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Version: v1

Set up full node

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for setting up a full node for Midnight.

Prerequisites​

Before setting up your Midnight full node, ensure you have the following:

Install Midnight node​

The Midnight node is the core client for the Midnight protocol. Install the Midnight node by following the steps below.

Create directories for the node:

mkdir -p ~/data ~/res ~/.local/bin
  • ~/data: For node database/base path.
  • ~/res: For chain configuration files.
  • All owned by midnight user.

Download and install the Midnight node binary:

Create a temporary directory and navigate to it:

mkdir -p ~/tmp && cd ~/tmp

Download the Midnight node binary:

curl -L -O https://github.com/midnightntwrk/midnight-node/releases/download/node-0.22.2/midnight-node-0.22.2-linux-amd64.tar.gz
note

Always verify the latest release version from the compatibility matrix before downloading the binary.

Extract the binary:

tar -xvzf midnight-node-0.22.2-linux-amd64.tar.gz

Move the binary to the local bin directory:

mv ~/tmp/midnight-node ~/.local/bin/

Move the chain config files to the res directory:

mv ~/tmp/res ~/res

Reload the shell environment:

source ~/.bashrc # or source ~/.zshrc

Set environment variables​

Create an .env configuration file and set the environment variables for the PostgreSQL database:

# PostgreSQL connection
export POSTGRES_HOST="localhost"
export POSTGRES_DB="cexplorer"
export POSTGRES_PORT="5432"
export POSTGRES_USER="midnight"
export POSTGRES_PASSWORD="YOUR_POSTGRES_PASSWORD"

# Cardano database connection string
export DB_SYNC_POSTGRES_CONNECTION_STRING="postgresql://midnight:YOUR_POSTGRES_PASSWORD@localhost:5432/cexplorer"

export NODE_NAME="your_node_name"

Load the variables into the shell environment:

source ~/.env

Confirm that the variables are loaded successfully:

echo $DB_SYNC_POSTGRES_CONNECTION_STRING

Run a full node​

Once the environment variables are set, run the Midnight node using the following command:

midnight-node \
  --chain /home/midnight/res/preview/chain-spec-raw.json \
  --base-path /home/midnight/data \
  --pool-limit 35 \
  --name $NODE_NAME \
  --no-private-ip

Available networks​

The --chain flag lets you specify the network to run the node on. The available networks are:

  • local: For local testing. This is the default network if you do not specify a network.
  • preview: For the Preview network.
  • preprod: For the Preprod network.
  • mainnet: For the Mainnet network.

Verify the node​

Monitor the node's logs to ensure it syncs with the network. What to look for in the output:

  • Cardano db connection: If you see Postgres connection established, then your DB settings are correct.
  • Peers: Look for IDLE (0 peers). If it stays at 0, then check your firewall (port 30333) or the -bootnodes address.
  • Syncing: You should see Best: #0 ... start to increment as it pulls blocks from the network.

Full node vs. archive node​

A full node syncs with the blockchain, validates transactions, and provides real-time state queries. It prunes historical states older than a configurable number (defaulting to 256 blocks). This makes it suitable for most DApp development and real-time interactions with the network. Its key advantage lies in its efficient use of disk space, requiring significantly less storage than an archive node.

An archive node maintains the entire history of the blockchain, including all blocks and states. This comprehensive storage consumes substantial disk space. However, it is essential for use cases requiring access to historical data, such as building block explorers, conducting in-depth debugging, or querying past events.

To run the Midnight node in archive mode, use the --pruning archive flag.

midnight-node \
  --chain /home/midnight/res/preview/chain-spec-raw.json \
  --base-path /home/midnight/data \
  --pruning archive \
  --no-private-ip \
  --name $NODE_NAME

Next steps​

With the full node set up, you can start using the Node endpoints to interact with the Midnight blockchain.