Run a Validator Node

A validator node participates in block production and consensus on the Shardeum testnet. It is used to test validator operations, node performance, and network behavior in a live environment.

Validator requirements and staking behavior on testnet may differ from mainnet.

Testnet configurations, chain IDs, staking requirements, and token availability may change. Always refer to the latest repository or official announcements.

1. System Requirements

Operating System: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
CPU: 4 cores (8 threads recommended)
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 1TB NVMe SSD
Network: 100 Mbps dedicated
Dependencies: git, jq, curl, make, build-essential, pkg-config
Go: Version 1.25+

Install dependencies:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install git jq curl make build-essential pkg-config -y

Install Go:

curl -LO https://go.dev/dl/go1.25.0.linux-amd64.tar.gz
sudo rm -rf /usr/local/go
sudo tar -C /usr/local -xzf go1.25.0.linux-amd64.tar.gz
echo 'export PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/go/bin' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc
go version

2. Install Shardeum Node Binary

Clone the Shardeum EVM repository:

git clone https://github.com/shardeum/shardeum-evm.git
cd shardeum-evm

Fetch the latest release tags and check out the currently supported testnet release:

git fetch --tags
git checkout <supported-testnet-release>

Replace <supported-testnet-release> with the release tag currently supported for Shardeum testnet.

Build and install the binary (may take several minutes):

make install

Add the Go bin directory to PATH:

echo 'export PATH=$PATH:$HOME/go/bin' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

Verify the installation:

shardeumd version
command -v shardeumd

3. Set Environment Variables

export SHARDEUM_CONFIG_DIR="$PWD/config"
export SHARDEUM_NETWORK=testnet
export SHARDEUM_CHAIN_ID=shardeum-testnet

4. Initialize the Node

Ensure your validator keys and mnemonic are stored securely. Loss of your mnemonic may prevent recovery of the validator account.

NODE_ID="<validator-id>"
MONIKER="<validator-name>"
 
shardeumd init "$MONIKER" \
  --chain-id shardeum-testnet \
  --home $HOME/.testnet/$NODE_ID \
  --overwrite

5. Copy Genesis File

cp config/environments/testnet-genesis.json $HOME/.testnet/$NODE_ID/config/genesis.json

Verify:

jq -r '.chain_id' $HOME/.testnet/$NODE_ID/config/genesis.json

The expected chain ID is:

shardeum-testnet

6. Start and Sync the Node

shardeumd start \
  --home $HOME/.testnet/$NODE_ID \
  --chain-id shardeum-testnet \
  --p2p.seeds "[email protected]:27656,[email protected]:27656,[email protected]:27656" \
  --p2p.laddr tcp://0.0.0.0:27656 \
  --rpc.laddr tcp://127.0.0.1:26657 \
  > $HOME/.testnet/$NODE_ID/node.log &

Monitor node logs:

tail -f $HOME/.testnet/$NODE_ID/node.log

Verify sync status:

shardeumd status --home $HOME/.testnet/$NODE_ID | jq '.SyncInfo'

Note: Initial sync may take time depending on hardware and network conditions.

7. Create the Validator Key

Ensure the node is connected to peers and wait until it is fully synced before proceeding.

shardeumd keys add validator-key \
  --home $HOME/.testnet/$NODE_ID

Or recover:

shardeumd keys add validator-key --recover \
  --home $HOME/.testnet/$NODE_ID

Retrieve your validator address:

shardeumd keys show validator-key -a \
  --home $HOME/.testnet/$NODE_ID

Store your mnemonic phrase securely. It is required for recovery. Also, the operator may be prompted for a keyring passphrase.

8. Fund Your Validator (Testnet)

Your validator account needs testnet SHM to stake and pay transaction fees. Use official testnet faucets or community distribution channels to obtain testnet SHM.

Verify balance:

VALIDATOR_ADDRESS=$(shardeumd keys show validator-key -a \
  --home $HOME/.testnet/$NODE_ID)
 
shardeumd query bank balances "$VALIDATOR_ADDRESS" \
  --home $HOME/.testnet/$NODE_ID

9. Create Your Validator and Stake Testnet SHM

Get consensus key:

shardeumd comet show-validator --home $HOME/.testnet/$NODE_ID

Create validator.json:

Adjust the stake amount based on current testnet requirements and your available testnet SHM balance.

{
  "pubkey": {
    "@type": "/cosmos.crypto.ed25519.PubKey",
    "key": "<your consensus key>"
  },
  "amount": "1000000000000000000ashm",
  "moniker": "<your validator name>",
  "commission-rate": "0.10",
  "commission-max-rate": "0.20",
  "commission-max-change-rate": "0.01",
  "min-self-delegation": "1"
}

Create validator:

shardeumd tx staking create-validator validator.json \
  --from=validator-key \
  --chain-id shardeum-testnet \
  --home $HOME/.testnet/$NODE_ID \
  --gas="auto" \
  --gas-adjustment="1.5"

10. Verify Validator Status

VALIDATOR_OPERATOR_ADDRESS=$(shardeumd keys show validator-key \
  --bech val \
  -a \
  --home $HOME/.testnet/$NODE_ID)
 
shardeumd query staking validator "$VALIDATOR_OPERATOR_ADDRESS" \
  --home $HOME/.testnet/$NODE_ID

Look for:

Status: BOND_STATUS_BONDED
Voting power: greater than 0
Jailed: false

11. Optional: Run as a systemd Service

Check the installed Shardeum binary path:

command -v shardeumd

Create the service file:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/shardeumd-testnet.service

Example content:

The example below assumes the node was installed and initialized as the root user. If you used another system user, replace User=root and /root/.testnet/<validator-id> with the corresponding user and node-home path.

[Unit]
Description=Shardeum Testnet Validator
After=network-online.target
 
[Service]
User=root
ExecStart=<shardeumd-binary-path> start \
  --home /root/.testnet/<validator-id> \
  --chain-id shardeum-testnet \
  --p2p.seeds "[email protected]:27656,[email protected]:27656,[email protected]:27656" \
  --p2p.laddr tcp://0.0.0.0:27656 \
  --rpc.laddr tcp://127.0.0.1:26657
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=3
LimitNOFILE=65535
 
[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Replace <shardeumd-binary-path> with the path returned by command -v shardeumd and <validator-id> with the validator node ID configured earlier.

If the validator is already running from the manual startup command above, stop that process before starting the systemd service.

Reload systemd, then enable and start the service:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable shardeumd-testnet
sudo systemctl start shardeumd-testnet
sudo systemctl status shardeumd-testnet

12. Important Notes

Testnet Chain ID: shardeum-testnet
EVM Chain ID: 8119
Network: Shardeum EVM Testnet (subject to resets)
Testnet SHM has no real-world monetary value.
Testnet configuration and validator state may be reset or changed between testnet phases.
Staking, slashing, validator-set parameters, and other network settings may differ from mainnet.

Validator Setup Complete

Your Shardeum testnet validator is now configured and participating in the network when bonded.

You can use the testnet validator environment for:

Validator operations and testing
Upgrade and maintenance testing
Performance monitoring
Network participation experiments

Run a Validator Node

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