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Run the beacon node

This page takes you through the steps of getting a standard installation of the Nimbus beacon node running.

The quickstart setup involves running two nodes: an execution client and a beacon node - both are needed to run a full Ethereum setup.

The beacon node connects to the beacon chain network, syncs historical data and provides API's to monitor and interact with the beacon chain.

Running a beacon node is a worthwhile endeavor even if you are not planning on validating yourself!

The guide assumes Ubuntu Linux is being used, and therefore some familiarity with the linux command line is needed.

!!! note To become a validator, you first need to set up a beacon node.

!!! tip You can practice running the node safely on the Prater testnet - throughout, we'll provide instructions for both Prater and Mainnet.

Steps

1. Prepare

Prepare your machine by installing Nimbus' dependencies.

2. Set up an execution client

To run a beacon node, you need to have access to an execution client exposing the web3 API - throughout, we'll assume an execution client is running on the same machine as the beacon node, but this is not required.

See the execution client guide for instructions on how to pick and install an execution client!

3. Install Nimbus

Next, download the latest release and install it by unpacking the archive. Using a command line terminal:

# Create a directory that can hold the beacon chain data and applications - this should be a fast SSD
mkdir -p nimbus-eth2

# Download the latest release - replace the link with the latest release on the download page!
wget https://github.com/status-im/nimbus-eth2/releases/download/v22.10.1/nimbus-eth2_Linux_amd64_22.10.1_97a1cdc4.tar.gz

# Unpack the archive into the `nimbus-eth2` directory you just created
tar xvf nimbus-eth2_Linux_amd64_22.10.1_97a1cdc4.tar.gz --strip-components 1 -C nimbus-eth2

!!! tip Advanced users looking to take advantage of hardware-specific features and optimization may wish to build from source instead!

4. Start the node

Once you've installed the binaries, you can start the node which will initiate the sync process.

cd nimbus-eth2

=== "Mainnet"

```sh
# Start a mainnet node
./run-mainnet-beacon-node.sh --web3-url=http://127.0.0.1:8551 --jwt-secret=/tmp/jwtsecret
```

=== "Prater"

```sh
# Start a prater testnet node
./run-prater-beacon-node.sh --web3-url=http://127.0.0.1:8551 --jwt-secret=/tmp/jwtsecret
```

Once the beacon node starts, you'll see it logging information to the console, like so:

INF 2022-07-19 15:42:58.145+02:00 Launching beacon node                      topics="beacnde" version=v22.10.1-97a1cdc4-stateofus ...

Congratulations! Your beacon node is up and running, and syncing the network!

!!! success "What next?"

* If you will be running the node on a regular basis, it is recommended you set up a [systemd service](./beacon-node-systemd.md) that automatically restarts your node if the computer reboots.
* If you wish to stake, continue your journey by following the [validator quick start](./run-a-validator.md).
* The [monitoring](./health.md) page contains information about how to keep your node healthy

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