Updated on May 17, 2022
Connect to Mainnet
Note
This documentation has been updated in line with the name changes recommended by the Ethereum Foundation. The execution layer was previously known as “Ethereum 1.0.” The consensus layer was previously known as “Ethereum 2.0.”
The following instructions provide the steps run validators on the consensus layer Mainnet. You can also use Teku to run a beacon node only.
Warning
If staking funds on the network, the funds are locked until transfers are enabled in a future upgrade of the consensus layer.
Use the validator checklist as a guide to secure your validator keys and hardware.
Prerequisites:
- Install the latest stable version of Teku using a binary distribution, or with Docker.
- If running validators, install any execution client (for example Hyperledger Besu), or access a cloud-based service such as Infura.
Run validators on Mainnet
Consensus layer validators need to access an execution client to onboard new validators. New validators make deposits on the execution layer, and existing consensus layer validators must process the deposits to allow the new validators to join.
Deposits are made into a deposit contract on the execution layer Mainnet. The deposit contract address
is 0x00000000219ab540356cBB839Cbe05303d7705Fa.
The steps to run a consensus layer validator on Mainnet are:
-
If running your own execution client, sync the execution network containing the deposit contract.
Note
This step is only required if running your own execution client such as Besu. If using a cloud-based service such as Infura, proceed to sync the beacon node.
-
Generate the validator keys and send the deposit to the deposit contract.
Sync the execution layer network
This step is only required if running your own execution client.
This example uses Besu as an execution client, but any client can be used. Configure Besu to connect to Mainnet and expose the RPC-HTTP APIs.
Example
besu --rpc-http-enabled=true --rpc-http-port=8545 \
--rpc-http-api=ETH,NET,WEB3 --fast-sync-min-peers=2
Sync the beacon node
Sync the beacon node to ensure the network is synced before registering the validator.
Note
Before network launch there will be no data to sync.
Example
teku --metrics-enabled --rest-api-enabled
Syncing is complete when the head slot reaches the current slot.
Generate the validators and send the deposits
Important
Ensure your Ethereum account has enough ETH to cover the required deposit amount (32 ETH) plus gas.
Use the Ethereum Staking Launchpad to guide you through a step-by-step process to generate your keys and send the deposits.
Note
Remember the passwords that you used to create the validator keys, because you need it to create the validator password files.
Create a password file for each validator key
For each validator key, create a text file containing the password to decrypt the key.
Teku allows you to specify individual keys and passwords in the command line, or you can specify
folders from which to load keys and passwords. If specifying folders, then password files
must have the same name as the keys, but use the .txt extension.
Example
If the Launchpad creates a key named keystore-m_12381_3600_0_0_0-1596485378.json, then
the password file must be named keystore-m_12381_3600_0_0_0-1596485378.txt.
Info
The password file format follows EIP-2335
requirements (UTF-8 encoded file, unicode normalization, and control code removal).
Start the validator
You can run the Teku validator as a single process with the beacon node, or you can run the validator client on a separate machine.
Important
If running validators as a split process, then connect the validator to the running beacon node. Otherwise you need to stop the running beacon node and restart it by supplying the validator keys.
Once the validator is activated, view it on the Beacon Chain explorer at
https://beaconcha.in/validator/<validatorPublicKey>.
You can also use Prometheus and Grafana to monitor your nodes.
Run the validator and beacon node as a single process
To run the beacon node and validator client as a single process, stop the running beacon node started previously, and restart it by specifying the validator key files created earlier, and the text files containing the password to decrypt the validator key.
Example
teku --eth1-endpoint=http://localhost:8545 \
--validator-keys=validator/keys/validator_888eef.json:validator/passwords/validator_888eef.txt \
--rest-api-enabled=true --rest-api-docs-enabled=true \
--metrics-enabled
Alternatively, use --validator-keys to
specify the directory to load multiple keys and passwords from.
Example
teku --eth1-endpoint=http://localhost:8545 \
--validator-keys=validator/keys:validator/passwords \
--rest-api-enabled=true --rest-api-docs-enabled=true \
--metrics-enabled
Run the validator on a separate machine
If running the validator client on a separate machine to the beacon node, then run Teku using the
vc or
validator-client subcommand, and specify
the location of the beacon node’s API endpoint using
--beacon-node-api-endpoint.
You also need to specify the validator key files created earlier, and the text files containing the password to decrypt the validator key.
Example
teku validator-client --beacon-node-api-endpoint=http://192.10.10.101:5051 \
--validator-keys=validator/keys/validator_888eef.json:validator/passwords/validator_888eef.txt
Alternatively, use --validator-keys
to specify the directory to load multiple keys and passwords from.
Example
teku validator-client --beacon-node-api-endpoint=http://192.10.10.101:5051 \
--validator-keys=validator/keys:validator/passwords