📦Validator Node Setup

This guide sets up a Validator Node on W Chain mainnet (chain ID 171717). A validator stakes 10,000,000 WCO and produces blocks with the rest of the network, so plan for a machine that stays online all the time.

What you will do:

1. Prepare the machine and install dependencies (Steps 1–3)
2. Download and verify node v1.0.8 and genesis.json (Steps 4–5)
3. Create your validator keys and server config (Steps 6–7)
4. Restore the chaindata snapshot (Step 8)
5. Stake and register on-chain (Steps 9–10)
6. Run the node as a service and lock down the firewall (Steps 11–13)

Budget about an hour, most of it waiting for the snapshot download.

Step 1: Prepare the SystemCopy Anchor Link

Your machine must meet these minimums:

Node.js is only needed for the staking scripts in Step 9, not to run the node.

You can run a node on your own dedicated server, but a professional cloud provider such as AWS, DigitalOcean, Azure, GCP, Hetzner or Contabo is recommended.

Step 2: Install DependenciesCopy Anchor Link

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt install -y git npm

These commands use apt. Adjust them if your system uses a different package manager.

Step 3: Prepare DirectoryCopy Anchor Link

mkdir -p ~/w-chain && cd ~/w-chain

The rest of this guide assumes the user is ubuntu, so the folder is /home/ubuntu/w-chain. If your user is different, use your own path everywhere you see /home/ubuntu/w-chain.

Step 4: Download Node v1.0.8 and genesis.jsonCopy Anchor Link

Both come from the v1.0.8 release. It is published for Linux amd64, which is what AWS EC2 and most VPS providers use.

cd ~/w-chain
U=https://github.com/w-chain/node/releases/download/v1.0.8
curl -fL -O $U/w-chain-node-v1.0.8-linux-amd64.tar.gz
curl -fL -O $U/genesis.json
curl -fL -O $U/checksums-v1.0.8.txt
sha256sum -c checksums-v1.0.8.txt

curl prints download progress first. The last two lines must be:

w-chain-node-v1.0.8-linux-amd64.tar.gz: OK
genesis.json: OK

If anything says FAILED, delete the files and download them again.

Unpack the node and give it a short name. The rest of this guide calls it w-chain-node:

tar -xzf w-chain-node-v1.0.8-linux-amd64.tar.gz
mv w-chain-node-linux-amd64 w-chain-node
chmod +x w-chain-node

Step 5: Verify FilesCopy Anchor Link

./w-chain-node version
grep -c wchainv1 genesis.json

You should see:

[VERSION INFO]
Release version = v1.0.8
Git branch      = fix/v1.0.8
Commit hash     = a474bc5bd34e2c35bbc432e7ef2e81a62b99673a
Build time      = Thu Oct  8 09:18:20 UTC 2026
4

The version must read v1.0.8 and the last line must be 4. If not, go back to Step 4.

Step 6: Initialize Keys and Blockchain Data DirectoriesCopy Anchor Link

This creates the data directory and your validator keys:

./w-chain-node secrets init --data-dir main-chain --insecure

It prints your new identity:

[SECRETS OUTPUT]
Public key (address) = 0x9C107AA6471e3...E9c6EdE083b8f5
BLS Public key       = 0x800f1157a49bb59f5e5d790...fe349fa19a3c323f518a4bd4aa963
Node ID              = 16Uiu2HAmVbykGW...DUpLgTw7NbDVbKf1Me4D

Save all three. You need the address and the BLS public key in Step 10.

You also need the private key of this address. It is the single line in this file:

cat ~/w-chain/main-chain/consensus/validator.key

Copy it somewhere safe (a password manager), then clear your terminal with clear.

The node keeps validator.key on disk because it signs blocks with it. Tighten its permissions. Run this as the same user the node service will run as, or the node can't read its own keys:

chmod 400 ~/w-chain/main-chain/consensus/validator.key
chmod 400 ~/w-chain/main-chain/consensus/validator-bls.key

Step 7: Create Server ConfigCopy Anchor Link

Keep the node's settings in a config file instead of passing flags. From ~/w-chain, generate the template and open it:

cd ~/w-chain
./w-chain-node server export --type json
nano default-config.json

Set these values. Use absolute paths:

The relevant lines look like this:

"chain_config": "/home/ubuntu/w-chain/genesis.json",
"data_dir": "/home/ubuntu/w-chain/main-chain",
"grpc_addr": "127.0.0.1:9632",
"jsonrpc_addr": "127.0.0.1:8545",
"network": {
    ...
    "libp2p_addr": "0.0.0.0:1478",
    ...
},
"seal": true,
"tx_pool": {
    "price_limit": 800000000000,
    ...
}

Step 8: Utilizing Blockchain Backup FileCopy Anchor Link

Syncing from scratch takes days and gets slower as the chain grows. Start from the published snapshot instead. The mainnet/latest links always point to the newest snapshot. The current one is from 7 September 2026; your node syncs the remaining blocks from peers after it starts.

cd ~/w-chain/main-chain
B=https://wchain-sanpshot-677276113339-eu-central-1-an.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/mainnet/latest
curl -fL -O $B/trie.tar.gz
curl -fL -O $B/blockchain.tar.gz
curl -fL -O $B/SHA256SUMS

This is the slowest step: about 16 GB in total.

