Data Directory

Tidecoin Core stores node state under a data directory. The data directory holds configuration, network-specific block data, chainstate, indexes, wallets, logs, peer databases, runtime settings, and RPC cookie authentication state.

This page is the storage layout reference for operators. It is not the backup procedure; see Backups before copying wallet or chain data.

Default locations

Platform	Default data directory
Linux	`~/.tidecoin`
macOS	`~/Library/Application Support/Tidecoin`
Windows	`%APPDATA%\Tidecoin`

Override the directory on startup:


tidecoind -datadir=/srv/tidecoin

Use an absolute path for service deployments. Relative -datadir paths are interpreted relative to the process working directory and are easy to misread in systemd or container setups.

Network-specific paths

Most contents are network-specific. tidecoin.conf is read from the base data directory, while chain data is stored under the selected network path.

Chain option	Network data path
Mainnet, default	`<datadir>/`
`-chain=test` or `-testnet`	`<datadir>/testnet/`
`-chain=regtest` or `-regtest`	`<datadir>/regtest/`

When diagnosing a testnet or regtest node, make sure you are reading the network-specific debug.log, .cookie, blocks, chainstate, and wallet path.

Main layout

Path	Contents	Operational notes
`blocks/`	`blkNNNNN.dat`, `revNNNNN.dat`, `xor.dat`	Block and undo data. `blk` files are 128 MiB chunks.
`blocks/index/`	LevelDB block index	Stays under the data directory even when `-blocksdir` is used.
`chainstate/`	LevelDB UTXO set	Rebuildable from block files with `-reindex-chainstate` on unpruned nodes.
`indexes/txindex/`	Optional transaction index	Created when `txindex=1`; incompatible with pruning.
`indexes/blockfilter/basic/`	Optional compact block filters	Created when `blockfilterindex=basic` or equivalent index setting is enabled.
`indexes/coinstatsindex/`	Optional coin statistics index	Created when `coinstatsindex=1`.
`wallets/`	Wallet directories and wallet databases	Contains private wallet material unless wallet is watch-only.
`tidecoin.conf`	Static operator configuration	Created by the operator, not by the node.
`settings.json`	Runtime settings from GUI/RPC	Written by the node; do not hand-edit for normal config.
`debug.log`	Node log	Can be moved with `-debuglogfile`.
`mempool.dat`	Persisted mempool dump	Rebuildable; not consensus-critical.
`peers.dat`	Peer address database	Rebuildable from peer discovery.
`banlist.json`	Banned peer state	Operational policy state.
`.cookie`	RPC cookie auth file	Created at startup and removed at shutdown when cookie auth is used.
`.lock`	Data directory lock	Prevents multiple node instances using the same directory.

Blocks directory override

-blocksdir=<dir> moves block data files, but not every block-related database. In particular, blocks/index/ remains in the network data directory.

Use -blocksdir only when the large block files must live on a different volume. Keep the node stopped when moving existing block files between volumes.

Wallet directory override

-walletdir=<dir> changes where wallets are stored. The configured wallet directory must exist and must be a directory. For service deployments, keep wallet storage on reliable local storage and do not share a wallet directory between two running node instances.

Wallets are SQLite databases. User-defined wallets normally live under:


<datadir>/wallets/<wallet_name>/

The default unnamed wallet lives under wallets/ when that directory exists.

What is safe to delete

Only delete rebuildable node state when the node is stopped and you understand the recovery cost.

Item	Safe to delete?	Effect
`debug.log`	Yes, when stopped or after log rotation	Loses local diagnostic history.
`mempool.dat`	Usually	Node starts with an empty mempool.
`peers.dat`	Usually	Node rediscovers peers.
`chainstate/`	Only as part of recovery	Requires rebuilding UTXO state.
`blocks/`	Only as last-resort recovery	Requires redownloading or reimporting blocks.
`indexes/`	Rebuildable	Indexes resync from available block data.
`wallets/`	No	Can permanently lose funds if not backed up.
`.cookie`, `.lock`, pid file	Runtime only	Normally managed by the node process.

Never delete wallets/ during node recovery. Node data is reproducible; wallet secret material may not be.

Disk planning

Disk use depends on node role:

Node type	Storage profile
Personal full node	Blocks, chainstate, logs, optional wallets.
Pruned node	Lower block-file storage, but less useful for explorers and indexes.
Explorer/indexer	Full blocks plus `txindex`, filters, custom database, and logs.
Exchange node	Full node storage plus wallet, monitoring, backups, and audit logs.

Pruning reduces block storage but is incompatible with txindex=1. Reverting a pruned node to unpruned mode requires rebuilding from full block data, which can mean redownloading the chain.

Source of truth

Topic	Source
Data directory layout	`../tidecoin/doc/files.md`
Data directory and blocks flags	`../tidecoin/src/init.cpp`, `../tidecoin/src/common/args.cpp`
Wallet directory behavior	`../tidecoin/doc/managing-wallets.md`
Runtime settings	`../tidecoin/doc/tidecoin-conf.md`

See also: Configuration, Backups, Reindex & Recovery.