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Join as a Validator

This guide provides comprehensive instructions for joining the Verana testnet as a validator.

Table of Contents​

  1. What is a Validator?
  2. Prerequisites
  3. Environment Parameters
  4. Security Considerations
  5. Create Validator
  6. Validator Operations
  7. System Configuration
  8. Maintenance
  9. Troubleshooting
  10. Best Practices

What is a Validator?​

Validators are responsible for committing new blocks to the blockchain through an automated voting process. They participate in consensus by voting on blocks and are rewarded for their service. A validator's stake can be slashed if they:

  • Become unavailable
  • Sign blocks at the same height (double-signing)
  • Violate network rules

Prerequisites​

  • A running full node (see Join Testnet)
  • At least 1,000,000 VNA tokens for self-delegation
  • A secure server with the following specifications:
    • 32GB RAM
    • 4+ CPU cores
    • 1TB+ SSD storage
    • Reliable internet connection (100+ Mbps)
    • Static IP address
    • 99.9% uptime

Environment Parameters​

ParameterValue
Chain IDvna-testnet-1
APIhttp://node1.testnet.verana.network:1317
RPChttp://node1.testnet.verana.network:26657
Explorerhttps://explorer.testnet.verana.network
Faucethttps://faucet-vs.testnet.verana.network/invitation

Security Considerations​

Sentry Node Architecture​

We strongly recommend implementing a sentry node architecture to protect your validator from DDoS attacks:

                    +----------------+
                    |                |
                    |  Sentry Node 1 |
                    |                |
                    +----------------+
                           ^
                           |
                           v
+----------------+  +----------------+  +----------------+
|                |  |                |  |                |
|  Sentry Node 2 |->|  Validator     |<-|  Sentry Node 3 |
|                |  |                |  |                |
+----------------+  +----------------+  +----------------+

Key Management​

  1. Separate Keys: Keep your validator key separate from your node.
  2. Hardware Security: Use a hardware wallet for the validator key.
  3. Backup: Regularly backup your keys and configuration.
  4. Access Control: Implement strict access controls to your validator server.

Create Validator​

1. Create a New Account​

# Create a new key
veranad keys add <key-name>

Note: Save the mnemonic phrase securely. You'll need it to recover your account.

2. Get Testnet Tokens​

Request testnet tokens from the Verana Faucet.

3. Set Environment Variables​

Set the following variables for convenience (replace values as needed):

export validatorName=<key-name>
export NODE_RPC=http://node1.testnet.verana.network:26657
export CHAIN_ID=vna-testnet-1

4. Prepare Validator Transaction​

# Fetch the validator operator address
validatorOperatorAddress=$(veranad keys show $validatorName --keyring-backend test --bech val --address)

# Check if the validator exists
validatorStatus=$(veranad q staking validator $validatorOperatorAddress --node $NODE_RPC 2>&1)

# Use provided pubkey or fetch from local tendermint
pubkey_json=$(veranad tendermint show-validator)
pubkey=$(echo $pubkey_json | jq -r '.key')

# Create the JSON file for joining the validator
echo '{
"pubkey": {
   "@type": "/cosmos.crypto.ed25519.PubKey",
   "key": "'"$pubkey"'"
},
"amount": "990000000uvna",
"moniker": "'"${validatorName}"'",
"commission-rate": "0.1",
"commission-max-rate": "0.2",
"commission-max-change-rate": "0.01",
"min-self-delegation": "1000000"
}' > joiningvalidator.json

5. Create Validator Transaction​

Note: The commission-max-change-rate is the maximum percentage point change per day. For example, 1% to 2% is a 1 percentage point change.

# Execute the create-validator transaction
veranad tx staking create-validator ./joiningvalidator.json --from $validatorName --fees 600000uvna --chain-id $CHAIN_ID --node $NODE_RPC --keyring-backend test --yes

Validator Operations​

1. View Validator Information​

# View validator details
veranad query staking validator $(veranad keys show $validatorName --bech val -a)

# Check voting power
veranad status | grep voting_power

# View signing information
veranad query slashing signing-info $(veranad tendermint show-validator)

2. Unjail Validator​

If your validator gets jailed:

veranad tx slashing unjail --from=$validatorName --chain-id=$CHAIN_ID

System Configuration​

1. Configure Firewall​

# Allow only necessary ports
sudo ufw allow 26656/tcp  # P2P
sudo ufw allow 26657/tcp  # RPC
sudo ufw allow 1317/tcp   # API

2. Set Up Monitoring​

Install and configure monitoring tools:

# Install Prometheus
sudo apt-get install prometheus

# Install Node Exporter
sudo apt-get install prometheus-node-exporter

# Install Grafana
sudo apt-get install grafana

3. Configure System Limits​

Create or edit /etc/security/limits.conf:

* soft nofile 65535
* hard nofile 65535

Maintenance​

1. Backup​

Regularly backup your validator's state:

# Backup the validator state
tar -czf validator-backup.tar.gz ~/.verana

# Backup keys
veranad keys export $validatorName --unarmored-hex --unsafe > validator-key.txt

2. Updates​

When network upgrades are announced:

  1. Monitor the Verana Discord for announcements.
  2. Update your node software.
  3. Restart your validator.

3. Graceful Shutdown​

To halt your validator at a specific height:

veranad start --halt-height <height>

Troubleshooting​

Common Issues​

  1. Validator Not in Active Set

    • Check if you have enough voting power.
    • Verify your commission rate is competitive.
    • Ensure your node is fully synced.
    • Check if you're in the top 100 validators by voting power.

  2. Node Not Syncing

    • Check your internet connection.
    • Verify your peers are connected.
    • Check system resources (CPU, RAM, disk space).
    • Review logs for errors: journalctl -u veranad -f

  3. Validator Jailed

    • Check for double-signing.
    • Verify uptime.
    • Check system time synchronization.
    • Review slashing parameters.

  4. High Resource Usage

    • Monitor system resources.
    • Check for memory leaks.
    • Verify disk I/O performance.
    • Review network bandwidth usage.

Best Practices​

  1. Regular Maintenance

    • Monitor system resources.
    • Check validator status.
    • Review logs for errors.
    • Update software regularly.

  2. Security

    • Keep software updated.
    • Use strong passwords.
    • Implement firewall rules.
    • Regular security audits.

  3. Performance

    • Monitor voting power.
    • Track missed blocks.
    • Check commission rates.
    • Review delegations.