--- title: Run a Nwaku Node --- Nwaku is a lightweight and robust Nim client for running a Waku node, equipped with tools to monitor and maintain a running node. Nwaku is highly configurable, enabling operators to select the [protocols](/overview/concepts/protocols) they want to support based on their needs, motivations, and available resources. This guide provides detailed steps to download, build, configure, and connect a `nwaku` node to the Waku Network. It also includes interacting with the node and finding its addresses. ## Get the Node Binary To run a node, you must have the `nwaku` binary. Nwaku provides multiple options for acquiring the node binary: #### Download the Binary | | Description | Documentation | | - | - | - | | Precompiled Binary | Download a precompiled binary of the `nwaku` node | [Download Nwaku Binary](https://github.com/waku-org/nwaku/tags) | | Nightly Release | Try the latest `nwaku` updates without compiling the binaries | [Download Nightly Release](https://github.com/waku-org/nwaku/releases/tag/nightly) | #### Build the Binary You can build the node binary directly from the [nwaku source code](https://github.com/waku-org/nwaku). To learn more, please refer to the [Build Nwaku from Source](/guides/nwaku/build-source) guide. #### Run Nwaku in Docker | | Description | Documentation | | - | - | - | | Docker Container | Run a `nwaku` node in a Docker Container | [Run Nwaku in a Docker Container](/guides/nwaku/run-docker) | | Docker Compose | Run a `nwaku` node with Docker Compose | [Run Nwaku with Docker Compose](/guides/nwaku/run-docker-compose) | :::tip You can run the `nwaku` binaries and Docker images on cloud service providers like [Google Cloud](https://cloud.google.com/), [Microsoft Azure](https://azure.microsoft.com/), [Amazon Web Services](https://aws.amazon.com/), and [DigitalOcean](https://www.digitalocean.com/). ::: ## Run the Node Once you have gotten the `nwaku` binary, run it using the [default configuration](/guides/reference/node-config-methods#default-configuration-values): ```bash # Run with default configuration ./build/wakunode2 # See available command line options ./build/wakunode2 --help ``` :::tip For more advanced configurations like enabling other protocols or maintaining a consistent `PeerID`, please refer to the [Node Configuration Methods](/guides/reference/node-config-methods) guide. ::: ## Bootstrap the Node To join the Waku Network, nodes must [bootstrap](/overview/reference/glossary#bootstrapping) for an entry point before discovering more peers. Nwaku provides multiple [peer discovery](/overview/concepts/peer-discovery) mechanisms: | | Description | Documentation | | - | - | - | | Static Peers | Configure the bootstrap nodes that `nwaku` should establish connections upon startup | [Configure Static Peers](/guides/nwaku/configure-discovery#configure-static-peers) | | DNS Discovery | Enable `nwaku` to bootstrap nodes using the [DNS Discovery](/overview/concepts/dns-discovery) mechanism | [Configure DNS Discovery](/guides/nwaku/configure-discovery#configure-dns-discovery) | | Discv5 | Enable `nwaku` to discover peers using the [Discv5](/overview/concepts/discv5) mechanism | [Configure Discv5](/guides/nwaku/configure-discovery#configure-discv5) | | Peer Exchange | Enable [Peer Exchange](/overview/concepts/peer-exchange) protocol for light nodes to request peers from your `nwaku` node | [Configure Peer Exchange](/guides/nwaku/configure-discovery#configure-peer-exchange) | :::info You can configure a `nwaku` node to use multiple peer discovery mechanisms simultaneously. ::: ## Interact with the Node You can interact