{% hint style="warning" %} Are you headed down the right path?
This trail is designed for intermediate node runners, who are familiar with running full nodes and have the knowledge required to avoid getting lost. You might be better served following one of the other trails below. {% endhint %}
Wanting to understand the economics of running a node before you dive in? Check out these links:
{% content-ref url="../../v0/economics/pokt-token-economics/node-economics/" %} node-economics {% endcontent-ref %}
{% content-ref url="../../resources/faq/pricing-and-economics.md" %} pricing-and-economics.md {% endcontent-ref %}
This trail might be a little too scenic for you. For a no-frills quickstart guide, you should head over to the Pocket Core docs.
Are you familiar with all of these concepts?
- Running full nodes
- Using a CLI
- Reverse proxy
- SSL certs
- Port forwarding
If not, you're likely to get lost. You're welcome to learn, of course, and we'd be happy to help you on your journey, but in the meantime you might want to consider using a third-party node hosting service. While they will be taking a cut of your revenue, they'll generate more revenue for you overall.
If you're determined to learn by doing, we recommend using Node Pilot, an automated Docker-powered node deployment GUI maintained by Pocket Network community members. It is entry-level friendly and only requires a few CLI commands.
Hardware Requirements: 4 CPU’s (or vCPU’s) | 8 GB RAM | 200GB Disk
{% hint style="info" %} These are just the hardware requirements for your Pocket node. You'll also need to run the full nodes of other blockchains, which may have their own hardware requirements that surpass Pocket's. {% endhint %}
There are three ways to install the software you need to run Pocket Network.
Install your dependencies
- go
- go environment GOPATH & GOBIN
- git
Create source code directory
mkdir -p $GOPATH/src/github.com/pokt-network && cd $GOPATH/src/github.com/pokt-network
Download the source code
git clone https://github.com/pokt-network/pocket-core.git && cd pocket-core
Checkout the latest release
{% tabs %} {% tab title="Command" %}
git checkout tags/<release tag>
{% endtab %}
{% tab title="Example" %}
git checkout tags/RC-0.6.3
{% endtab %} {% endtabs %}
Make sure you have $GOPATH setup
{% tabs %} {% tab title="Command" %}
echo $GOPATH
{% endtab %}
{% tab title="Response (Mac)" %}
/Users/<your username>/go
{% endtab %} {% endtabs %}
Build your binary and put it in the $GOPATH/bin directory
{% tabs %} {% tab title="Command" %}
go build -o <$GOPATH/bin directory> <source code directory>/...
{% endtab %}
{% tab title="Example" %}
go build -o $GOPATH/bin/pocket $GOPATH/src/github.com/pokt-network/pocket-core/app/cmd/pocket_core/main.go
{% endtab %} {% endtabs %}
Test your installation
{% tabs %} {% tab title="Command" %}
pocket version
{% endtab %}
{% tab title="Response" %}
> RC 0.6.3
{% endtab %} {% endtabs %}
{% hint style="info" %} Check your version number against the latest release here. {% endhint %}
Install your dependencies
- go
- go environment GOPATH & GOBIN
- Homebrew (Mac or Linux)
Install using Homebrew
brew tap pokt-network/pocket-core && brew install pokt-network/pocket-core/pocket
Test your installation
{% tabs %} {% tab title="Command" %}
pocket version
{% endtab %}
{% tab title="Response" %}
> RC-0.6.3
{% endtab %} {% endtabs %}
See pokt-network/pocket-core-deployments
- Reverse Proxy: For SSL termination and request management
- Ports: Expose Pocket RPC (Default :8081) and P2P port (Default: 26656)
- SSL Cert: Required for Validator's serviceURI
ulimit -Sn 16384
{% hint style="warning" %}
This Open Files Limit is set based on the standard config provided with Pocket Core in <datadir>/config/config.json. If you modify your config, you will need to ensure that you modify your Open Files Limit too, according to the formula below.
{% endhint %}
The required ulimit can be calculated using this formula:
({ulimit -Sn} >= {MaxNumInboundPeers} + {MaxNumOutboundPeers} + {GRPCMaxOpenConnections} + {MaxOpenConnections} + {Desired Concurrent Pocket RPC connections} + {100 (Constant number of wal, db and other open files)}
Make sure the server that hosts your node is protected by up-to-date anti-virus and anti-malware software. Protect your node with a firewall but make sure to maintain login access for yourself and keep the above ports open.
An account is needed to participate at any level of the network.
{% tabs %} {% tab title="Command" %}
pocket accounts create
{% endtab %}
{% tab title="Response" %}
> Enter Passphrase
> Account generated successfully:
> Address: <address>
{% endtab %} {% endtabs %}
{% hint style="info" %} Alternatively, you can create your account using the Wallet app, then use the encrypted import command to import the account into your node environment: {% endhint %}
pocket accounts import-armored </path/to/ppk.json>
Backup your private key to an encrypted and ASCII armored json file, to the specified --path , using the secure export command. After you hit enter, you will be prompted for the decrypt passphrase and an encryption passphrase for the exported account. You will also have the option to add a hint to help remember your passphrase.
