2_start_your_nodes

Start your nodes

Start a relay node with:

cardano-node run \
--topology topology.json \
--database-path /db \
--socket-path /db/node.socket \
--host-addr <PUBLIC IPv4 ADDRESS> \
--port <PORT> \
--config config.json

Note: Use --host-ipv6-addr for IPv6 address.

Start a block producing node with:

cardano-node run \
--topology topology.json \
--database-path /db \
--socket-path /db/node.socket \
--host-addr <PUBLIC IP> \
--port <PORT> \
--config config.json \
--shelley-kes-key kes.skey \
--shelley-vrf-key vrf.skey \
--shelley-operational-certificate opcert.cert

Please note that when running a node, it is important to use process monitoring so that the node can be automatically restarted when it terminates unexpectedly. The node relies on being restarted as part of its mechanism for automatically recovering from disk file corruption or other unexpected conditions. In case the node process is not automatically restarted, the node will not be available. Thus for example, stake pools will not be able to create blocks and exchanges will not be able to get wallet information.

We recommend that node operators run their nodes using a standard service monitoring or supervisor tool which will automatically restart the node in case of failure, thereby avoiding downtime. We recommend systemd on Linux, docker’s auto-restart functionality, or any equivalent process monitoring tool. This does not apply to Daedalus users, as the node process monitoring is handled by Daedalus itself.