Remote nodes and your privacy

What a remote node sees

Your wallet needs a node to read the blockchain and send transactions. With an open remote node you can use Monero immediately without downloading the blockchain, but you give up some control over your privacy: node operators can link transactions to IP addresses.

Best: run your own node

The Monero community recommends running your own node for the most privacy, which also helps decentralize the network. Your node can run at home or on a server you control; that is called a private remote node.

Reach your own node over Tor

The official guide shows how to make your node's RPC a Tor hidden service with restricted RPC and a login, then point the wallet at the .onion address through the Tor proxy. This hides that you are connecting to a Monero node and avoids port forwarding.

./monero-wallet-cli --proxy 127.0.0.1:9150 --daemon-host YOUR_ONION.onion --trusted-daemon --daemon-login USER:PASS

If you must use a public node

Pick a node that is in sync and up to date, and remember that the operator can see your IP. Check a node with RugWard's node checker before you use it. Being listed anywhere, including on RugWard, is not an endorsement.