📷Validator

1. System Requirements

Before starting, make sure your server meets the following minimum system requirements:

• Operating System: Ubuntu 20.04 LTS or higher

• CPU: 4 cores

• RAM: 16 GB

• Storage: SSD with at least 500 GB of free space

• Network: High-speed internet connection with low latency

2. Install Dependencies

First, update your system and install the necessary dependencies:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade -y
sudo apt-get install -y build-essential curl jq git

3. Install Rust and Cargo

Elixir's node software is typically written in Rust, so you'll need to install Rust and Cargo (Rust’s package manager):

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh
source $HOME/.cargo/env
rustup update stable

Verify the installation:

rustc --version
cargo --version

4. Clone the Elixir Repository

Clone the official Elixir repository from GitHub:

git clone https://github.com/elixir-labs/elixir-node.git
cd elixir-node

5. Build the Node

Navigate to the directory where the source code was cloned and build the node:

cargo build --release

This process may take a while depending on your server’s performance. After it's done, the compiled binary will be available in the target/release/ directory.

6. Configure the Node

Before running the node, you need to configure it. Create a configuration file by copying the example provided:

cp config.example.toml config.toml

Edit the config.toml file to suit your needs. Here's an example configuration:

[network]
port = 30303
bootnodes = ["enode://bootnode1@192.168.1.1:30303", "enode://bootnode2@192.168.1.2:30303"]

[validator]
private_key = "your_private_key"
public_key = "your_public_key"

[logging]
level = "info"
file = "/var/log/elixir-node.log"

7. Start the Node

Once everything is configured, start your node with the following command:

./target/release/elixir-node --config ./config.toml

You should see output indicating that your node is starting and connecting to the network.

8. Set Up a Systemd Service (Optional)

To keep your node running in the background, you can set it up as a systemd service:

Create a new service file:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/elixir-node.service

Add the following content:

[Unit]
Description=Elixir Validator Node
After=network.target

[Service]
User=root
ExecStart=/path/to/your/elixir-node --config /path/to/your/config.toml
Restart=on-failure
LimitNOFILE=4096

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Replace /path/to/your/elixir-node and /path/to/your/config.toml with the actual paths to your node binary and configuration file.

Enable and start the service:

sudo systemctl enable elixir-node
sudo systemctl start elixir-node

Check the status to ensure everything is running smoothly:

sudo systemctl status elixir-node

9. Monitor Node Logs

To monitor your node's activity and debug any issues, check the logs:

journalctl -u elixir-node -f

10. Secure Your Node

To secure your node, ensure that you have proper firewall rules in place. For example, you can use ufw (Uncomplicated Firewall) to only allow necessary ports:

sudo ufw allow 22/tcp   # SSH
sudo ufw allow 30303/tcp  # Elixir Node Port
sudo ufw enable

11. Keep the Node Updated

Regularly update your node to the latest version to stay in sync with the network:

cd ~/elixir-node
git pull origin main
cargo build --release
sudo systemctl restart elixir-node

12. Backup and Recovery

Ensure that you regularly back up your node’s keys and configuration. In case of failure, you can restore your node by simply copying these files to a new server and restarting the node.

cp /path/to/your/private_key_backup /new/path/to/your/private_key
cp /path/to/your/config_backup.toml /new/path/to/your/config.toml
./target/release/elixir-node --config ./new/path/to/your/config.toml

By following this guide, you should have a fully operational Elixir validator node. Be sure to consult the official documentation and community resources for more specific details and troubleshooting.