Bitcoin Command Line Operations: Essential CLI Commands for Wallet and Transaction Management

Managing a Bitcoin node via the command line offers unparalleled control and insight into wallet operations, transaction handling, and blockchain interaction. Whether you're running a full node on mainnet, testnet, or a private network, mastering bitcoin-cli commands is essential for developers, node operators, and advanced users. This guide compiles the most commonly used Bitcoin CLI commands—organized by function—with clear explanations and usage notes to help you navigate your Bitcoin environment efficiently.

Specifying Configuration Files

When managing multiple nodes or custom setups, you may need to point bitcoin-cli to a specific configuration file.

bitcoin-cli -conf=/root/.bitcoin/bitcoin.conf getblockchaininfo

This syntax ensures that the command uses the specified bitcoin.conf, particularly useful when running non-default configurations or multiple instances.

Wallet Management Commands

Effective wallet management is crucial for securing funds and monitoring activity.

Get Wallet Information

Retrieve comprehensive details such as version, balance, transaction count, and key pool status.

bitcoin-cli getwalletinfo

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List Received Addresses

View all addresses that have received funds, including associated account names (if used).

bitcoin-cli listreceivedbyaddress 1 true

The first parameter sets minimum confirmations; the second enables inclusion of empty accounts.

Check Wallet Balance

Display the total confirmed balance across all addresses in the wallet.

bitcoin-cli getbalance

Note: Only includes balances from addresses whose private keys are stored locally. Watch-only or external addresses are excluded.

Generate a New Address

Create a new receiving address under an optional account label.

bitcoin-cli getnewaddress "test"

Replace "test" with your preferred account name or leave empty for default.

Query Received Amount by Address

See how much BTC has been received at a specific address.

bitcoin-cli getreceivedbyaddress 2MtmeZ7W17zJzigtRhzKMP6MSc2DSyL5LYU

Accepts an optional confirmation threshold as a second argument.

Encrypt Your Wallet

Secure your wallet with encryption to protect private keys.

bitcoin-cli encryptwallet mypassword

Once encrypted, you must unlock the wallet before performing sensitive operations.

Unlock Wallet Temporarily

Unlock the wallet for signing or spending operations.

bitcoin-cli walletpassphrase mypassword 30

Time is in seconds—here, 30 seconds of access granted.

Lock Wallet

Manually lock the wallet after operations are complete.

bitcoin-cli walletlock

Recommended after sending transactions or exporting keys.

Backup Wallet

Safely create a backup of your wallet data.

bitcoin-cli backupwallet wallet.back

Ensure backups are stored securely offline.

Restore from Backup

Import a previously backed-up wallet file.

bitcoin-cli importwallet wallet.back

Requires wallet to be unlocked first.

Change Wallet Password

Update your encryption passphrase.

bitcoin-cli walletpassphrasechange mypassword 123456

Provide old and new passwords as arguments.

Export All Keys

Dump all private keys into a text file (unlocks required).

bitcoin-cli dumpwallet wallet.txt

Use extreme caution—this exposes all keys.

Import Private Key

Import a single private key (WIF format) into the wallet.

bitcoin-cli importprivkey 92dC2MM4dN4ei6qGarVkL48aiUcPjg2uvPdzpFY6QVjBAPQPGWy "test" true

Third parameter triggers blockchain rescan for associated transactions.

Import Watch-Only Address

Add an address without private key for monitoring purposes.

bitcoin-cli importaddress muhtvdmsnbQEPFuEmxcChX58fGvXaaUoVt "watch-only test" false

Ideal for auditing or multi-signature setups.

Import Public Key

Import a public key to track associated address activity.

bitcoin-cli importpubkey "04aefb3a2b6e0eef583216283b72279cdc1f79a0b99499a0ac9769598278a581ed7734f6b203fcd75fc4836296a4f662dea768671feea454d19b5abdc7a113b081" "transfer test" false

Rescan (true) takes time but recovers historical transactions.

