Node Requirements

Minimum System Requirements

  • Debian/Ubuntu (Recommended)

  • 20GB storage

  • 4GB RAM

  • x86 architecture

  • Static IP address

  • Exposed TCP port 9151

Nodes can be run on cloud infrastructure - for example, a Digital Ocean 4GB Basic Droplet satisfies the requirements listed above.

The above requirements only apply if you intend to run a node yourself. Alternatively, a staking provider can run a node on your behalf.

PRE Node Configuration Requirements

Ethereum Node Provider URI

The PRE node will need to execute an initial transaction to confirm its operation on startup, and therefore requires access to an ethereum node (either a local or remote ethereum node) to broadcast the transaction. Remote ethereum providers include Infura, Alchemy etc. and an HTTPS URI will need to be configured (https://<URI>), whereas a local full node would entail running geth locally and configured using the IPC URI (ipc://<PATH TO IPC FILE>). This value is specified via the --eth-provider CLI parameter.

It is worth noting that running a local ethereum node is quite the undertaking, and has its own additional requirements.

Polygon Node Provider URI

As of nucypher v6.0.0, policy management occurs on the Polygon layer 2 side-chain by default. In order to validate the payment of policies before responding to service required, PRE nodes will need to make requests to the Polygon side-chain. Much like an Ethereum provider endpoint, the PRE node will need to configure a Polygon RPC endpoint URI e.g. (https://<URI>) for the node to use. This value is specified via the --payment-provider CLI parameter. Infrastructure providers such as Infura, provide Polygon endpoints.

Operator Software Ethereum Account

A software wallet is recommended for the PRE node operator’s ethereum account since the account needs to remain unlocked to execute an automated transaction when the node first starts.

Caution

  • Operator accounts do not need NU/KEEP/T tokens for any reason; do not keep NU/KEEP/T in the operator account.

  • Do not store large amounts of ETH in the operator account; only enough to pay gas fees. Nodes only need to execute a single transaction on the first start which costs ~100K gas at a gas price of 146 gwei, this would be ~0.015 ETH). There are no subsequent transactions on restarts.

  • Store the operator account password in a password manager

To create a new ethereum software account using the geth CLI (more information here):

geth account new

  • Never share your ethereum account password.

  • Do not forget your ethereum account password.

  • Secure your ethereum account password in a password manager.

This command will add a new account to your local keystore.

PRE Node Operator Transaction Signer

In conjunction with an Ethereum node provider for broadcasting to the Ethereum blockchain, the node also needs to configure a transaction signer for signing messages to be broadcasted.

This separation of a transaction signer from an Ethereum node allows pre-signed transactions to be sent to an external (possibly remote) ethereum node and is particularly desirable when interacting with an untrusted ethereum node.

Local ethereum keystore signing can be configured for the operator software account. Local keystore signing utilizes eth-account to sign ethereum transactions using local ethereum keystore files. By default on Linux, the default local keystore directory path is ~/.ethereum/keystore. The local keystore signer can be specified during initialization using the following URI format, --signer CLI parameter and keystore://<PATH TO LOCAL KEYSTORE> as the value, eg. --signer keystore:///root/.ethereum/keystore.

Note

The expectation is that the operator account is part of the local ethereum keystore.