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Getting Started

You can run your Alephium full node using either Docker or Java. This guide will first demonstrate how to run the Alephium full node on the Mainnet, and then discuss the differences for Testnet and Devnet setups.

Using Docker​

Prerequisites​

Start your node​

  1. Open search and type in Terminal (for Mac or Linux) or Command Prompt (for Windows).
  2. In the Terminal/Command Prompt, run the following command:
> cd $path-to-alephium-stack/mainnet
> docker-compose up -d

Using Java​

Prerequisites​

  • Ensure that Java (11 or 17 recommended) is installed on your computer.
  • Download file alephium-x.x.x.jar from Github release (do not double-click it, as it can not be launched this way).

Start your node​

  1. Open search and type in Terminal (for Mac or Linux) or Command Prompt (for Windows).
  2. In the Terminal/Command Prompt, run the following command:
> cd $your-jar-file-path
> java -jar alephium-x.x.x.jar

🎉 Tada, your node is running

  • Your node will start to sync with the network. The initial sync may take some time. Your node is fully synced once the block heights in the terminal logs matches the latest block heights on the explorer.
  • If you close the terminal the node will be turned off.
  • All of the blockchain data is stored in .alephium under your home folder1.

Testnet​

Full node on Testnet can be launched using the same steps as Mainnet. However, update the following configurations in the ${ALEPHIUM_HOME}/user.conf file:

alephium.network.network-id = 1

You can use extension wallet or desktop wallet to obtain some ALPH from the testnet faucet.

Mining​

To maintain the stability of the testnet, only specific addresses are allowed to mine blocks. If you need to test mining, you can set up your own testnet using this docker project.

Devnet​

Local devnet is essential for developing and testing your dApps. It can be launched using similar steps as Mainnet with Docker or Java.

Using Docker​

Follow the same steps for Mainnet, except that under $path-to-alephium-stack there is a devnet directory:

> cd $path-to-alephium-stack/devnet
> docker-compose up -d

Using Java​

Follow the same steps for Mainnet, with the extra step of overriding the default user.conf file under your ALEPHIUM_HOME directory, by default it is ~/.alephium/user.conf.

user.conf

# Import this mnemonic to have 4'000'000 token allocated for your addresses
#
# vault alarm sad mass witness property virus style good flower rice alpha viable evidence run glare pretty scout evil judge enroll refuse another lava

alephium.genesis.allocations = [
  {
    address = "1DrDyTr9RpRsQnDnXo2YRiPzPW4ooHX5LLoqXrqfMrpQH",
    amount = 1000000000000000000000000,
    lock-duration = 0 seconds
  },
  {
    address = "14UAjZ3qcmEVKdTo84Kwf4RprTQi86w2TefnnGFjov9xF",
    amount = 1000000000000000000000000,
    lock-duration = 0 seconds
  },
  {
    address = "15jjExDyS8q3Wqk9v29PCQ21jDqubDrD8WQdgn6VW2oi4",
    amount = 1000000000000000000000000,
    lock-duration = 0 seconds
  },
  {
    address = "17cBiTcWhung3WDLuc9ja5Y7BMus5Q7CD9wYBxS1r1P2R",
    amount = 1000000000000000000000000,
    lock-duration = 0 seconds
  }
]

alephium.consensus.num-zeros-at-least-in-hash = 0
alephium.consensus.uncle-dependency-gap-time = 0 seconds
alephium.network.leman-hard-fork-timestamp = 1643500800000 # GMT: 30 January 2022 00:00:00

alephium.network.network-id = 4
alephium.discovery.bootstrap = []
alephium.wallet.locking-timeout = 99999 minutes
alephium.mempool.auto-mine-for-dev = true
alephium.node.event-log.enabled=true
alephium.node.event-log.index-by-tx-id = true
alephium.node.event-log.index-by-block-hash = true

alephium.network.rest-port = 22973
alephium.network.ws-port = 21973
alephium.network.miner-api-port = 20973
alephium.api.network-interface = "0.0.0.0"
alephium.api.api-key-enabled = false
alephium.mining.api-interface = "0.0.0.0"
alephium.network.bind-address  = "0.0.0.0:19973"

# arbitrary mining addresses
alephium.mining.miner-addresses = [
  "1FsroWmeJPBhcPiUr37pWXdojRBe6jdey9uukEXk1TheA",
  "1CQvSXsmM5BMFKguKDPpNUfw1idiut8UifLtT8748JdHc",
  "193maApeJWrz9GFwWCfa982ccLARVE9Y1WgKSJaUs7UAx",
  "16fZKYPCZJv2TP3FArA9FLUQceTS9U8xVnSjxFG9MBKyY"
]

What's Next​

Load from snapshot​

The initial run of a Mainnet full node could takes up to ~20 hours to fully sync with the other nodes in the network. To speed up this process, snapshots are made available. Please refer to the Load from snapshot guide for more information.

Swagger UI​

Alephium full node exposes the Swagger UI which can be used to interact with it. For your local full node, Swagger UI is available at http://127.0.0.1:12973/docs.

Alternatively, you can use any OpenAPI clients to import the latest openapi.json or use curl command directly.

Wallets​

Alephium's full node also comes with a built-in node wallet. You are also encouraged to use other wallets to manage your assets and interact with the dApps.

Footnotes​

  1. The home folder depends on your system: C:\Users\<your-username> in Windows, /Users/<your-username> in macOS, /home/<your-username> in Linux. ↩