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Run a Midnight node in Validator Mode

Prerequisites​

  • Postgres PORT should be accessible to the midnight-node and cardano-db-sync should be fully synced (Step 2).

  • Midnight-node is available as a Docker image at this time. Therefore, Docker/ Docker Compose is required.

  • data/chains/partner_chains_template/... (created in Step 3) is available to the Midnight-node (via a docker volume).

  • Install direnv to manage environment variables.

If data/chains/partner_chains_template/... is still on the partner-chains deps server, then simply copy it over to the Midnight-node instance.

Optional: Copying files between instances using Magic Wormhole

Install

sudo apt install magic-wormhole # install magic wormhole on each instance.

wormhole send data/ # returns a receive command to copy and paste on the other instance

# on the intended midnight-node copy the receive command

wormhole receive <secret words>

# verify the directory and contents were copied over
sudo apt install tree
tree data/

Clone the midnight-node-docker repo and setup Partner-chain keys​

  • Clone midnight-node-docker
  • Copy data/chains/partner_chains_template/... into the root directory of the project like so:
midnight-node-docker$ tree -d data/
data/
└── data
    └── chains
        └── partner_chains_template
            ├── keystore
            └── network

docker-compose up midnight-node:

  • Within the same directory as compose.yml, simply invoke docker compose up to start the node.

    docker-compose up
    # docker-compose up -d to run in detached mode

The node should begin to sync with the testnet.

⚙️ Syncing  2.6 bps, target=#474962 (8 peers), best: #3967 (0xf620…d752), finalized #3584 (0x56d5…f7bd), ⬇ 0.8kiB/s ⬆ 0.2kiB/s

In the above log example; the node is syncing and peering with the network (8). The current synced block is 3967, but the sync target is 474962.

note

Your node will be eligable to produce blocks in n + 2 epochs since registration. For example, if you register on epoch 900 and start a validator node on epoch 901, then you won't see blocks being produced until the chain is at epoch 902.

When the node is fully synced, then you should be participating in block production. For example:

✨ Imported #12345 (0xabc1…def2)
💤 Idle (5 peers), best: #12345 (0xabc1…def2), finalized #12343 (0x789a…bcd3)
🏆 Prepared block for proposing at #12346 (block time = 6s)
🔖 Pre-sealed block for proposal at #12346. Hash: 0xdef3…ghi4
✨ Successfully proposed block #12346 (0xdef3…ghi4)
✨ Imported #12346 (0xdef3…ghi4)
💤 Idle (5 peers), best: #12346 (0xdef3…ghi4), finalized #12344 (0x456b…def7)
  • "Prepared block for proposing": This line indicates that your node has prepared a block to propose at a specific block height (e.g., #12346). This is a strong sign that your node is actively participating in block production.
  • "Pre-sealed block for proposal": This shows the block is ready to be proposed to the network, including its hash.
  • "Successfully proposed block": This confirms that your node successfully proposed the block to the network.
  • "Imported": This means the block your node produced (or another block at that height) has been imported into the chain. If the hash matches your proposed block, it’s a clear sign your node’s block was accepted.
  • Block Number Incrementing: If the best block number keeps increasing and aligns with your proposed blocks, your node is contributing to the chain’s progress.