{% tabs %} {% tab title="Command" %}
pocket accounts export <address> --path <path>
{% endtab %}
{% tab title="Example" %}
pocket accounts export 59f08710afbad0e20352340780fdbf4e47622a7c --path /$HOME/super-secret-dir
{% endtab %} {% endtabs %}
{% hint style="warning" %} Do not use your node's account as your personal account address. Since the node's private key is stored in plaintext on the server, the key is as secure as your server is. Regularly sweep your node's rewards and transfer them to a more secure account stored offline. {% endhint %}
For more details on securely managing your POKT accounts, see here:
{% content-ref url="../buy-store-and-stake-pokt/" %} buy-store-and-stake-pokt {% endcontent-ref %}
To stake a Validator in Pocket Network, the account must have a balance above the minimum stake:
15,000 POKT or 15,000,000,000 uPOKT
{% hint style="danger" %} The absolute minimum node stake (15,000 POKT) is not practical for real-world usage. 15,100 is a reasonable buffer against operational slashes which can occur on seemingly properly configured nodes as well as misconfigured and misbehaving ones. {% endhint %}
Send POKT with the following command:
pocket accounts send-tx <fromAddr> <toAddr> <uPOKT amount> mainnet 10000 "" false
You won't be able to send POKT using your CLI until you have a Validator set up. Until then, you can use the Wallet app.
If you're using the testnet, you can fund your account using the Testnet Faucet.
pocket accounts set-validator <address>
{% hint style="info" %}
Check that it worked with pocket accounts get-validator
{% endhint %}
A Relay Chain is the blockchain that Validators are running full nodes for in service of Applications. Apps access Relay Chains through the serviceURI, the endpoint where Validators publicly expose the Pocket API.
{% tabs %} {% tab title="Command" %}
pocket util generate-chains
{% endtab %}
{% tab title="Response" %}
> Enter the chain of the network identifier:
<Relay Chain ID> (Example: 0001)
> Enter the URL of the network identifier:
<Secure URL to Relay Chain>
Would you like to enter another network identifier? (y/n)
n
{% endtab %} {% endtabs %}
{% hint style="info" %} RelayChainIDs can be found here. {% endhint %}
Genesis files can be found here:
The appropriate genesis file should be placed at $HOME/.pocket/config/genesis.json
{% tabs %} {% tab title="Mainnet Setup" %}
mkdir -p "$HOME"/.pocket/config
curl -o "$HOME"/.pocket/config/genesis.json https://raw.githubusercontent.com/pokt-network/pocket-network-genesis/master/mainnet/genesis.json
{% endtab %}
{% tab title="Testnet Setup" %}
mkdir -p "$HOME"/.pocket/config
curl -o "$HOME"/.pocket/config/genesis.json https://raw.githubusercontent.com/pokt-network/pocket-network-genesis/master/testnet/genesis.json
{% endtab %} {% endtabs %}
Test that your node is configured correctly by simulating a relay.
pocket start --simulateRelay
Then send a curl request to your validator URL http://<your node>:<your pocket rpc port>/v1/client/sim to test if your node responds.
curl -X POST --data '{"relay_network_id":"<relay chain ID from chains.json>","payload":{"data":"{\"jsonrpc\":\"2.0\",\"method\":\"eth_getBalance\",\"params\":[\"0xe7a24E61b2ec77d3663ec785d1110688d2A32ecc\", \"latest\"],\"id\":1}","method":"POST","path":"","headers":{}}}' <your node URL>:8081/v1/client/sim
{% hint style="success" %}
200 OK – your transaction has gone through
{% endhint %}
{% hint style="danger" %}
400 Bad Request – you either have incorrect/missing parameters in the request or bad formatting in the data field
{% endhint %}
Finally, stop your node. If you don't, you'll be leaving --simulateRelay running, which means anyone will have unfiltered access to your node.
Downloading from the latest snapshot will drastically shorten the time it takes to sync the blockchain. The easiest way is by downloading with wget and extracting the archive as it downloads.
mkdir -p "$HOME"/.pocket/data
cd "$HOME"/.pocket/data
wget -qO- https://link.us1.storjshare.io/raw/jwspuut4dzrdsms2t732ee4fuheq/pocket-public-blockchains/pocket-network-data-1216-rc-0.6.3.6.tar | tar xvf -
Other options for downloading the latest snapshot can be found in the pocket-snapshots repo.
{% tabs %} {% tab title="Command" %}
pocket start --seeds=<seeds> --mainnet
{% endtab %}
{% tab title="Example" %}
pocket start --seeds="64c91701ea98440bc3674fdb9a99311461cdfd6f@node1.mainnet.pokt.network:21656" --mainnet
{% endtab %} {% endtabs %}
{% content-ref url="../../resources/references/seeds.md" %} seeds.md {% endcontent-ref %}
{% hint style="warning" %} Ensure the node is all the way synced before proceeding to the next step. {% endhint %}
Stake the account to participate in the Network as a Validator. Staking a Validator locks up POKT tokens that can be burned as a security mechanism for bad acting.
