Set up a Validator Node

Becoming a validator on the EIB involves setting up your node, creating a wallet, configuring your system, and finally launching your validator node. This guide will walk you through these steps in detail to help you get started.

Hardware Prerequisites

Before proceeding, ensure that your hardware meets the recommended specifications to run a validator node efficiently.

Hardware	Mainnet	Testnet
CPU	4 or more physical CPU cores	2 or more physical CPU cores
RAM	16GB+	8GB+
Storage	500GB+ SSD	250GB+ SSD
Network	100mbps+	10mbps+
OS	Ubuntu 22.04	Ubuntu 22.04 or macOS

Software Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure your system has the following software installed:

• Git

• Golang (minimum version 1.21)

• Make

• jq

• Python

• golangci-lint

• Solc-JS

Step 1: Setting Up Your Node

1. Clone the Entangle Blockchain Repository: Start by cloning the official Entangle blockchain repository and navigating into the project directory:

   git clone https://github.com/Entangle-Protocol/entangle-blockchain
   cd entangle-blockchain
   git checkout main

2. Build the Project: Compile the project using the make command, which will build the necessary binaries:

   make install

   After installation, you can verify the installation by running:

   entangled --help

3. Initialize Your Node: Create your node by initializing it with a unique moniker and specifying the chain ID:

   entangled init <moniker> --chain-id entangle_33033-1

Step 2: Wallet Generation

1. Create a New Key: Generate a new key for your wallet. You'll need to provide a key name and select the keyring backend and algorithm:

   entangled keys add <key_name> --keyring-backend file --algo eth_secp256k1

2. Retrieve Your Address: Extract your wallet address and store for later use:

   MY_ADDRESS=$(entangled keys show <key_name> -a --keyring-backend file)
   echo $MY_ADDRESS

Step 3: Configuration

1. Update Configuration Files: Download genesis.json and config.toml. You'll need to replace the existing files in your .entangle/config/ directory with these.

2. Set Persistent Peers: In your .entangle/config/config.toml file, update the persistent_peers field with the provided list of nodes:

   persistent_peers = "node1@ip:port, node2@ip:port"

Step 4: Launching Your Node

1. Start Your Node: With the configurations set, you can start your node. Ensure to specify the chain ID and set the gas cap for JSON-RPC:

   entangled start --chain-id entangle_33033-1 --json-rpc.gas-cap 200000000

2. Verify Node Synchronization: Check if your node is fully synced with the network:

   curl -s 127.0.0.1:26657/status | jq '.result.sync_info.catching_up'

   A response of false indicates successful synchronization.

Step 5: Creating Your Validator Node

1. Ensure You Have NTGL Tokens: To create a validator, you must have a sufficient amount of NTGL tokens for staking and transaction fees.

2. Create Validator: Use the following command to create your validator. Replace <key_name> with your key name and adjust other parameters as necessary:

   entangled tx staking create-validator \
   --amount="5000000000000000000aNGL" \
   --pubkey=$(entangled tendermint show-validator) \
   --moniker="validator" \
   --chain-id=entangle_33033-1 \
   --commission-rate="0.10" \
   --commission-max-rate="0.20" \
   --commission-max-change-rate="0.01" \
   --min-self-delegation="1" \
   --gas=500000 \
   --gas-prices="10aNGL" \
   --from=<key_name> \
   --keyring-backend file

3. Verify Your Validator Node: Check if your validator has been successfully added to the validator set:

   entangled query tendermint-validator-set

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By following these steps, you can set up and launch a validator node on the Entangle blockchain. Remember to keep your node online and perform regular maintenance to ensure its smooth operation and contribution to the network's security and efficiency.