Detailed Cloud Instance Instructions

The following instructions detail how to set up a Taraxa lite node RPC node on a Hetzner cloud instance (referral link). Please note that specifications may change over time.

1. Create a new cloud instance with the following minimum settings:

   • Location: Any (some are cheaper; not all types are available everywhere)
   • Image: Ubuntu 24.04 or newer
   • Type: Dedicated vCPU (CCX23 or higher)
   • SSH Key: Add your SSH key if available
   • Default settings are acceptable for other options

   After creation, wait a few minutes. You will receive an email containing the IP address and SSH login details from Hetzner.

   Alternatively us any other cloud provider that offers a Linux instance with Docker support.

2. Login to your instance:

    ssh root@<IP_ADDRESS>
   

   Replace <IP_ADDRESS> with your instance’s actual IP.

   

3. Update the system:

    sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
   

   

   

4. Install Docker following the Docker Engine Ubuntu repository installation guide:

    sudo apt update
    sudo apt install ca-certificates curl
    sudo install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings
    sudo curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc
    sudo chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc
    echo \
    "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu \
    $(. /etc/os-release && echo "${UBUNTU_CODENAME:-$VERSION_CODENAME}") stable" | \
    sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null
    sudo apt-get update
   

   

    sudo apt install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin
   

   

5. Verify Docker installation:

    sudo docker run hello-world
   

   

6. Install the Taraxa lite node:

    mkdir ~/mainnet
    cd ~/mainnet
    wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Taraxa-project/taraxa-ops/master/taraxa_compose_mainnet/docker-compose.light.yml -O docker-compose.yml
   

   

    docker compose up -d
   

   

    docker compose logs -f -n 100 node
   

   

   

   Press CTRL+C to exit the logs.

7. Validate the RPC endpoint:

    curl -X POST http://localhost:7777 --data '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"taraxa_getVersion","params":[],"id":1}'
   

   

8. Install the latest database snapshot to speed up synchronization. Note that some commands may take a while to complete:

    docker compose down
    docker run --rm -it -v mainnet_data:/data alpine sh
    cd /data/db
    rm -r db state_db
    wget http://snapshots.cryptobauer.com/snapshot-litenode-latest.tar.gz
    tar xzf snapshot-litenode-latest.tar.gz
    rm snapshot-litenode-latest.tar.gz
    exit
   

   

9. Start the node and monitor synchronization:

    docker compose up -d
    docker compose logs -f -n 100 node
   

   

   Wait for the STATUS: GOOD. NODE SYNCED message. (Press CTRL+C to exit.)

   

10. Revalidate the RPC endpoint:

     curl -X POST http://localhost:7777 --data '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"taraxa_getVersion","params":[],"id":1}'
    

    

11. Optional: Test the RPC endpoint using the provided Javascript program. This test should ideally be performed from your local laptop or desktop, not the cloud instance, to ensure the RPC endpoint is accessible externally. It requires Node.js to be installed on you local laptop or desktop.

    Replace <IP_ADDRESS> with your cloud instance’s public IP address (see step 1.):

     import { ethers } from 'ethers';
    
     async function printTaraxaVersion() {
         const rpcUrl = 'http://<IP_ADDRESS>:7777';
         const provider = new ethers.JsonRpcProvider(rpcUrl);
    
         try {
             const version = await provider.send('taraxa_getVersion', []);
             console.log('Response from Taraxa RPC node:', version);
         } catch (error) {
             console.error('Error interacting with Taraxa RPC node:', error);
         }
     }
    
     printTaraxaVersion();
    

    Then run on your local laptop or desktop:

     npm install ethers
     node taraxa-rpc-test.js
    

    

Congratulations! Your Taraxa RPC node is now installed and ready to interact with the network and your applications.