Nodes.dat — Emule

The Digital Rolodex: Understanding the Function and Importance of the nodes.dat File in eMule

: Standard nodes.dat files contain active nodes that could be overwhelmed by traffic if thousands of new users tried to "bootstrap" (connect for the first time) to them simultaneously. emule nodes.dat

If you open a nodes.dat file in Notepad (or any text editor), you won't see plain English. Instead, you'll see binary data or a structured list depending on the version. However, the (often saved as nodes.dat but sometimes as contact.dat ) looks like this: you won't see plain English. Instead

Here are the most reliable, community-vetted sources for a fresh nodes.dat : emule nodes.dat