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Vana PoS Network Validator Setup

This guide will walk you through setting up a validator node for the Vana Proof-of-Stake (PoS) network using Docker.​

⚠️ Warning: Please run the validator only after conducting your own research and at your own risk. To activate the validator, you may need to be whitelisted, which requires staking 35,000 $VANA.

Prerequisites​

Install Docker & Docker Compose​

Run the following commands to install Docker on your Ubuntu system:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y apt-transport-https ca-certificates curl software-properties-common
curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/docker-archive-keyring.gpg
echo "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/docker-archive-keyring.gpg] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu $(lsb_release -cs) stable" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io
sudo systemctl start docker && sudo systemctl enable docker
sudo docker --version

Install Docker Compose​

Run this command to install Docker Compose:

sudo curl -L "https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/download/v2.3.3/docker-compose-$(uname -s)-$(uname -m)" -o /usr/local/bin/docker-compose
sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/docker-compose
docker-compose --version

Testnet Requirements​

Minimum Hardware Specifications:​

  • CPU: 2-core
  • RAM: 8 GB
  • Storage: 100 GB high-speed SSD
  • Architecture: x86-64

Ensure that your machine meets the above requirements for optimal performance on the testnet.

Quick Start​

1. Clone the Vana Repository:

git clone https://github.com/vana-com/vana.git
cd vana

2. Configure the Environment

Copy the example environment file and modify it with your preferred configuration:

cp .env.example .env
  • Open the .env file using a text editor:
nano .env
  • Set the EXTERNAL_IP={Your-VPS-IP}
  • Set USE_VALIDATOR=true to run a validator node.
  • Set the appropriate DEPOSIT_* variables (e.g., RPC URL, contract address, and private key for deposits).

3. Generate Validator Keys

This will guide you through an interactive process to generate the keys needed for your validator:

docker compose --profile manual run --rm validator-keygen

⚠️ Important: Carefully read the instructions and make sure to save your seed phrase/mnemonic for the validator wallet in a secure location!

4. Submit Validator Deposits

After generating your validator keys, you need to submit the deposit for each validator to stake:

docker compose --profile init --profile manual run --rm submit-deposits

Wait for the transactions to be confirmed before proceeding.

5. Start All Services

Once your deposit is confirmed, start all the necessary services (including the validator):

docker compose --profile init --profile validator up -d

6. Check Logs

Monitor your logs to ensure everything is running smoothly:

docker ps
docker logs --tail 50 -f {container-id}

7. Troubleshooting

  • If the check-config service fails, check its logs with:
docker compose logs check-config
  • Ensure all configuration files are correctly formatted, and ports are open in your firewall.

8. Security Considerations

  • Securely store your validator keys and never share them.
  • Regularly update your node software and monitor your validator's performance.