Become a Midnight Block Producer

This documentation is designed to guide you through the process of becoming a Midnight Block Producer (BP). A BP is responsible for producing new blocks in the Midnight blockchain. BPs play a key role in maintaining the integrity, security, and functionality of the blockchain.

Prerequisites

Must-have skills

• Proficiency in setting up, running, and monitoring blockchain nodes consistently
• Proficiency in CLI usage, system administration, and networking
• Experience with blockchain technologies, especially Cardano stake pool operations

Nice-to-have skills

• Familiarity with scripting languages (e.g., Bash, Python) for automation
• Understanding of security best practices for blockchain infrastructure

Must-have gear

• Reliable internet connection with minimal downtime. 50 MB/s or more is sufficient.
• Adequate hardware to run a full node (CPU, RAM, and storage requirements as per the latest documentation)

Nice-to-have gear

• Redundant internet connection to ensure high availability
• Backup power supply to prevent downtime during power outages

info

There is no slashing if one is offline; there is only the opportunity cost of not receiving additional block rewards.

info

To let Midnight evolve without resetting the chain, new versions of node software might introduce changes requiring a hard- or soft-fork. To handle such situations smoothly, a validator node running a compatible version of the software, will start including such information in blocks produced. When a configured threshold of blocks containing this information is reached - the changes will be scheduled, and then enabled by means of a runtime upgrade.

Overview of validator infrastructure

This is an example of validator infrastruture. Validators may orchestrate infrastructure based on their preferences.

Explainer

• Cardano Stake Pool (SPO): Represents an individual or group of stakeholders pooling their resources to participate in the Cardano network. At a minimum, an SPO operates a Cardano Block Producer (BP) node and one or more Cardano Relay nodes.
• Cardano Block Producer Node: Responsible for creating new blocks on the Cardano blockchain.
• Cardano DB Sync: Follows the Cardano chain and take information from the chain and an internally maintained copy of ledger state. Data is then extracted from the chain and inserted into a PostgreSQL database
• Cardano Relay node: Relays information between different nodes in the Cardano network, ensuring connectivity and dissemination of data. **: Synchronizes data between PostgreSQL and Cardano network.
• Kupo: Kupo is fast, lightweight and configurable chain-index for the Cardano blockchain that facilitates communication with the Midnight partnerchain scripts that reside on Cardano.
• Midnight Validator Node: Validates transactions and blocks within the Midnight blockchain.
• Ogmios: Facilitates communication between Cardano nodes and external applications.
• PostgreSQL: A relational database used to allow the Midnight validator node to read operations on the Cardano network.

System requirements and software

Most node operators manage their servers and infrastructure remotely from their workstations. Currently, Mac and Linux are the recommended and tested operating systems for this purpose. If you are using a Windows workstation, then use Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) for compatibility.

If you are using WSL, then please use:

• Ubuntu 22.04 (or equivalent)
  • GLIBC 2.35

Check current GLIBC version in WSL:

ldd --version

Docker is a key tool utilized throughout this guide. We recommend installing Docker on both workstations and servers to streamline container management. Docker simplifies the deployment, scaling, and management of applications by packaging them into standardized units called containers, making it easier to maintain consistency across different environments.

• Visit the official Docker website to get Docker.

Service Compatibility and System Requirements Reference

These are estimated system requirements for each service used within Midnight validator infrastructure.

Here's the updated table with the versions filled in:

Service	Version	Quantity	CPU testnet	CPU mainnet	Memory testnet	Memory mainnet	Storage testnet	Storage mainnet
Cardano DB Sync	13.5.0.2	1	4 VCPU	4 VCPU	32 GB RAM	32 GB RAM	20 GB free	320 GB free
Cardano Node	9.1.1	2	2 VCPU	4 VCPU	4 GB RAM	16 GB RAM	20 GB free	250 GB free
PostgreSQL	15.5	1	0.5 VCPU	1 VCPU	1 GB RAM	1 GB RAM	-	-
Midnight Node	0.6.3	1	4 VCPU	8 VCPU	16 GB RAM	32 GB RAM	40 GB free	TBD
Kupo	2.9.0	1	2 VCPU	4 VCPU	0.25 - 2 GB RAM	2 - 4 GB RAM	5 GB free	12 GB free
Ogmios	6.5.0	1	0.5 VCPU	1 VCPU	1 GB RAM	2 GB RAM	-	-

Example Server Architecture

Here's a textual description of an example server architecture tailored for the Cardano Preview testnet and Midnight Testnet:

1. Cardano Node Servers for Stake Pool Operation (x2)

Purpose:

• To run the Cardano nodes as an SPO on the Cardano environment.

Server Specifications:

• CPU: 2 VCPU (testnet recommendation)
• Memory: 4 GB RAM (testnet recommendation)
• Storage: 20 GB SSD (testnet recommendation)
• OS: A Linux distribution (e.g., Ubuntu 22.04 LTS)
• Software: Cardano Node v9.1.1 configured for testnet

2. Partner-Chain-Dependencies Server

Purpose:

• To host all partner-chain auxiliary services needed for Midnight validator operations.

Server Specifications:

• CPU: 4 VCPU (Combining minimal requirements for all services on testnet)
• Memory: 16 GB RAM (To handle DB Sync, PostgreSQL, and other services comfortably)
• Storage: 100 GB SSD (Considering DB Sync's lower storage need on testnet plus buffer)
• OS: A Linux distribution (e.g., Ubuntu 22.04 LTS)
• Software:
  • Cardano DB Sync v13.3.0.0
  • PostgreSQL v15.3
  • Kupo v2.9.0
  • Ogmios v6.5.0

3. Midnight Node Server

Purpose:

• To run the Midnight Node in validator mode.

Server Specifications:

• CPU: 4 VCPU (testnet recommendation)
• Memory: 16 GB RAM (testnet recommendation)
• Storage: 40 GB SSD (testnet recommendation)
• OS: A Linux distribution (e.g., Ubuntu 22.04 LTS)
• Software: Midnight Node (version as per current development or testing phase)

Network and Security Considerations for Testnet:

• Firewall and Security: Basic firewall setup with ufw or similar, less stringent than mainnet but still secure for testing purposes.
• Network: Reliable internet connection, though high-speed might not be as critical as for mainnet. Dynamic IPs might be acceptable for testnet nodes unless static IPs are required for specific tests.
• Backup: Less frequent backups might be necessary, but still advisable for important test configurations or data.

Scalability in Testnet:

• Flexibility: Testnet environments should be flexible to quickly scale up or down based on testing needs. Cloud services could be ideal for this due to their scalability.
• Testing New Features: This setup allows for testing new versions or configurations of software without risking mainnet operations.

This testnet architecture focuses on providing a stable yet flexible environment for development, testing, and validation of stake pool operations and new features before they are deployed to the mainnet. The specifications are generally lower due to the experimental nature of the testnet, where the economic stakes are not as high.