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Nethermind

Nethermind is an Execution layer client developed by the Nethermind team.

note

Nethermind currently holds the supermajority client position on Gnosis Chain. We suggest considering a switch to Erigon.

Nethermind reference:

Nethermind documentation

There are 2 main options for running Nethermind:

Nethermind can be configured to run different types of nodes:

note

Ensure the prerequisite steps have been completed in Step 1: Configure Server.

Option 1: Using Docker​

1. Folder Structure​

Create your folder structure:

mkdir -p /home/$USER/gnosis/execution
mkdir /home/$USER/gnosis/jwtsecret
/home/$USER/gnosis/
├── jwtsecret/
└── execution/

2. Docker Compose​

Create a Compose file with your favorite text editor in /home/$USER/gnosis/docker-compose.yml:

Example Docker Compose file
/home/$USER/gnosis/docker-compose.yml
version: "3"
services:

  execution:
    container_name: execution
    image: nethermind/nethermind:latest
    restart: always
    stop_grace_period: 1m
    networks:
      - gnosis_net
    ports:
      - 30303:30303/tcp # p2p
      - 30303:30303/udp # p2p
    expose:
      - 8545 # rpc
      - 8551 # engine api
    volumes:
      - /home/$USER/gnosis/execution:/data
      - /home/$USER/gnosis/jwtsecret/jwt.hex:/jwt.hex
      - /etc/timezone:/etc/timezone:ro
      - /etc/localtime:/etc/localtime:ro
    command: |
      --config gnosis
      --datadir /data
      --log INFO
      --JsonRpc.Enabled true
      --JsonRpc.Host 0.0.0.0
      --JsonRpc.Port 8545
      --JsonRpc.EnabledModules [web3,eth,subscribe,net]
      --JsonRpc.JwtSecretFile /jwt.hex
      --JsonRpc.EngineHost 0.0.0.0
      --JsonRpc.EnginePort 8551
      --Network.DiscoveryPort 30303
      --HealthChecks.Enabled false
      --Pruning.CacheMb 2048
    logging:
      driver: "local"

networks:
  gnosis_net:
    name: gnosis_net

3. JWT Secret​

The JWT secret is a token that allows the EL client to communicate with the CL client, and is required for Nethermind to operate post-merge. We use rand to create a random string, and store the jwt.hex file in /home/$USER/gnosis/jwtsecret/.

Check create JWT section in Step 1: Configure Server.

4. Start Container​

Start the Execution layer client listed in the compose file:

cd /home/$USER/gnosis
docker compose up -d

5. Monitor Logs​

Check your logs with:

docker logs -f --tail 500 execution

6. Updating your Node​

To update, just pull the new image, then stop and restart your services:

cd /home/$USER/gnosis
docker compose pull
docker compose stop
docker compose up -d

Option 2: Running as System Process​

Installing Nethermind​

github.com/nethermindeth/nethermind/releases/latest

Running Nethermind​

docs.nethermind.io/get-started/running-node

Windows

# Gnosis Mainnet
./nethermind --config gnosis --JsonRpc.JwtSecretFile path/to/jwt.hex

# Chiado Testnet
./nethermind --config chiado --JsonRpc.JwtSecretFile path/to/jwt.hex

Linux and macOS

# Gnosis Mainnet
nethermind --config gnosis --JsonRpc.JwtSecretFile path/to/jwt.hex

# Chiado Testnet
nethermind --config chiado --JsonRpc.JwtSecretFile path/to/jwt.hex

Nethermind Archival Node​

An archival node executes a heavy historical sync verifying all the transactions and keeping all of the historical data. Archive sync is the 'heaviest' and slowest sync mode, and can take 2 - 6 weeks depending on the speed of your IO.

caution

Make sure you have sufficient disk space and IOPS for archive mode. Requirements change frequently by release and network growth.

Edit your /home/$USER/gnosis/docker-compose.yml and change the --config from gnosis to gnosis_archive.

    command: |
      --config gnosis_archive