List Address Groupings

View grouped addresses with their balances.

bitcoin-cli listaddressgroupings

Shows only addresses managed by this node (with imported keys).

Transaction Handling Commands

Precise transaction control enables advanced use cases like raw transaction building and offline signing.

Send BTC to an Address

Transfer funds from the default account.

bitcoin-cli sendtoaddress "mxHFNt2RXkshzT3CuXb5Dx215BdeNDQRCu" 10

Amount is in BTC. Transaction requires confirmation via mining.

Send from Specific Account

Debit from a labeled account (deprecated in newer versions).

bitcoin-cli sendfrom "test" "n3BMgZMA26TcHnVa5iNJeB3PMqkF3cEWBE" 0.01

👉 Learn how to build and sign transactions securely using command-line tools.

Mine Blocks (Regtest Only)

Generate blocks locally—for testing only (e.g., regtest mode).

bitcoin-cli generate 1

Useful for testing confirmations and coinbase rewards.

List Recent Transactions

Fetch recent transaction records.

bitcoin-cli listtransactions "*" 1 0 true

Parameters: account (* = all), limit, skip count, include watch-only.

Requires txindex=1 in bitcoin.conf.

Get Transaction Details

Inspect a specific transaction by ID.

bitcoin-cli gettransaction 47b30a7c5b1cd10183e60676fc0f4a059b96c2f10f16a2828aeb6270f4467500

Only works for transactions involving this wallet.

List Unspent Outputs (UTXOs)

View spendable outputs for building transactions.

bitcoin-cli listunspent

Filter by confirmation count and specific addresses:

bitcoin-cli listunspent 0 99999999 '["mi7efAUg86n8LZAFD4hdMTfoKYkj8YYbdA"]'

Also requires txindex=1 for full visibility.

Create Raw Transaction

Build an unsigned transaction manually.

bitcoin-cli createrawtransaction '[{"txid":"7fff82f7b28bc12b349e6e4c7482d563e7af6119ca49126bfc04435ce909abbc","vout":0}]' '{"2MuJfZRJi7S7nqaxHrbTRMSTb6GygDD4SFz":1}'

Specify input(s) and output(s) precisely.

Fund Raw Transaction

Automatically add inputs and change address to a raw transaction.

bitcoin-cli fundrawtransaction 02000000... '{"changeAddress": "2MuJfZRJi7S7nqaxHrbTRMSTb6GygDD4SFz", "includeWatching": true}'

Enhances flexibility in transaction construction.

Sign Raw Transaction

Sign with private keys (offline signing supported).

bitcoin-cli signrawtransactionwithkey 02000000... '["your-private-key"]'

Use signrawtransaction in older versions (deprecated).

Broadcast Signed Transaction

Submit the final transaction to the network.

bitcoin-cli sendrawtransaction 02000000...

Returns the transaction ID if successful.

Utility and Help Commands

Explore available functionality and debug issues.

List All Available Commands

bitcoin-cli help

Use help [command] for detailed syntax (e.g., help getblockchaininfo).

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I manage Bitcoin wallets without exposing private keys?
A: Yes—use watch-only addresses via importaddress. These allow balance monitoring without risk of theft from server compromise.

Q: Why does gettransaction return incomplete data?
A: If the wallet lacks private keys for an address, input/output details may be missing. Use getrawtransaction with txindex=1 for full data.

Q: How do I recover funds after restoring a wallet backup?
A: Rescan the blockchain using rescanblockchain or set importprivkey’s rescan flag to true. This can take time on large chains.

Q: What does “txindex=1” do?
A: Enables full transaction indexing, allowing queries for any transaction—not just those tied to your wallet. Required for advanced analysis and UTXO tracking.

Q: Is it safe to use dumpwallet?
A: Only in secure environments. The output contains all private keys in plain text. Never run this on internet-connected or untrusted systems.

Q: Can I run these commands on mainnet safely?
A: Yes—but double-check every address and amount. Mistakes in raw transactions are irreversible. Test first on testnet or regtest.

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