with a running `nwaku` node through the [JSON RPC API](https://rfc.vac.dev/spec/16/), such as querying the node information using the `get_waku_v2_debug_v1_info` method: ```mdx-code-block import Tabs from '@theme/Tabs'; import TabItem from '@theme/TabItem'; ``` ```bash curl --location --request GET 'http://localhost:8545' \ --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \ --data '{ "jsonrpc": "2.0", "id": "id", "method": "get_waku_v2_debug_v1_info", "params": [] }' ``` ```json { "jsonrpc": "2.0", "id": "id", "result": { "listenAddresses": [ "/ip4/0.0.0.0/tcp/60000/p2p/16Uiu2HAmUbPquFQqje3jiqoB5YoiUbBya59NB4qqEzeiTNGHeA6w" ], "enrUri": "enr:-Iu4QCQZXZDb_JsYmLoYor0F5E_95HbIywgO_wgx2rIdDbmCJZkTzmlCr0wmMzV47lgik_tVwww5mIng90Ris83TisMBgmlkgnY0gmlwhAAAAACJc2VjcDI1NmsxoQPszztG-Ev52ZB7tk0jF8s6Md4KvyY_rhzNZokaaB_ABIN0Y3CC6mCFd2FrdTIB" } } ``` :::info The `listenAddresses` field stores the node's listening addresses, while the `enrUri` field stores the discoverable `ENR` URI for peer discovery. ::: ## Find the Node Addresses You can find the addresses of a running node through its logs or by calling the `get_waku_v2_debug_v1_info` method of the [JSON RPC API](https://rfc.vac.dev/spec/16/). :::info When starting the node, `nwaku` will display all the public listening and discovery addresses at the `INFO` log level. ::: ### Listening Addresses Look for the log entry that begins with `Listening on`, for example: ```txt title="Nwaku Log Output" INF 2023-06-15 16:09:54.448+01:00 Listening on topics="waku node" tid=1623445 file=waku_node.nim:922 full=[/ip4/0.0.0.0/tcp/60000/p2p/16Uiu2HAmQCsH9V81xoqTwGuT3qwkZWbwY1TtTQwpr3DjHU2TSwMn][/ip4/0.0.0.0/tcp/8000/ws/p2p/16Uiu2HAmQCsH9V81xoqTwGuT3qwkZWbwY1TtTQwpr3DjHU2TSwMn] ``` ```bash # Listening TCP transport address /ip4/0.0.0.0/tcp/60000/p2p/16Uiu2HAmQCsH9V81xoqTwGuT3qwkZWbwY1TtTQwpr3DjHU2TSwMn # Listening WebSocket address /ip4/0.0.0.0/tcp/8000/ws/p2p/16Uiu2HAmQCsH9V81xoqTwGuT3qwkZWbwY1TtTQwpr3DjHU2TSwMn ``` ### Discoverable ENR Addresses A `nwaku` node can encode its addressing information in an [Ethereum Node Record (ENR)](https://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-778) following the [WAKU2-ENR](https://rfc.vac.dev/spec/31/) specification, primarily for peer discovery. #### ENR for DNS discovery Look for the log entry that begins with `DNS: discoverable ENR`, for example: ```txt title="Nwaku Log Output" INF 2023-06-15 16:09:54.448+01:00 DNS: discoverable ENR topics="waku node" tid=1623445 file=waku_node.nim:923 enr=enr:-Iu4QBKYj8Ovxwz4fIalxZ_1a8dOCU2WC-1LQrcBCCb4Np93f9-UuSZXn3vagJL1S3k3hwRYfOp3JSbW7_VqwtqMIeMBgmlkgnY0gmlwhAAAAACJc2VjcDI1NmsxoQOrmyV59dAzY4ZKrvrj32VOoZbLby8dCKFnXnqhIdQ0NYN0Y3CC6mCFd2FrdTIB ``` ```bash # ENR the node addresses are encoded in enr:-Iu4QBKYj8Ovxwz4fIalxZ_1a8dOCU2WC-1LQrcBCCb4Np93f9-UuSZXn3vagJL1S3k3hwRYfOp3JSbW7_VqwtqMIeMBgmlkgnY0gmlwhAAAAACJc2VjcDI1NmsxoQOrmyV59dAzY4ZKrvrj32VOoZbLby8dCKFnXnqhIdQ0NYN0Y3CC6mCFd2FrdTIB ``` #### ENR for Discv5 Look for the log entry that begins with `Discv5: discoverable ENR`, for example: ```txt title="Nwaku Log Output" INF 2023-06-15 16:09:54.448+01:00 Discv5: discoverable ENR topics="waku node" tid=1623445 file=waku_node.nim:924 enr=enr:-IO4QDxToTg86pPCK2KvMeVCXC2ADVZWrxXSvNZeaoa0JhShbM5qed69RQz1s1mWEEqJ3aoklo_7EU9iIBcPMVeKlCQBgmlkgnY0iXNlY3AyNTZrMaEDdBHK1Gx6y_zv5DVw5Qb3DtSOMmVHTZO1WSORrF2loL2DdWRwgiMohXdha3UyAw ``` ```bash # ENR the node addresses are encoded in enr:-IO4QDxToTg86pPCK2KvMeVCXC2ADVZWrxXSvNZeaoa0JhShbM5qed69RQz1s1mWEEqJ3aoklo_7EU9iIBcPMVeKlCQBgmlkgnY0iXNlY3AyNTZrMaEDdBHK1Gx6y_zv5DVw5Qb3DtSOMmVHTZO1WSORrF2loL2DdWRwgiMohXdha3UyAw ```