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[electrum-server.git] / README.md

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+Electrum-server for the Electrum client
+=========================================
+
+  * Author: thomasv@gitorious
+  * Language: Python
+
+Features
+--------
+
+  * The server uses a patched version of the Bitcoin daemon that can forward
+    transactions, and bitcoin-abe.
+  * The server code is open source. Anyone can run a server, removing single
+    points of failure concerns.
+  * The server knows which set of Bitcoin addresses belong to the same wallet,
+    which might raise concerns about anonymity. However, it should be possible
+    to write clients capable of using several servers.
+
+Installation
+------------
+
+  1. Patch and recompile bitcoin: see `patches/` for any necessary patches.
+  2. Install [bitcoin-abe](https://github.com/jtobey/bitcoin-abe).
+  3. Install [jsonrpclib](https://code.google.com/p/jsonrpclib/).
+  4. Launch the server: `nohup python -u server.py > /var/log/electrum.log &`
+     or use the included `start` script.
+
+See the included `HOWTO.md` for greater detail on the installation process.
+
+### Important Note
+
+Do not run bitcoin-abe and electrum-server simultaneously, because they will
+both try to update the database. 
+
+If you want bitcoin-abe to be available on your website, run it with 
+the `--no-update` option.
+
+### Upgrading Abe
+
+If you upgrade abe, you might need to update the database. In the abe directory, type:
+
+    python -m Abe.abe --config=abe.conf --upgrade
+
+License
+-------
+
+Electrum-server is made available under the terms of the [GNU Affero General
+Public License](http://www.gnu.org/licenses/agpl.html), version 3. See the 
+included `LICENSE` for more details.