2021-01-27 19:26:08 +01:00

1.8 KiB

Run just the beacon node (quickstart)

This page takes you through how to run just the beacon node without a validator attached.

Running a beacon node without a validator attached can help improve the anonymity properties of the network as a whole.

It's also a necessary step to running a validator (since an active validator requires a synced beacon node).

1. Install dependencies

You'll need to install some packages in order for Nimbus to run correctly.

Linux

On common Linux distributions the dependencies can be installed with

# Debian and Ubuntu
sudo apt-get install build-essential git

# Fedora
dnf install @development-tools

# Archlinux, using an AUR manager
yourAURmanager -S base-devel

macOS

Assuming you use Homebrew to manage packages:

brew install cmake

2. Clone the Nimbus repository

Run the following command to clone the nimbus-eth2 repository:

git clone https://github.com/status-im/nimbus-eth2

3. Build the beacon node

Change into the directory and build the beacon node.

cd nimbus-eth2
make nimbus_beacon_node

Patience... this may take a few minutes.

4. Connect to mainnet

To connect to mainnet, run:

./run-mainnet-beacon-node.sh

You'll be prompted to enter a web3-provider url:

To monitor the Eth1 validator deposit contract, you'll need to pair
the Nimbus beacon node with a Web3 provider capable of serving Eth1
event logs. This could be a locally running Eth1 client such as Geth
or a cloud service such as Infura. For more information please see
our setup guide:

https://status-im.github.io/nimbus-eth2/eth1.html

Please enter a Web3 provider URL:

Press enter to skip (this is only important when you're running a validator).