diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 4dcd18f67..c8db1cd9d 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -29,3 +29,5 @@ build/
 # State sim # TODO - move in another folder
 0000-*.json
 
+/local_testnet_data
+
diff --git a/scripts/launch_local_testnet.sh b/scripts/launch_local_testnet.sh
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..be47fd8e9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/launch_local_testnet.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,84 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# Mostly a duplication of "tests/simulation/{start.sh,run_node.sh}", but with a focus on
+# replicating testnets as close as possible, which means following the Docker execution labyrinth.
+
+set -e
+
+cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")"/..
+
+NETWORK=${1:-"testnet1"}
+NUM_NODES=10
+
+DATA_DIR="local_testnet_data"
+rm -rf "${DATA_DIR}"
+DEPOSITS_DIR="${DATA_DIR}/deposits_dir"
+mkdir -p "${DEPOSITS_DIR}"
+NETWORK_DIR="${DATA_DIR}/network_dir"
+mkdir -p "${NETWORK_DIR}"
+
+set -a
+source "scripts/${NETWORK}.env"
+set +a
+
+NETWORK_NIM_FLAGS=$(scripts/load-testnet-nim-flags.sh ${NETWORK})
+make LOG_LEVEL=DEBUG NIMFLAGS="-d:debug -d:insecure -d:testnet_servers_image ${NETWORK_NIM_FLAGS}" beacon_node
+
+rm -rf "${DEPOSITS_DIR}"
+./build/beacon_node makeDeposits \
+  --quickstart-deposits=${QUICKSTART_VALIDATORS} \
+  --random-deposits=${RANDOM_VALIDATORS} \
+  --deposits-dir="${DEPOSITS_DIR}"
+
+TOTAL_VALIDATORS="$(( $QUICKSTART_VALIDATORS + $RANDOM_VALIDATORS ))"
+BOOTSTRAP_IP="127.0.0.1"
+./build/beacon_node createTestnet \
+  --data-dir="${DATA_DIR}/node0" \
+  --validators-dir="${DEPOSITS_DIR}" \
+  --total-validators=${TOTAL_VALIDATORS} \
+  --last-user-validator=${QUICKSTART_VALIDATORS} \
+  --output-genesis="${NETWORK_DIR}/genesis.ssz" \
+  --output-bootstrap-file="${NETWORK_DIR}/bootstrap_nodes.txt" \
+  --bootstrap-address=${BOOTSTRAP_IP} \
+  --bootstrap-port=${BOOTSTRAP_PORT} \
+  --genesis-offset=5 # Delay in seconds
+
+cleanup() {
+	killall beacon_node p2pd &>/dev/null || true
+	sleep 2
+	killall -9 beacon_node p2pd &>/dev/null || true
+	rm -f /tmp/nim-p2pd-*.sock || true
+}
+cleanup
+
+PIDS=""
+for NUM_NODE in $(seq 0 $(( ${NUM_NODES} - 1 ))); do
+	if [[ ${NUM_NODE} == 0 ]]; then
+		BOOTSTRAP_ARG=""
+	else
+		BOOTSTRAP_ARG="--bootstrap-file=${NETWORK_DIR}/bootstrap_nodes.txt"
+		# Wait for the master node to write out its address file
+		while [ ! -f "${DATA_DIR}/node0/beacon_node.address" ]; do
+			sleep 0.1
+		done
+	fi
+
+	stdbuf -o0 ./env.sh build/beacon_node \
+		--nat=none \
+		--log-level=TRACE \
+		--tcp-port=$(( ${BOOTSTRAP_PORT} + ${NUM_NODE} )) \
+		--udp-port=$(( ${BOOTSTRAP_PORT} + ${NUM_NODE} )) \
+		--data-dir="${DATA_DIR}/node${NUM_NODE}" \
+		${BOOTSTRAP_ARG} \
+		--state-snapshot="${NETWORK_DIR}/genesis.ssz" \
+		> "${DATA_DIR}/log${NUM_NODE}.txt" 2>&1 &
+	if [[ "${PIDS}" == "" ]]; then
+		PIDS="$!"
+	else
+		PIDS="${PIDS},$!"
+	fi
+done
+
+htop -p "$PIDS"
+cleanup
+