user3667: I have port 8333 open with 8 outbound and 2 inbound connections.
Is my node transmitting and receiving transactions and blocks from both types of connections? Or does the "inbound" flag mean I am just downloading from that peer, and not sending any information back?
If, for the sake of saving RAM, I set maxconnections to 8, will they all be outbound? Even if port 8333 is open? In this configuration, is my node still "helping" the network?

user1526: If your node initiated the connection, it's outbound, otherwise it's inbound. Nodes will send and receive data from both types of connections exactly the same way.
maxconnections sets a limit on the total number of connections, so if you set it to eight, your node will probably initiate connections to other eight nodes before any node can initiate a connection to it.
Keep in mind that according to this forum post, each open connection will take only a few kilobytes of RAM, so reducing the number of connections might not save all that much of memory.
EDIT: By running a full node that has no slots for incoming connections, you act as a leecher, and you do more bad than good for the Bitcoin network, as Gavin Andresen said on Reddit. You would help the network if you allowed a few inbound connections. As discussed earlier, that's unlikely to take up any significant amount of RAM.

3667: <p>I have port 8333 open with 8 outbound and 2 inbound connections.</p>

<p>Is my node transmitting and receiving transactions and blocks from both types of connections? Or does the "inbound" flag mean I am just downloading from that peer, and not sending any information back?</p>

<p>If, for the sake of saving RAM, I set <code>maxconnections</code> to 8, will they all be outbound? Even if port 8333 is open? In this configuration, is my node still "helping" the network?</p>
 1526: <p>If your node initiated the connection, it's outbound, otherwise it's inbound. Nodes will send and receive data from both types of connections exactly the same way.</p>

<p><code>maxconnections</code> sets a limit on the total number of connections, so if you set it to eight, your node will probably initiate connections to other eight nodes before any node can initiate a connection to it.</p>

<p>Keep in mind that according to <a href="https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=855538.0" rel="nofollow">this forum post</a>, each open connection will take only a few kilobytes of RAM, so reducing the number of connections might not save all that much of memory.</p>

<p><strong>EDIT</strong>: By running a full node that has no slots for incoming connections, you act as a leecher, and you do more bad than good for the Bitcoin network, as <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/1scd4z/im_running_a_full_node_and_so_should_you/cdw3lrh?context=3" rel="nofollow">Gavin Andresen said on Reddit</a>. You would help the network if you allowed a few inbound connections. As discussed earlier, that's unlikely to take up any significant amount of RAM.</p>
