Monero (XMR) remote nodes: what they see and how to connect

What a remote node is

Monero wallets don't store the blockchain. They connect to a node, a computer running the Monero software with a copy of the chain, and scan it for transactions that belong to you. If that node runs on another machine, it's a remote node. Moneropedia calls it private if you control it, for example on a server you rent, and open if anyone can use it.

A remote node is why a new wallet works in minutes instead of days: there is nothing large to download. Your wallet still has to fetch and scan the outputs since your restore height, which the FAQ says can take a while for an old wallet.

What the node operator can and cannot see

The Monero docs list both sides. Your wallet scans blocks on your own device with your private view key, so a remote node:

• Cannot spend or steal your funds, create transactions for you, decrypt amounts or see your balance.
• Can learn your IP address, the transactions you send, and which outputs they spend from.
• Can misbehave if dishonest: delay or refuse to relay a transaction, return an inflated fee estimate, or offer biased decoys that weaken your ring signature. The docs say to always check the fee before you confirm.

getmonero.org's GUI guide warns that some publicly advertised nodes are run to link IP addresses to transactions, and recommends your own node or a node you trust. A node reached without SSL/TLS also exposes the traffic to anyone on the network path.

Connecting your wallet to a node

• Feather: by default it connects to a random node from a curated list of remote nodes run by trusted community members. To use your own, go to Settings, Network, Node, untick "Let Feather manage this list" and add the node as address:port. Feather has Tor built in, and by default switches to Tor after the first sync. See our Feather guide.
• Cake Wallet: the default Monero node is Cake Wallet's own, over SSL. To add one, open Settings, then Monero, then Nodes, tap +, and fill in the address and port. Only tick Trusted for a node you control. See our Cake Wallet guide.
• Monero GUI: switch the wallet to Advanced mode, then go to Settings, Node, Remote Node, enter the address and port and click Connect. See our Monero GUI wallet guide.

Ports: monerod listens for peers on 18080 and for wallets on 18081. Many public nodes offer a restricted RPC on 18089, the port used in the official sample config; restricted mode answers view-only requests and returns no privacy-sensitive data. Moneropedia names monero.fail as a well-known list of public nodes, including Tor and I2P ones.

Running your own node

The most private setup is your own node. The Monero docs say a pruned node needed about 105 GiB of disk as of 5 October 2026, and Moneropedia says pruning has no privacy or security downsides. Start monerod with --prune-blockchain on the first sync to save about two thirds of the space. The first sync can take hours or even a few days.

The Monero GUI can do this for you: its bootstrap and advanced modes download the blockchain to your computer, and bootstrap mode uses a remote node until your own copy is ready. The current release of monerod and the GUI is v0.18.5.4, from 17 October 2026.

You can also put your node behind Tor or I2P. The official guide sets up an onion service for wallets on port 18089, and says onion connections are end-to-end encrypted.

Fill your wallet: swap to XMR

Once your wallet is connected, the fastest way to get XMR into it is to swap a coin you already hold:

1. Copy a receive address from your wallet. Subaddresses start with 8.
2. Pick the coin you hold in the swap card: BTC, ETH, USDT, USDC, LTC or SOL. You see the XMR you'll get, at Kraken's last price minus 0.5%.
3. Paste your address and create the order. The amount is locked for 30 minutes.
4. Send the exact amount to the deposit address on your order. Once it confirms, the XMR is sent to your wallet by hand, and your wallet shows it after its next scan.