Full Node (systemd)

Run a Validator

This walkthrough provides step-by-step instructions to manually install and configure a Full Node from scratch.

• Introduction
• Pre-Requisites
• Step 1: Create a New User
• Step 2: Install Dependencies
• Step 3: Set Up Environment Variables
• Step 4: Install Cosmovisor
• Step 5: Install poktrolld
• Step 6: Configure poktrolld
• Step 7: Set Up systemd Service
• Step 8: Open Firewall Ports
• Next Steps

Introduction

This guide will help you install a Full Node for Pocket Network manually, giving you control over each step of the process. Running a Full Node is the first step toward becoming a Validator.

TL;DR: If you're comfortable using an automated script, check out the Full Node Cheat Sheet for quick setup instructions.

Pre-Requisites

• Linux-based System: Preferably Debian-based distributions.
• Root or Sudo Access: Administrative privileges are required.
• Dedicated Server or Virtual Machine: Any provider is acceptable.

Step 1: Create a New User

Create a dedicated user to run poktrolld:

sudo adduser poktroll

Set a password when prompted, and add the user to the sudo group:

sudo usermod -aG sudo poktroll

Step 2: Install Dependencies

Update your package list and install necessary dependencies:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y curl tar wget jq

Step 3: Set Up Environment Variables

Switch to the poktroll user and set environment variables required for Cosmovisor:

sudo su - poktroll

Add the following to your .profile:

echo "export DAEMON_NAME=poktrolld" >> ~/.profile
echo "export DAEMON_HOME=\$HOME/.poktroll" >> ~/.profile
echo "export DAEMON_RESTART_AFTER_UPGRADE=true" >> ~/.profile
echo "export DAEMON_ALLOW_DOWNLOAD_BINARIES=true" >> ~/.profile
echo "export UNSAFE_SKIP_BACKUP=false" >> ~/.profile
source ~/.profile

Step 4: Install Cosmovisor

Download and install Cosmovisor:

info

Alternatively, you can follow the official cosmovisor installation instructions.

mkdir -p $HOME/.local/bin
COSMOVISOR_VERSION="v1.6.0"
ARCH=$(uname -m)
if [ "$ARCH" = "x86_64" ]; then 
    ARCH="amd64"
elif [ "$ARCH" = "aarch64" ]; then 
    ARCH="arm64"
fi

curl -L "https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/releases/download/cosmovisor%2F${COSMOVISOR_VERSION}/cosmovisor-${COSMOVISOR_VERSION}-linux-${ARCH}.tar.gz" | tar -zxvf - -C $HOME/.local/bin
echo 'export PATH=$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH' >> ~/.profile
source ~/.profile

Step 5: Install poktrolld

Download and install poktrolld:

1. Download Genesis and Extract Version:

   # Select network (testnet-alpha, testnet-beta, or mainnet)
   NETWORK="testnet-beta"  # Change this to your desired network
   
   # Create config directory if it doesn't exist
   mkdir -p $HOME/.poktroll/config
   
   # Download genesis file
   GENESIS_URL="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/pokt-network/pocket-network-genesis/master/shannon/${NETWORK}/genesis.json"
   curl -s -o $HOME/.poktroll/config/genesis.json "$GENESIS_URL"
   
   # Extract version and set architecture
   POKTROLLD_VERSION=$(jq -r '.app_version' < $HOME/.poktroll/config/genesis.json)
   ARCH=$(uname -m)
   if [ "$ARCH" = "x86_64" ]; then ARCH="amd64"
   elif [ "$ARCH" = "aarch64" ]; then ARCH="arm64"
   fi

2. Download and Install the Binary:

   Create the cosmovisor genesis directory and download the binary.

   mkdir -p $HOME/.poktroll/cosmovisor/genesis/bin
   curl -L "https://github.com/pokt-network/poktroll/releases/download/v${POKTROLLD_VERSION}/poktroll_linux_${ARCH}.tar.gz" | tar -zxvf - -C $HOME/.poktroll/cosmovisor/genesis/bin
   chmod +x $HOME/.poktroll/cosmovisor/genesis/bin/poktrolld
   ln -sf $HOME/.poktroll/cosmovisor/genesis/bin/poktrolld $HOME/.local/bin/poktrolld

Step 6: Configure poktrolld

Initialize configuration files and set up the node:

1. Extract Chain ID and Initialize Node:

   # Extract chain-id from existing genesis
   CHAIN_ID=$(jq -r '.chain_id' < $HOME/.poktroll/config/genesis.json)
   
   # Initialize the node
   poktrolld init "YourNodeMoniker" --chain-id="$CHAIN_ID" --home=$HOME/.poktroll
   note

   You may see a message saying genesis.json file already exists. This is expected since we downloaded the genesis file in Step 5. The initialization will still complete successfully and set up the required configuration files.

2. Set Seeds:

   SEEDS_URL="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/pokt-network/pocket-network-genesis/master/shannon/${NETWORK}/seeds"
   SEEDS=$(curl -s "$SEEDS_URL")
   sed -i -e "s|^seeds *=.*|seeds = \"$SEEDS\"|" $HOME/.poktroll/config/config.toml

3. Set External Address:

   EXTERNAL_IP=$(curl -s https://api.ipify.org)
   sed -i -e "s|^external_address *=.*|external_address = \"${EXTERNAL_IP}:26656\"|" $HOME/.poktroll/config/config.toml

Step 7: Set Up systemd Service

Create a systemd service file to manage the node:

sudo tee /etc/systemd/system/cosmovisor.service > /dev/null <<EOF
[Unit]
Description=Cosmovisor daemon for poktrolld
After=network-online.target

[Service]
User=poktroll
ExecStart=/home/poktroll/.local/bin/cosmovisor run start --home=/home/poktroll/.poktroll
Restart=always
RestartSec=3
LimitNOFILE=infinity
LimitNPROC=infinity
Environment="DAEMON_NAME=poktrolld"
Environment="DAEMON_HOME=/home/poktroll/.poktroll"
Environment="DAEMON_RESTART_AFTER_UPGRADE=true"
Environment="DAEMON_ALLOW_DOWNLOAD_BINARIES=true"
Environment="UNSAFE_SKIP_BACKUP=true"

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
EOF

Enable and start the service:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable cosmovisor.service
sudo systemctl start cosmovisor.service

Step 8: Open Firewall Ports

To ensure your node can properly participate in the P2P network, you need to make port 26656 accessible from the internet. This may involve:

1. Configuring your firewall:

   For UFW:

   sudo ufw allow 26656/tcp

   For iptables:

   sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 26656 -j ACCEPT

2. Cloud Provider Settings:

   • If running on a cloud provider (AWS, GCP, Azure, etc.), ensure you configure the security groups or firewall rules to allow inbound traffic on port 26656.

3. Router Configuration:

   • If running behind a router, configure port forwarding for port 26656 to your node's internal IP address.

You can verify your port is accessible using a tool like netcat or telnet from another machine:

nc -vz your_server_ip 26656

Next Steps

Your Full Node is now up and running. You can check its status and logs using the commands:

• Check Status:

  sudo systemctl status cosmovisor.service

• View Logs:

  sudo journalctl -u cosmovisor.service -f