docs.waku.org/docs/build/javascript/local-dev-env.md

title
Set Up a Local Development Environment

Set Up a Local Development Environment

The most reliable way to ensure your js-waku application will work in realistic conditions is to spin up a local nwaku fleet and test against it.

Requirements

• Docker Desktop or Docker Engine with Compose plugin

Quick Start

1. Start the Network

npx @waku/run start

This will:

• Start 2 nwaku nodes and a PostgreSQL database
• Run in the background (detached mode)
• Display connection information you need for your app

Example output:

import { createLightNode } from "@waku/sdk";

const waku = await createLightNode({
  defaultBootstrap: false,
  bootstrapPeers: [
    "/ip4/127.0.0.1/tcp/60000/ws/p2p/16Uiu2HAmF6oAsd23RMAnZb3NJgxXrExxBTPMdEoih232iAZkviU2",
    "/ip4/127.0.0.1/tcp/60001/ws/p2p/16Uiu2HAm5aZU47YkiUoARqivbCXwuFPzFFXXiURAorySqAQbL6EQ"
  ],
  numPeersToUse: 2,
  libp2p: {
    filterMultiaddrs: false
  },
  networkConfig: {
    clusterId: 0,
    numShardsInCluster: 8
  }
});

2. Connect Your js-waku App

Copy the configuration from the output above and paste it into your application. Then start your node:

await waku.start();

// Your app is now connected to your local Waku network!

3. Stop When Done

npx @waku/run stop

Available Commands

Using npx (published package)

Command	Description
npx @waku/run start	Start the network (detached) and show connection info
npx @waku/run stop	Stop the network and clean up
npx @waku/run info	Show connection info for running network
npx @waku/run logs	View and follow logs from all nodes
npx @waku/run test	Test the network by sending a message

Configuration

All configuration is done via environment variables passed to the command.

Custom Ports

If the default ports are in use, specify custom ports:

NODE1_WS_PORT=50000 NODE2_WS_PORT=50001 npx @waku/run start

Available port configuration:

• NODE1_WS_PORT (default: 60000)
• NODE2_WS_PORT (default: 60001)
• NODE1_REST_PORT (default: 8646)
• NODE2_REST_PORT (default: 8647)

Cluster Configuration

The default configuration uses:

• Cluster ID: 0
• Number of shards: 8

To test with a different cluster:

CLUSTER_ID=16 npx @waku/run start

Custom nwaku Version

To use a different nwaku image version:

NWAKU_IMAGE=wakuorg/nwaku:v0.35.0 npx @waku/run start

Debugging

View Node Logs

npx @waku/run logs

Check Node Health

# Node 1
curl http://127.0.0.1:8646/health

# Node 2
curl http://127.0.0.1:8647/health

Check Peer Connections

# Node 1 debug info
curl http://127.0.0.1:8646/debug/v1/info

# Node 2 debug info
curl http://127.0.0.1:8647/debug/v1/info