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Run a non-validator node

Overview​

This guide demonstrates how to run a non-validator node on the Saigon testnet using Docker. A non-validator node is also known as an RPC (remote procedure call) node.

Before you start​

Docker​

System requirements​

Recommended system requirements for running a non-validator node on the Saigon testnet:

  • 4 CPU cores
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 100 GB SSD
  • x86-64 architecture

These hardware requirements are rough guidelines, and each node operator should monitor their node to ensure good performance for the intended task. The size of your node will also grow over time.

Install the node​

  1. Set up directories:

Create a node directory:

mkdir ~/ronin

Go to the newly created directory:

cd ~/ronin

Create a chain data directory:

mkdir -p chaindata/data/ronin
  1. Create a file called docker-compose.yml:
vim docker-compose.yml
  1. Paste the following into docker-compose.yml:
version: "3"
services:
  node:
    image: ${NODE_IMAGE}
    stop_grace_period: 5m
    stop_signal: SIGINT
    hostname: node
    container_name: node
    ports:
      - 127.0.0.1:8545:8545
      - 127.0.0.1:8546:8546
      - 30303:30303
      - 30303:30303/udp
      - 6060:6060
    volumes:
      - ~/ronin/chaindata:/ronin
    environment:
      - SYNC_MODE=full
      - PASSWORD=${PASSWORD}
      - BOOTNODES=${BOOTNODES}
      - NETWORK_ID=${NETWORK_ID}
      - RONIN_PARAMS=${RONIN_PARAMS}
      - VERBOSITY=${VERBOSITY}
      - MINE=${MINE}
      - GASPRICE=${GASPRICE}
      - GENESIS_PATH=${GENESIS_PATH}
      - ETHSTATS_ENDPOINT=${INSTANCE_NAME}:${CHAIN_STATS_WS_SECRET}@${CHAIN_STATS_WS_SERVER}:443
      - BLS_PASSWORD=${BLS_PASSWORD}
      - BLS_PRIVATE_KEY=${BLS_PRIVATE_KEY}
      - BLS_AUTO_GENERATE=${BLS_AUTO_GENERATE}
      - ENABLE_FAST_FINALITY=${ENABLE_FAST_FINALITY}
      - ENABLE_FAST_FINALITY_SIGN=${ENABLE_FAST_FINALITY_SIGN}
      - BLS_SHOW_PRIVATE_KEY=${BLS_SHOW_PRIVATE_KEY}

This compose file defines the node service, which pulls a Ronin node image from the GitHub Container Registry.

  1. Create an .env file to store configuration parameters for the service:
vim .env
  1. Paste the following into .env and replace placeholder values (like INSTANCE_NAME) with your node's information:
# The name of your node that you want displayed on https://saigon-stats.roninchain.com/
INSTANCE_NAME=INSTANCE_NAME

# The latest version of the node's image as listed in https://docs.roninchain.com/validators/setup/upgrade-validator
NODE_IMAGE=NODE_IMAGE

# The password used to encrypt the node's private key file
PASSWORD=PASSWORD

# Whether to participate in the finality vote broadcast
ENABLE_FAST_FINALITY=true

# Whether to produce the finality vote
ENABLE_FAST_FINALITY_SIGN=false

MINE=false

BOOTNODES=enode://77e9cfce2d4c01c61115591984ca4012923c29846a7b66c775fed0cc8fe5f41b304a71e3e9433e067ea7ef86701c13992fefacf9e223786c62c530a7110e8142@35.224.85.190:30303

NETWORK_ID=2021
GASPRICE=20000000000
VERBOSITY=3

CHAIN_STATS_WS_SECRET=xQj2MZPaN6
CHAIN_STATS_WS_SERVER=saigon-stats.roninchain.com

CONFIG_PATH=config.testnet.json
GENESIS_PATH=testnet.json
DEPLOYMENT=test

RONIN_PARAMS=--http.api eth,net,web3 --txpool.pricelimit 20000000000 --txpool.nolocals
  1. (Optional) Download the snapshot:
cd ~/.skymavis/chaindata/data/ronin/
curl https://storage.googleapis.com/testnet-chaindata/chaindata-22-3-2023.tar -o chaindata.tar && tar -xvf chaindata.tar
mv chaindata-22-3-2023 chaindata
  1. Start the node:
cd ~/ronin && docker-compose up -d

This command pulls a Ronin node image and starts the service you defined.

  1. Review the log:
docker logs node -f --tail 100
  1. After a few minutes, check the status of your node on the Ronin Network Status page. If it's green, the node is connected and up to date with the network.