Skip to content

RUN_A_NODE

Jump to bottom
krewdev edited this page Jul 17, 2026 · 1 revision

Run a MeshChain node (for everyone)

Goal: other people can create wallets, relay traffic, and (with approval) produce blocks — not only the original lab host.

Live public seed
Host Google Cloud meshchain-testnet · us-central1-a
Public IP 34.172.103.125
Faucet (HTTPS) https://faucet.34.172.103.125.sslip.io/info
Scanner (HTTPS) https://34.172.103.125.sslip.io/
Faucet (HTTP) http://34.172.103.125:8787
Scanner (HTTP) http://34.172.103.125:8788/
Submit / seed 34.172.103.125:9100 (also 9101, 9102)
Genesis testnet/published/genesis.json
Seeds testnet/seeds.json
Catch-up Observers request full chain_state via gossip SyncRequest / SyncResponse 
# Observer
cp testnet/published/genesis.json data/genesis.json
./target/debug/mesh observer --peer 34.172.103.125:9100

# Wallet
./target/debug/mesh new-wallet --name me.json
./target/debug/mesh register --wallet data/keys/me.json --submit 34.172.103.125:9100
# drip: POST http://34.172.103.125:8787/drip with mesh_name + public_key_hex
./target/debug/mesh send <NAME> 1 --wallet data/keys/me.json --submit 34.172.103.125:9100

MeshChain testnet uses Proof of Authority (PoA): a fixed list of validator public keys is in genesis.json.
That is different from Bitcoin/Ethereum open mining.

Three ways to “run a node”

Role Who Needs genesis seat? What you run
A. Wallet / user Anyone No mesh CLI only
B. Full node (observer) Anyone No (needs shared genesis + seeds) meshchain-node run --observer
C. Validator (producer) Operators on the set Yes — pubkey in genesis meshchain-node run --validator-index N

Also always available:

Role Notes
Private lab mesh testnet-setup + 3 local validators — your own chain, not shared public state
Faucet / scanner host Public HTTP services; can be separate from validators

A. Wallet user (no node required)

git clone https://github.com/krewdev/meshchain.git
cd meshchain
cargo build -p mesh -p meshchain-node

./target/debug/mesh new-wallet --name my.json
# When a public peer is up:
./target/debug/mesh register --wallet data/keys/my.json --submit SEED_HOST:9100
./target/debug/mesh send <NAME> 1 --wallet data/keys/my.json --submit SEED_HOST:9100

You need a public seed (faucet/scanner/submit endpoint) published in testnet/network.json → endpoints.

B. Full node / observer (anyone — recommended open path)

Observers:

  • Connect to seed peers over TCP
  • Relay txs / blocks
  • Track chain_state (same chain_id)
  • Do not produce blocks or cast validator ACKs

1. Get shared genesis

Coordinator publishes (HTTPS or git):

  • genesis.json (same for everyone on meshchain-testnet-1)
  • testnet/seeds.json (bootstrap peers)
mkdir -p ~/mesh-node/data
# download published files into data/
cp /path/to/published/genesis.json ~/mesh-node/data/

2. Run observer

cd meshchain
cargo build -p meshchain-node --release

./target/release/meshchain-node run \
  --data-dir ~/mesh-node/data \
  --observer \
  --listen 0.0.0.0:9100 \
  --peer SEED1:9100 \
  --peer SEED2:9100

Or:

./target/debug/mesh --dir ~/mesh-node/data observer \
  --listen 0.0.0.0:9100 \
  --peer SEED1:9100

Open TCP 9100 (or your listen port) if you want others to peer with you.

3. Optional: local submit endpoint

Point wallets at your node if you relay:

mesh send … --submit YOUR_IP:9100

C. Become a validator (block producer)

Validators are permissioned for testnet safety (PoA). Process:

Step 1 — Generate a key (you keep the secret)

./target/debug/mesh validator-keygen --name my-validator.json

Prints:

  • public_hex (safe to share)
  • file path (secret — never commit or post in Discord)

Step 2 — Apply to the set

Open a GitHub issue / Discord #validators with:

{
  "role": "validator-applicant",
  "chain_id": "meshchain-testnet-1",
  "public_hex": "<from keygen>",
  "operator_name": "your-handle",
  "contact": "discord or email",
  "region": "e.g. us-east",
  "listen": "host.example.com:9100",
  "uptime_plan": "VPS / home / always-on?"
}

Template: testnet/operator_application.example.json

Step 3 — Coordinator publishes new genesis

Maintainers rebuild genesis including your public_hex, publish:

  • new genesis.json
  • your index (e.g. validator index 3)
  • updated seeds.json

Note: Adding validators is a set change — often a coordinated restart / reset on testnet. See reset policy in TESTNET.md.

Step 4 — You run as producer

# data/genesis.json = published shared genesis
# data/keys/validator-3.json = YOUR key (rename from my-validator.json)
# index must match your slot in genesis.validators

./target/release/meshchain-node run \
  --data-dir ./data \
  --validator-index 3 \
  --listen 0.0.0.0:9100 \
  --peer seed1.example:9100 \
  --peer seed2.example:9100

Or:

mesh validator --index 3 --listen 0.0.0.0:9100 --peer seed1:9100 --peer seed2:9100

D. Private lab (always free, isolated chain)

Anyone can run their own 3-validator network without asking anyone:

mesh testnet-setup
./scripts/run_local_validators.sh
# or: ./validator-automation/mesh-validator start

This is great for development. It is not the same balances/history as the public host unless you intentionally share that genesis.

Why not “permissionless validators” yet?

Design Tradeoff
PoA (now) Simple, fits testnet + radio; set is known
Open PoS / mining Needs staking, sybil resistance, harder on LoRa
Dynamic validator txs Protocol upgrade (future)

Roadmap: keep PoA for testnet-1; expand set via applications; later consider on-chain set updates.

Coordinator checklist (maintainers)

  1. Publish stable genesis.json + seeds.json on site/GitHub releases
  2. Keep ≥1 public seed with open 9100 (or private VPN for trusted ops)
  3. Document faucet/scanner HTTP URLs in testnet/network.json
  4. Accept operator applications; rotate genesis when adding seats
  5. Never put validator secrets in git

Security

  • Validator key = can sign blocks for that genesis — treat like a production server key
  • Observers: no block power; still sandbox the process
  • Don’t expose faucet mint keys publicly
  • Testnet only — tMESH has no value

Related docs

Multi-operator

See MULTI_OPERATOR.md for observers on other machines and adding producers.

Navigation

Guides

Integration

Core Spec

Operations

Clone this wiki locally