diff --git a/src/CMakeLists.txt b/src/CMakeLists.txt
--- a/src/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -337,6 +337,7 @@
 	randomenv.cpp
 	rcu.cpp
 	rpc/request.cpp
+	pruning.cpp
 	support/cleanse.cpp
 	support/lockedpool.cpp
 	sync.cpp
diff --git a/src/index/base.cpp b/src/index/base.cpp
--- a/src/index/base.cpp
+++ b/src/index/base.cpp
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 #include <chainparams.h>
 #include <config.h>
 #include <index/base.h>
+#include <pruning.h>
 #include <shutdown.h>
 #include <tinyformat.h>
 #include <ui_interface.h>
diff --git a/src/index/txindex.cpp b/src/index/txindex.cpp
--- a/src/index/txindex.cpp
+++ b/src/index/txindex.cpp
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 #include <index/txindex.h>
 
 #include <chain.h>
+#include <pruning.h>
 #include <shutdown.h>
 #include <ui_interface.h>
 #include <util/system.h>
diff --git a/src/init.cpp b/src/init.cpp
--- a/src/init.cpp
+++ b/src/init.cpp
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@
 #include <policy/mempool.h>
 #include <policy/policy.h>
 #include <policy/settings.h>
+#include <pruning.h>
 #include <rpc/blockchain.h>
 #include <rpc/register.h>
 #include <rpc/server.h>
diff --git a/src/interfaces/chain.cpp b/src/interfaces/chain.cpp
--- a/src/interfaces/chain.cpp
+++ b/src/interfaces/chain.cpp
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 #include <policy/settings.h>
 #include <primitives/block.h>
 #include <primitives/blockhash.h>
+#include <pruning.h>
 #include <rpc/protocol.h>
 #include <rpc/server.h>
 #include <shutdown.h>
diff --git a/src/net_processing.cpp b/src/net_processing.cpp
--- a/src/net_processing.cpp
+++ b/src/net_processing.cpp
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
 #include <policy/policy.h>
 #include <primitives/block.h>
 #include <primitives/transaction.h>
+#include <pruning.h>
 #include <random.h>
 #include <reverse_iterator.h>
 #include <scheduler.h>
diff --git a/src/pruning.h b/src/pruning.h
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/pruning.h
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+// Copyright 2020 The Bitcoin developers
+// Distributed under the MIT software license, see the accompanying
+// file COPYING or http://www.opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php.
+
+#ifndef BITCOIN_PRUNING_H
+#define BITCOIN_PRUNING_H
+
+#include <blockindex.h>
+#include <flatfile.h>
+#include <sync.h>
+
+namespace Consensus {
+struct Params;
+}
+
+class CBlock;
+
+/** The pre-allocation chunk size for blk?????.dat files (since 0.8) */
+static constexpr unsigned int BLOCKFILE_CHUNK_SIZE = 0x1000000; // 16 MiB
+
+FlatFileSeq BlockFileSeq();
+
+/**
+ * Open a block file (blk?????.dat).
+ */
+FILE *OpenBlockFile(const FlatFilePos &pos, bool fReadOnly = false);
+
+/** Functions for disk access for blocks */
+bool ReadBlockFromDisk(CBlock &block, const FlatFilePos &pos,
+                       const Consensus::Params &params);
+bool ReadBlockFromDisk(CBlock &block, const CBlockIndex *pindex,
+                       const Consensus::Params &params);
+
+#endif // BITCOIN_PRUNING_H
diff --git a/src/pruning.cpp b/src/pruning.cpp
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/pruning.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+#include <pruning.h>
+
+#include <clientversion.h>
+#include <pow/pow.h>
+#include <streams.h>
+#include <util/system.h>
+
+extern RecursiveMutex cs_main;
+
+FlatFileSeq BlockFileSeq() {
+    return FlatFileSeq(GetBlocksDir(), "blk", BLOCKFILE_CHUNK_SIZE);
+}
+
+FILE *OpenBlockFile(const FlatFilePos &pos, bool fReadOnly) {
+    return BlockFileSeq().Open(pos, fReadOnly);
+}
+
+bool ReadBlockFromDisk(CBlock &block, const FlatFilePos &pos,
+                       const Consensus::Params &params) {
+    block.SetNull();
+
+    // Open history file to read
+    CAutoFile filein(OpenBlockFile(pos, true), SER_DISK, CLIENT_VERSION);
+    if (filein.IsNull()) {
+        return error("ReadBlockFromDisk: OpenBlockFile failed for %s",
+                     pos.ToString());
+    }
+
+    // Read block
+    try {
+        filein >> block;
+    } catch (const std::exception &e) {
+        return error("%s: Deserialize or I/O error - %s at %s", __func__,
+                     e.what(), pos.ToString());
+    }
+
+    // Check the header
+    if (!CheckProofOfWork(block.GetHash(), block.nBits, params)) {
+        return error("ReadBlockFromDisk: Errors in block header at %s",
+                     pos.ToString());
+    }
+
+    return true;
+}
+
+bool ReadBlockFromDisk(CBlock &block, const CBlockIndex *pindex,
+                       const Consensus::Params &params) {
+    FlatFilePos blockPos;
+    {
+        LOCK(cs_main);
+        blockPos = pindex->GetBlockPos();
+    }
+
+    if (!ReadBlockFromDisk(block, blockPos, params)) {
+        return false;
+    }
+
+    if (block.GetHash() != pindex->GetBlockHash()) {
+        return error("ReadBlockFromDisk(CBlock&, CBlockIndex*): GetHash() "
+                     "doesn't match index for %s at %s",
+                     pindex->ToString(), pindex->GetBlockPos().ToString());
+    }
+
+    return true;
+}
diff --git a/src/rest.cpp b/src/rest.cpp
--- a/src/rest.cpp
+++ b/src/rest.cpp
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 #include <index/txindex.h>
 #include <primitives/block.h>
 #include <primitives/transaction.h>
+#include <pruning.h>
 #include <rpc/blockchain.h>
 #include <rpc/protocol.h>
 #include <rpc/server.h>
diff --git a/src/rpc/blockchain.cpp b/src/rpc/blockchain.cpp
--- a/src/rpc/blockchain.cpp
+++ b/src/rpc/blockchain.cpp
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 #include <node/context.h>
 #include <policy/policy.h>
 #include <primitives/transaction.h>
+#include <pruning.h>
 #include <rpc/server.h>
 #include <rpc/util.h>
 #include <script/descriptor.h>
diff --git a/src/rpc/rawtransaction.cpp b/src/rpc/rawtransaction.cpp
--- a/src/rpc/rawtransaction.cpp
+++ b/src/rpc/rawtransaction.cpp
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 #include <node/psbt.h>
 #include <node/transaction.h>
 #include <primitives/transaction.h>
+#include <pruning.h>
 #include <psbt.h>
 #include <random.h>
 #include <rpc/blockchain.h>
diff --git a/src/test/util/blockfilter.cpp b/src/test/util/blockfilter.cpp
--- a/src/test/util/blockfilter.cpp
+++ b/src/test/util/blockfilter.cpp
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 #include <test/util/blockfilter.h>
 
