basicswap-prepare Options for Coins and Tor

basicswap-prepare writes BasicSwap's settings, downloads the coin daemons you choose and creates your wallets. You run it once during installation, and again later to add a coin, change networks or upgrade the daemons. This page lists the options you're most likely to need, and basicswap-prepare --help prints the rest.

How to run it

Run it only while BasicSwap is stopped. The options are the same on every kind of install, and only the start of the command changes between the tabs below:

From source

export SWAP_DATADIR=$HOME/coinswaps
. $SWAP_DATADIR/venv/bin/activate
basicswap-prepare --datadir=$SWAP_DATADIR --withcoins=monero

An environment variable goes in front of the command, as in XMR_RPC_HOST="node.example.org" basicswap-prepare ….

Docker

Docker installs run it inside the container, from the basicswap/docker folder:

docker-compose run --rm swapclient basicswap-prepare --datadir=/coindata --htmlhost="0.0.0.0" --wshost="0.0.0.0" --withcoins=monero

An environment variable goes after run --rm as an -e option, as in docker-compose run --rm -e XMR_RPC_HOST="node.example.org" swapclient basicswap-prepare ….

basicswap-bash

The installer asks for the common choices and runs basicswap-prepare for you, and the bsx-* commands cover the later changes. To pass an option yourself, set up the terminal as for a source install, using the same folder:

export SWAP_DATADIR=$HOME/coinswaps
. $SWAP_DATADIR/venv/bin/activate
basicswap-prepare --datadir=$SWAP_DATADIR --withcoins=monero

Choose your coins

Option	What it does
`--withcoins=monero,bitcoin`	The coins to set up on a new install, as a comma-separated list. Particl is always included, and BasicSwap won't run without it.
`--withoutcoins=…`	Leaves coins out of a new install.
`--addcoin=litecoin`	Adds one coin to an existing install, or turns a disabled one back on, as Enable or disable coins describes.
`--disablecoin=litecoin`	Turns one coin off on an existing install, keeping its data.
`--usebtcfastsync`	Starts the Bitcoin blockchain from a recent snapshot, made with BTCPay Server's FastSync, instead of downloading and checking every block since 2009.

The coin names are particl, bitcoin, litecoin, decred, namecoin, monero, wownero, pivx, dash, firo, bitcoincash and dogecoin. --withcoins only works on a new install, so once basicswap.json exists, prepare stops with "basicswap.json exists", and you use --addcoin instead, one coin at a time.

Light wallets and remote nodes

Option	What it does
`--light`	Runs Bitcoin and Litecoin, if enabled, as Electrum light wallets instead of full nodes.
`--btc-mode=electrum`, `--ltc-mode=electrum`	The same for one coin. `rpc` keeps a coin on a full node, so `--light --btc-mode=rpc` puts only Litecoin on Electrum.
`--btc-electrum-server=host:port:ssl`	Uses your own Electrum server for Bitcoin, while `--ltc-electrum-server` does the same for Litecoin.
`XMR_RPC_HOST`, `XMR_RPC_PORT`	Connects to a Monero node you choose instead of running one. `XMR_RPC_USER` and `XMR_RPC_PWD` add a login if the node needs one. Wownero uses `WOW_RPC_HOST` and `WOW_RPC_PORT`.
`--trustremotenode`	Tells the Monero wallet to trust that node, a choice whose risks Lightweight modes explains.

Lightweight modes explains what each mode trades away, and which public servers BasicSwap uses by default.

Wallets and recovery

Option	What it does
`--xmrrestoreheight=n`	The Monero block height your Monero wallet starts scanning from. Use the current height on a new install and the height you wrote down when restoring.
`--wowrestoreheight=n`	The same for Wownero.
`--particl_mnemonic="word word …"`	Restores every wallet from your recovery phrase instead of creating a new one, following Back up and restore.
`WALLET_ENCRYPTION_PWD`	Your wallet password, needed when you add a coin to an install whose wallets are encrypted.

Access to the web UI

Option	What it does
`--client-auth-password=…`	Asks for a password before showing the web UI or answering the API, as set out in Web UI authentication.
`--disable-client-auth`	Removes that password.
`--htmlhost=0.0.0.0`	The network interface the web UI listens on. The default, `127.0.0.1`, only accepts connections from the same machine, while Docker installs use `0.0.0.0` inside the container. Reaching it from another device also needs allowed hosts and, ideally, a password.
`--wshost=…`	The interface for the websocket that pushes live updates to the UI. It follows `--htmlhost` unless you set it, and `none` turns it off.
`UI_HTML_PORT`	The web UI's port, `12700` unless you set another.

Tor and message networks

Option	What it does
`--enabletor`, `--disabletor`	Routes BasicSwap and its coin daemons through Tor, or stops doing so, as the Tor guide describes.
`--addnetwork=simplex`	Adds `smsg`, `simplex` or `nostr` as a network for offers and swap messages, covered in Message networks.
`--disablenetwork=…`	Removes a network, though prepare won't remove the last one left.

Upgrading the coin daemons

--upgradecores downloads the coin daemon versions that your BasicSwap version expects, for every coin in your install. The update guide says when you need it.