Run a validator with docker

This guide will help you start a validator node running in the docker container using run-morph-node

Quick Start

info

The following quick start steps are only applicable for running a validator node on the mainnet. To set up and operate a Holesky validator node, please refer to Sync from Snapshot.

note

Starting with the Quick Start initiates synchronization from height 0, which can be extremely time-consuming to reach the latest state. We highly recommend using the Sync from Snapshot approach outlined below for a faster and more efficient startup.

1. Clone the dockerfile repository

git clone https://github.com/morph-l2/run-morph-node.git

2. Configure morph-node/.env

The morph-node/.env file defines the environment variables required for deploying a validator node. Below is an example configuration:

morph-node/.env

// General settings
MORPH_HOME=../mainnet
MORPH_FLAG=morph
JWT_SECRET_FILE=${MORPH_HOME}/jwt-secret.txt
GETH_ENTRYPOINT_FILE=./entrypoint-geth.sh

// Environment variables for validator node
L1_CHAIN_ID=1
L1_ETH_RPC=${your_layer1_execution_client_rpc_url}
L1_BEACON_CHAIN_RPC=${your_layer1_beacon_client_rpc_url}
L1MESSAGEQUEUE_CONTRACT=0x3931ade842f5bb8763164bdd81e5361dce6cc1ef
ROLLUP_CONTRACY=0x759894ced0e6af42c26668076ffa84d02e3cef60
START_HEIGHT=20996776

Default Directory: For running a validator on the mainnet, the MORPH_HOME directory defaults to ../mainnet. You can customize this path to suit your setup.

Layer1 RPC URLs: Ensure you provide the correct RPC URLs for the Layer 1 execution client (L1_ETH_RPC) and the beacon chain client (L1_BEACON_CHAIN_RPC). These URLs are essential for the validator to fetch rollup batches and maintain synchronization.

3. Run the following command

cd morph-node
make run-validator

Sync from snapshot

We recommend synchronizing blocks using snapshot data to reduce the time required for block synchronization. This approach allows you to start the node from a specific block height, significantly reducing the time needed to reach the latest state.

1. Clone the dockerfile repository

git clone https://github.com/morph-l2/run-morph-node.git

2. Download the Snapshot

The morph-node/.env configuration file in the repository you just cloned is designed for setting up the Morph node on the mainnet. By default, it is pre-configured to use the latest snapshot.

If you need a historical snapshot, you must manually update the SNAPSHOT_NAME in the morph-node/.env file. (Note: For the testnet, the corresponding file is morph-node/.env_holesky.)

You can find the historical snapshot names from Snapshot Information.

// ...

MAINNET_SNAPSHOT_NAME={your expected snapshot name} 

// ...

Run the following command to download and decompress the snapshot for your network:

For the mainnet:

make download-and-decompress-mainnet-snapshot

For the testnet:

make download-and-decompress-holesky-snapshot

3. Set up the snapshot

After downloading, locate the snapshot by placing the extracted data files in the correct directory specified by the MORPH_HOME path in your morph-node/.env file. Ensure the data files align with the node's expected structure to allow seamless synchronization.

For example, if the snapshot folder is named snapshot-20241218-1,

• move the directory snapshot-20241218-1/geth to the ${MORPH_HOME}/geth-data directory.
• move the contents from snapshot-20241218-1/data to the ${NODE_DATA_DIR}/data directory.

mv ./morph-node/snapshot-20241218-1/geth ${MORPH_HOME}/geth-data
mv ./morph-node/snapshot-20241218-1/data/* ${MORPH_HOME}/node-data/data

The folder structure will be like

└── ${MORPH_HOME}
    ├── geth-data // data directory for geth
    │   └── static-nodes.json
    │   └── geth // directory from snapshot/geth   
    └── node-data // data directory for node
        ├── config
        │   ├── config.toml
        │   └── genesis.json
        └── data // data directory from snapshot/node

4. Update the Environment Variables

Before running the node, update the DERIVATION_START_HEIGHT and L1_MSG_START_HEIGHT variables in the morph-node/.env file (or .env_holesky for the testnet).

Refer to snapshot-information for the specific values of the configuration heights. Ensure that the corresponding height values match the snapshot version you are configuring.

// ...
MAINNET_SNAPSHOT_NAME={your expected snapshot name} 

// ...
DERIVATION_START_HEIGHT={the expected start height match the snapshot}
L1_MSG_START_HEIGHT={the expected start height match the snapshot}

5. Run the Validator

With the snapshot and configuration files ready, navigate to the morph-node folder under your cloned repository, and start the node using the provided command

cd morph-node
make run-validator

// or for testnet
cd morph-node
make run-holesky-validator