 #include <chainparams.h>
+#include <pruning.h>
 #include <validation.h>
 
 bool ComputeFilter(BlockFilterType filter_type, const CBlockIndex *block_index,
diff --git a/src/validation.h b/src/validation.h
--- a/src/validation.h
+++ b/src/validation.h
@@ -74,8 +74,6 @@
 static const unsigned int DEFAULT_MEMPOOL_EXPIRY = 336;
 /** The maximum size of a blk?????.dat file (since 0.8) */
 static const unsigned int MAX_BLOCKFILE_SIZE = 0x8000000; // 128 MiB
-/** The pre-allocation chunk size for blk?????.dat files (since 0.8) */
-static const unsigned int BLOCKFILE_CHUNK_SIZE = 0x1000000; // 16 MiB
 /** The pre-allocation chunk size for rev?????.dat files (since 0.8) */
 static const unsigned int UNDOFILE_CHUNK_SIZE = 0x100000; // 1 MiB
 
@@ -322,11 +320,6 @@
                             const CBlockIndex **ppindex = nullptr)
     LOCKS_EXCLUDED(cs_main);
 
-/**
- * Open a block file (blk?????.dat).
- */
-FILE *OpenBlockFile(const FlatFilePos &pos, bool fReadOnly = false);
-
 /**
  * Translation to a filesystem path.
  */
@@ -629,12 +622,6 @@
     ScriptExecutionMetrics GetScriptExecutionMetrics() const { return metrics; }
 };
 
-/** Functions for disk access for blocks */
-bool ReadBlockFromDisk(CBlock &block, const FlatFilePos &pos,
-                       const Consensus::Params &params);
-bool ReadBlockFromDisk(CBlock &block, const CBlockIndex *pindex,
-                       const Consensus::Params &params);
-
 bool UndoReadFromDisk(CBlockUndo &blockundo, const CBlockIndex *pindex);
 
