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Step 1: Run an Octez node

The first thing you need is a Tezos layer 1 node, which is an instance of the octez-node program and part of the Octez suite of programs.

Installing Octez​

The version of Octez to use depends on the Tezos network that you are using.

  • For Mainnet or Ghostnet, install the most recent release of Octez, including octez-client, octez-node, octez-dal-node, and the baker for the current protocol:

    • On MacOS, run these commands:

      brew tap serokell/tezos-packaging-stable https://github.com/serokell/tezos-packaging-stable.git
      brew install tezos-client tezos-node tezos-dal-node tezos-baker-PsParisC

    • On Linux and Windows WSL, download and install the built binaries from the Octez release page, as in this example for Ubuntu:

      wget -O octez-binaries-20.3-linux-x86_64.tar.gz https://gitlab.com/tezos/tezos/-/package_files/150896058/download
      tar xf octez-binaries-20.3-linux-x86_64.tar.gz
      sudo cp octez-x86_64/octez* /usr/local/bin/

  • For Weeklynet, look up the necessary version of Octez at https://teztnets.com/weeklynet-about and install it with the instructions there.

For more installation options, see Installing Octez in the Octez documentation.

If you build from source, you can use the latest-release branch to work with Ghostnet.

Running the layer 1 node​

  1. Initialize the Octez node for the network. For example, to initialize it for Ghostnet, run this command:

    octez-node config init --network ghostnet

    By default, the node stores its data in the folder $HOME/.tezos-node. If this directory is not empty, you may have need to rename it (to keep its data) or remove it.

  2. Download a rolling snapshot of the network from https://snapshot.tzinit.org based on the instructions on that site. For example, the command to download a Ghostnet snapshot from the European servers might look like this:

    wget -O snapshot_file https://snapshots.eu.tzinit.org/ghostnet/rolling

  3. Load the snapshot in the node by running this command:

    octez-node snapshot import snapshot_file

  4. Install the Zcash parameters as described Install Zcash Parameters in the Octez documentation.

  5. Start the node:

    octez-node run --rpc-addr 127.0.0.1:8732

    You may add option --log-output="$HOME/octez-node.log" to redirect its output in a log file.

    At first launch, the node generates a fresh identity file used to identify itself on the network. Then it bootstraps the chain, which takes a variable amount of time depending on how many blocks need to be loaded.

  6. Make sure the Octez client uses your node by running this command:

    octez-client -E http://localhost:8732 config update

    If you see an error that says "Failed to acquire the protocol version from the node," ensure that your node is running and verify that the host name and port in the config update command are correct.

  7. Wait for your node to bootstrap by running this command:

    octez-client bootstrapped

    The client waits until it is connected and the node is running at the current level. When it is connected and the node is updated, the command prints the message Node is bootstrapped. The time it takes depends on how many blocks the node must retrieve to catch up from the snapshot to the current head block.

  8. Optional: Hide the Octez client's network warning message by running this command:

    export TEZOS_CLIENT_UNSAFE_DISABLE_DISCLAIMER=y

    This command suppresses the message that your instance of the Octez client is not using Mainnet.

  9. Ensure that the node runs persistently. Look up how to run programs persistently in the documentation for your operating system. You can also refer to Run a persistent baking node on opentezos.com or Setting up Octez Services in the Octez documentation.

    For example, if your operating system uses the systemd software suite, your service file might look like this example:

    [Unit]
    Description=Octez node
    Wants=network-online.target
    After=network-online.target

    [Install]
    WantedBy=multi-user.target

    [Service]
    Type=simple
    User=tezos
    ExecStart=octez-node run --rpc-addr 127.0.0.1:8732 --data-dir $HOME/.tezos-node
    WorkingDirectory=/opt/octez-node
    Restart=on-failure
    RestartSec=5
    StandardOutput=append:/opt/octez-node.log
    StandardError=append:/opt/octez-node.log
    SyslogIdentifier=%n

  10. Optional: When the node has bootstrapped and caught up with the current head block, you can delete the snapshot file to save space.

In the meantime, you can continue the baking infrastructure while the node is bootstrapping. Continue to Step 2: Set up a baker account.

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