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Guide

Run a Litecoin node on a VPS.

Litecoin Core is the reference client for Litecoin. This guide sets up a pruned node on Ubuntu 24.04. It follows the same shape as the Bitcoin guide with Litecoin's names and ports.

Updated 2026-11-11 · Published by AnonVPS

What you need

A CORE plan or larger. Choose Litecoin Node in the configurator.
Enough transfer for the first sync of the whole chain.
The minimum plan is indicative: check Litecoin Core's current requirements before ordering.

1. Update the server and create a user

Log in as root over SSH or the in-browser console, then update the system and create an unprivileged user for daily work. The node itself will run under its own service account, never as root.

Update and create an admin user

apt update && apt full-upgrade -y
adduser admin
usermod -aG sudo admin
rsync --archive --chown=admin:admin ~/.ssh /home/admin
# log out, then log back in as admin

2. Open only the port the node needs

Allow SSH and the Litecoin peer-to-peer port. Keep the RPC and API ports closed to the internet: they are not meant to face the public network.

Firewall

sudo apt install -y ufw
sudo ufw default deny incoming
sudo ufw default allow outgoing
sudo ufw allow OpenSSH
sudo ufw allow 9333/tcp
sudo ufw enable
sudo ufw status

3. Add swap on small plans

Add swap (recommended on 4 GB plans)

sudo fallocate -l 4G /swapfile
sudo chmod 600 /swapfile
sudo mkswap /swapfile
sudo swapon /swapfile
echo '/swapfile none swap sw 0 0' | sudo tee -a /etc/fstab
free -h

4. Create the service account

Account and directories

sudo useradd --system --create-home --home-dir /var/lib/litecoind --shell /usr/sbin/nologin litecoin
sudo install -d -m 755 /etc/litecoin

5. Download and verify Litecoin Core

Find the current release on litecoin.org and set the version below. The release page publishes checksums and signatures; verify them before installing.

Download

VER=VERSION_FROM_THE_DOWNLOAD_PAGE
cd /tmp
wget https://download.litecoin.org/litecoin-$VER/linux/litecoin-$VER-x86_64-linux-gnu.tar.gz
wget https://download.litecoin.org/litecoin-$VER/linux/litecoin-$VER-x86_64-linux-gnu.tar.gz.asc
wget https://download.litecoin.org/litecoin-$VER/SHA256SUMS.asc

Verify (compare the hash with the one in the signed SHA256SUMS file)

sha256sum litecoin-$VER-x86_64-linux-gnu.tar.gz
grep litecoin-$VER-x86_64-linux-gnu.tar.gz SHA256SUMS.asc
gpg --verify litecoin-$VER-x86_64-linux-gnu.tar.gz.asc

Install

tar -xzf litecoin-$VER-x86_64-linux-gnu.tar.gz
sudo install -m 0755 -o root -g root -t /usr/local/bin litecoin-$VER/bin/litecoind litecoin-$VER/bin/litecoin-cli
litecoind --version | head -1

6. Configure

/etc/litecoin/litecoin.conf

sudo tee /etc/litecoin/litecoin.conf >/dev/null <<'EOF'
datadir=/var/lib/litecoind
prune=2000
dbcache=800
maxconnections=40
listen=1
server=1
rpcbind=127.0.0.1
rpcallowip=127.0.0.1
EOF
sudo chown root:litecoin /etc/litecoin/litecoin.conf
sudo chmod 640 /etc/litecoin/litecoin.conf

7. Run it with systemd

/etc/systemd/system/litecoind.service

sudo tee /etc/systemd/system/litecoind.service >/dev/null <<'EOF'
[Unit]
Description=Litecoin Core daemon
After=network-online.target
Wants=network-online.target

[Service]
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/litecoind -conf=/etc/litecoin/litecoin.conf
User=litecoin
Group=litecoin
Type=simple
Restart=on-failure
TimeoutStopSec=600
PrivateTmp=true
NoNewPrivileges=true

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
EOF
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable --now litecoind
sudo systemctl status litecoind --no-pager

8. Check sync

Status commands

alias ltc='sudo -u litecoin litecoin-cli -conf=/etc/litecoin/litecoin.conf'
ltc getblockchaininfo | grep -E 'blocks|headers|verificationprogress|pruned'
ltc getconnectioncount
journalctl -u litecoind -n 30 --no-pager

FAQ

Common questions

Which port does a Litecoin node use?

9333/tcp for peers. Keep RPC closed to the internet.

Is pruned mode supported?

Yes, with the prune option in the config file. It validates the chain and keeps recent blocks only.

Can I use the node with a wallet?

Yes, through an SSH tunnel to the RPC port. Do not expose RPC publicly.

Why does the guide say the minimum is indicative?

Chain size changes and project guidance moves. Check Litecoin Core's current requirements before relying on the smallest plan.

Keep reading

Blockchain node setup guide

How to run your own blockchain node on a VPS from scratch: choose a plan, secure the server, verify downloads, run a systemd service and check sync.

Bitcoin node setup guide

Run a pruned Bitcoin Core node on a VPS: install, verify, configure, run with systemd, open the firewall and check sync. Copy-and-paste commands.

VPS hardening checklist: secure a new Linux server in 15 minutes

A practical checklist for a new Linux VPS: SSH keys, a non-root user, firewall, automatic updates and backups, with the commands.

Order a server with the right plan preselected.

Open the configurator