 /** Functions for validating blocks and updating the block tree */
diff --git a/src/validation.cpp b/src/validation.cpp
--- a/src/validation.cpp
+++ b/src/validation.cpp
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@
 #include <pow/pow.h>
 #include <primitives/block.h>
 #include <primitives/transaction.h>
+#include <pruning.h>
 #include <random.h>
 #include <reverse_iterator.h>
 #include <script/script.h>
@@ -173,7 +174,6 @@
 static void FindFilesToPrune(std::set<int> &setFilesToPrune,
                              uint64_t nPruneAfterHeight);
 static FILE *OpenUndoFile(const FlatFilePos &pos, bool fReadOnly = false);
-static FlatFileSeq BlockFileSeq();
 static FlatFileSeq UndoFileSeq();
 static uint32_t GetNextBlockScriptFlags(const Consensus::Params &params,
                                         const CBlockIndex *pindex);
@@ -724,55 +724,6 @@
     return true;
 }
 
-bool ReadBlockFromDisk(CBlock &block, const FlatFilePos &pos,
-                       const Consensus::Params &params) {
-    block.SetNull();
-
-    // Open history file to read
-    CAutoFile filein(OpenBlockFile(pos, true), SER_DISK, CLIENT_VERSION);
-    if (filein.IsNull()) {
-        return error("ReadBlockFromDisk: OpenBlockFile failed for %s",
-                     pos.ToString());
-    }
-
-    // Read block
-    try {
-        filein >> block;
-    } catch (const std::exception &e) {
-        return error("%s: Deserialize or I/O error - %s at %s", __func__,
-                     e.what(), pos.ToString());
-    }
-
-    // Check the header
-    if (!CheckProofOfWork(block.GetHash(), block.nBits, params)) {
-        return error("ReadBlockFromDisk: Errors in block header at %s",
-                     pos.ToString());
-    }
-
-    return true;
-}
-
-bool ReadBlockFromDisk(CBlock &block, const CBlockIndex *pindex,
-                       const Consensus::Params &params) {
-    FlatFilePos blockPos;
-    {
-        LOCK(cs_main);
-        blockPos = pindex->GetBlockPos();
-    }
-
-    if (!ReadBlockFromDisk(block, blockPos, params)) {
-        return false;
-    }
-
-    if (block.GetHash() != pindex->GetBlockHash()) {
-        return error("ReadBlockFromDisk(CBlock&, CBlockIndex*): GetHash() "
-                     "doesn't match index for %s at %s",
-                     pindex->ToString(), pindex->GetBlockPos().ToString());
-    }
-
-    return true;
-}
-
 Amount GetBlockSubsidy(int nHeight, const Consensus::Params &consensusParams) {
     int halvings = nHeight / consensusParams.nSubsidyHalvingInterval;
     // Force block reward to zero when right shift is undefined.
@@ -4478,18 +4429,10 @@
              nLastBlockWeCanPrune, count);
 }
 
-static FlatFileSeq BlockFileSeq() {
-    return FlatFileSeq(GetBlocksDir(), "blk", BLOCKFILE_CHUNK_SIZE);
-}
-
 static FlatFileSeq UndoFileSeq() {
     return FlatFileSeq(GetBlocksDir(), "rev", UNDOFILE_CHUNK_SIZE);
 }
 
-FILE *OpenBlockFile(const FlatFilePos &pos, bool fReadOnly) {
-    return BlockFileSeq().Open(pos, fReadOnly);
-}
-
 /** Open an undo file (rev?????.dat) */
 static FILE *OpenUndoFile(const FlatFilePos &pos, bool fReadOnly) {
     return UndoFileSeq().Open(pos, fReadOnly);
diff --git a/src/wallet/rpcwallet.cpp b/src/wallet/rpcwallet.cpp
--- a/src/wallet/rpcwallet.cpp
+++ b/src/wallet/rpcwallet.cpp
@@ -26,7 +26,6 @@
 #include <util/translation.h>
 #include <util/url.h>
 #include <util/validation.h>
-#include <validation.h>
 #include <wallet/coincontrol.h>
 #include <wallet/psbtwallet.h>
 #include <wallet/rpcwallet.h>
diff --git a/src/zmq/zmqpublishnotifier.cpp b/src/zmq/zmqpublishnotifier.cpp
--- a/src/zmq/zmqpublishnotifier.cpp
+++ b/src/zmq/zmqpublishnotifier.cpp
@@ -9,10 +9,10 @@
 #include <config.h>
 #include <primitives/blockhash.h>
 #include <primitives/txid.h>
+#include <pruning.h>
 #include <rpc/server.h>
 #include <streams.h>
 #include <util/system.h>
-#include <validation.h>
 
 #include <cstdarg>