build // Bitcoin · Infrastructure

bitcoind Ops Console

Live panels for IBD progress, peer counts, mempool bytes, and fee estimates. Never expose RPC to the browser.

Advanced10 days

Overview

Operators need a single pane of glass for node health. Turn Bitcoin Core RPC into an operational dashboard.

A node dashboard is high privilege. Auth-protect it, bind to localhost by default, and assume leaked cookies equal node access.

Minimum panels

Metric	Source ideas
Chain tip / headers	`getblockchaininfo`
Peer count / versions	`getpeerinfo`
Mempool size / fees	`getmempoolinfo`, estimates
Wallet balance	`getbalances` (if enabled)
RPC latency	measured client-side

Learning objectives

Expose Bitcoin Core health metrics in a live dashboard
Visualize sync progress, peers, and mempool stats
Alert on stalled tip or RPC failures

Prerequisites

Regtest Block Explorer
Bitcoin Core & RPC

Required skills

Bitcoin Core RPCBackend proxyingOps UX

Part of the bitcoin roadmap.

Architecture diagram

Browser ──► Dashboard API ──► bitcoind RPC
                │
                └──► optional metrics store

Requirements

Live updating tip height and sync progress
Peer and mempool panels with readable units
Clear error banner when RPC is down
RPC credentials stay server-side (never in the browser)
README with Docker-based demo path

Stretch goals

Alert when tip has not advanced for N minutes while peers > 0
Wallet balance panel when a wallet is loaded
Historical sparkline for mempool size / fee estimates
Prometheus scrape endpoint for ops teams

Recommended resources

Example repositories

bitcoin-core/gui
Reference for how Core surfaces node and wallet status.
Ride The Lightning
Ops dashboard patterns (Lightning-focused, still useful UX).

Submission instructions

Ship a protected dashboard demo (localhost auth is fine)
Document required RPC permissions and network binding
Include screenshots of healthy and degraded (RPC down) states
Describe your stall-alert rule if implemented

Discussion

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