{% tabs %} {% tab title="Command" %}
pocket nodes stake <address> <amount> <relay_chains> <serviceURI> mainnet 10000 false
{% endtab %}
{% tab title="Example" %}
pocket nodes stake 3ee61299d5bbbd2974cddcc194d9b547c7629546 20000000000 0001,0002 https://pokt.rocks:443 mainnet 10000 false
{% endtab %} {% endtabs %}
You should leave 1 POKT liquid (unstaked) to pay the transaction fees for your node's claim and proof transactions.
All node runners must always maintain a liquid (unstaked) balance of at least 0.02 POKT in order to submit the claim and proof transactions (which each have a transaction fee of 0.01 POKT) that generate their rewards. If a node successfully submits both the claim and proof, they will earn enough POKT to submit the next claims and proofs, and so on. However, if a node falls below a liquid balance of 0.02 POKT, their revenue will be halted.
Claim transactions have 3 sessions, the ClaimSubmissionWindow, to be successfully submitted after the conclusion of the session in which the work was done, otherwise they are lost. If a claim transaction fails, Pocket Core will auto-repeat the transaction once in each new session, until the claim is lost. This means your node will automatically take 3 attempts to submit the claim. There is a claim submission window because the global secret key that determines the required proof leaf is revealed once that window closes. Extending the claim submission window would delay the time at which the corresponding proof can be sent and rewards earned.
If you manage to successfully submit the claim transaction, you then have 120 blocks, the ClaimExpiration period, to submit the corresponding proof transaction, otherwise the pending claim expires. There is a claim expiration date because otherwise the claims would remain in the state and bloat the blockchain.
{% hint style="warning" %} Bad Behavior Warning: Pre-staking
Pre-staking is the act of a node runner staking on a RelayChainID prior to spinning up the RelayChain node. This behavior has an extremely negative impact on the quality of service for new chains due to apps being matched in sessions with Pocket nodes that don't actually have RelayChain nodes connected to them. If you do this, your node will be challenged and slashed. You should always deploy your RelayChain node and simulate relays before staking your Pocket node for the RelayChainID. {% endhint %}
{% hint style="danger" %}
If your stake falls below 15,000 POKT your node will be force-unstake burned. We recommend having a buffer above the 15,000 minimum (e.g. 15,100-16,000) so that minor slashing doesn't result in loss of the entire stake.
{% endhint %}
{% hint style="success" %} 🏆 Achievement Unlocked
If you staked your node successfully, you just earned your first trophy. See here to find out how earning more trophies will ultimately earn you a vote in our DAO. {% endhint %}
Each release may have specific modifications you need to make. This is just a general guideline for the steps you'll typically take to upgrade your node. Check the release notes for release-specific details.
Stop your Pocket Core instance running by submitting the shutdown command.
pocket stop
{% hint style="warning" %} Once you shutdown Pocket Core, you will have 4 blocks (60 minutes) to complete the upgrade and start Pocket Core again before your node gets jailed for downtime. {% endhint %}
Backing up your blockchain data will ensure a faster resync when you restart your node.
Navigate inside your $HOME/.pocket/ dir and save data/ (the entire directory):
cp -r ~/.pocket/data ~/backup/data
In the event of a corrupted database you can delete the bad data rm -r ~/.pocket/data and replace it with your backup cp -r ~/backup/data ~/.pocket/data.
{% hint style="info" %} If you don't have a backup, a temporary backup datadir may be provided alongside a release. {% endhint %}
Check your golang version. The release notes will specify which version it should be.
go version
If you need to upgrade, use this guide.
Alternatively, if you use g, you can just run
sudo apt-get update
g install <version number>
Navigate into pocket-core directory
cd ~/go/src/github.com/pokt-network/pocket-core
Checkout the latest release
git pull
git checkout tags/<release tag>
Rebuild the binary
go build -o $GOPATH/bin/pocket ./app/cmd/pocket_core/main.go
Pull the latest tap
brew upgrade pokt-network/pocket-core/pocket
Pull the latest container image
{% tabs %} {% tab title="Option 1" %}
docker pull poktnetwork/pocket-core:RC-0.6.3
{% endtab %}
{% tab title="Option 2" %}
docker pull poktnetwork/pocket:RC-0.6.3
{% endtab %} {% endtabs %}
Run the update-configs command, which creates a new config file (DATADIR/config/config.json) and backs up the old config file (DATADIR/config/config.json.bk).
pocket util update-configs
You'll need to manually compare your backup file with the new file to copy over your personal config details.
Start pocket running again.
pocket start
You can earn a vote in the DAO and help shape the future of Pocket Network, including deciding which ecosystem tooling our treasury supports and how we configure important on-chain parameters such as node revenue.
Once you've staked your node successfully, join our Discord and report this in the 🏆trophies channel.
This is your first trophy on the path to earning a vote in the DAO:
{% content-ref url="../governor/claim-your-vote/node-runner-path.md" %} node-runner-path.md {% endcontent-ref %}
For more details on how to join the DAO, go here:
{% content-ref url="../governor/claim-your-vote/" %} claim-your-vote {% endcontent-ref %}