactions
   • Testnet: Development and testing environment
   • Regtest/Signet: Local testing (Bitcoin only)

4. Configure your node:

   • Node Name: Enter a descriptive name (max 64 characters, alphanumeric + spaces/dashes/periods)
   • Region: Select from available deployment regions (currently US East)
   • IP Restrictions: Choose between allowing access from anywhere or restricting to specific IP addresses/CIDR ranges

5. Review your configuration and click Launch Node

The deployment process begins immediately after you click Launch Node. BitHub Cloud automatically provisions the necessary compute resources, configures networking, and begins the blockchain software installation process.

Step 4: Monitor Your Node

Monitoring your node’s deployment progress provides visibility into the infrastructure setup process. BitHub Cloud provides real-time status updates through the dashboard, allowing you to track each phase of the deployment lifecycle.

After launching, your node will appear in the Nodes section of your dashboard. The deployment process includes:

• Pending: Initial resource provisioning
• Initializing: Software installation and configuration
• Syncing: Blockchain synchronization (this may take several minutes depending on the network)
• Online: Fully operational and ready for use

Monitor progress through the dashboard widgets:

• Service Overview: Shows running nodes count and available blockchains
• Service Health: Displays regional status and service availability
• API Requests: Tracks hourly API calls per blockchain node

The synchronization phase represents the most time-intensive portion of the deployment process. During this phase, your node downloads and validates the entire blockchain history, which can take several hours depending on the network size and your node’s compute resources.

Step 5: Access Your Node

Once your node reaches the Online status, you gain full access to its functionality and can begin integrating it into your applications. The node provides a secure API endpoint that you can use to submit transactions, query blockchain data, and monitor network activity.

Once your node is online, you can:

• View Details: Click on your node to see detailed information including sync progress, uptime, and launch date
• Monitor Performance: Track resource usage and API request patterns
• Manage Access: Update IP restrictions or terminate the node if needed

The node details page provides comprehensive information about your deployment, including current synchronization status, uptime statistics, and performance metrics. This information helps you understand your node’s health and performance characteristics.

Next Steps

With your first node running, consider expanding your blockchain infrastructure to meet additional requirements. Scaling your infrastructure allows you to support multiple networks, improve redundancy, and optimize costs based on your specific use cases.

With your first node running, consider:

• Scaling Up: Launch additional nodes for different networks or regions
• API Integration: Use the node’s API endpoints in your applications
• Cost Optimization: Monitor your billing dashboard to track usage and costs
• Security: Review and update IP restrictions based on your access patterns

Troubleshooting

BitHub Cloud’s automated deployment process handles most common issues automatically. However, understanding potential challenges helps you plan your deployment timeline and know when to seek additional support.

Node Stuck in Initializing: This usually resolves automatically. If it persists for more than 30 minutes, contact support.

Sync Progress Slow: BitHub typically provides fast synchronization in minutes. If sync is taking longer than expected, check your network connection or contact support.

Payment Method Issues: Ensure your payment method is valid and has sufficient funds. Check the billing section for any error messages.

IP Access Problems: Verify your IP address is correctly whitelisted if you’ve set IP restrictions.

Clean Up

To avoid unexpected charges, you can terminate nodes when you’re done testing. Node termination permanently removes all associated data and cannot be undone, so ensure you’ve backed up any important information before proceeding.

To avoid unexpected charges, you can terminate nodes when you’re done testing:

1. Navigate to Nodes in your dashboard
2. Select the node you want to terminate
3. Click Terminate and confirm the action

Note: Terminating a node permanently deletes all associated data and cannot be undone.

Need help? Contact support.