Verify before unpackingCopy Anchor Link

A truncated download gives a corrupt database that fails in confusing ways later, so check both archives first:

sha256sum -c SHA256SUMS

Both lines must read OK. If one doesn't, delete that archive, download it again and re-check.

UnpackCopy Anchor Link

tar -xzf trie.tar.gz && rm trie.tar.gz
tar -xzf blockchain.tar.gz && rm blockchain.tar.gz

main-chain now holds four directories: the new blockchain and trie, plus consensus and libp2p from Step 6.

Fix ownershipCopy Anchor Link

The files must belong to the user the service runs as:

sudo chown -R ubuntu:ubuntu /home/ubuntu/w-chain/main-chain

Replace ubuntu:ubuntu with your user and group if they differ. ls -ld /home/ubuntu/w-chain shows them.

Step 9: Staking ContractCopy Anchor Link

Every validator must stake at least 10,000,000 WCO. Misbehaviour can be slashed, which keeps operators honest.

Clone the staking scripts and install their dependencies:

cd ~/w-chain
git clone https://github.com/w-chain/staking-contract.git
cd staking-contract
npm i

Create the environment file:

cp .env.example .env
chmod 600 .env
nano .env

You will see:

#JUST ADD YOUR PRIVATE KEY HERE
PRIVATE_KEY=your_private_key_here

# KEEP THIS AS IS
CONTRACT_ADDRESS=0xfAc510D5dB8cadfF323D4b979D898dc38F3FB6dF
RPC_URL=https://rpc.w-chain.com

Replace your_private_key_here with the private key from Step 6. Change nothing else, then save and exit.

Step 10: Load up the StakeCopy Anchor Link

First fund your validator address (the public key from Step 6). You need the stake plus gas, so hold at least 10,000,001 WCO.

StakeCopy Anchor Link

cd ~/w-chain/staking-contract
npm run cli stake 10000000

On success the script returns a transaction hash.

Register your BLS public keyCopy Anchor Link

Use the BLS public key printed in Step 6. This value is only an example:

npm run cli registerBLSPublicKey 0x800f1157a49bb59f5e5d790...fe349fa19a3c323f518a4bd4aa963

ConfirmCopy Anchor Link

npm run cli isValidator <your address>

It should return true.

rm ~/w-chain/staking-contract/.env

The new validator joins the active set at the next epoch boundary, which comes about every hour.

Step 11: Create a System ServiceCopy Anchor Link

Run the node as a systemd service so it survives reboots and restarts if it crashes:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/w-chain-node.service

Paste this in:

[Unit]
Description=W Chain Validator Node
After=network.target
StartLimitIntervalSec=1

[Service]
Type=simple
User=ubuntu
WorkingDirectory=/home/ubuntu/w-chain
ExecStart=/home/ubuntu/w-chain/w-chain-node server --config /home/ubuntu/w-chain/default-config.json
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=5
LimitNOFILE=65535

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Save and exit. Adjust User and the paths if your setup differs.

Step 12: Enable and Run the Node ServiceCopy Anchor Link

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable w-chain-node.service
sudo systemctl start w-chain-node.service

Your node now catches up with the network from the snapshot. Watch it:

journalctl -u w-chain-node -f

You want a steady stream of block committed lines with rising block numbers.

Step 13: FirewallCopy Anchor Link

A validator needs one port open to the internet: 1478/tcp (peer-to-peer). Everything else should be closed.

Check what the node listens on:

sudo ss -ltnp | grep w-chain-node

If 8545 or 9632 show 0.0.0.0 or *, fix jsonrpc_addr / grpc_addr in your config (Step 7) and restart. Never expose 9632.

sudo apt-get install -y ufw
sudo ufw allow 22/tcp
sudo ufw allow 1478/tcp
sudo ufw default deny incoming
sudo ufw default allow outgoing
sudo ufw --force enable
sudo ufw status verbose

Check from outsideCopy Anchor Link

Run this on your own computer, not on the server. The server's own firewall doesn't filter its own connections, so testing from the server proves nothing.

nc -zv -G 5 <your-server-ip> 1478
nc -zv -G 5 <your-server-ip> 8545
nc -zv -G 5 <your-server-ip> 9632

Port 1478 must succeed. 8545 and 9632 must be refused or time out.

Important Commands to Maintain and Monitor Your NodeCopy Anchor Link

ServiceCopy Anchor Link

sudo systemctl start w-chain-node

LoggingCopy Anchor Link

journalctl -u w-chain-node

Is my validator actually working?Copy Anchor Link

A running service tells you little: a node can look healthy while contributing nothing. Count the blocks it committed in the last minute instead:

sudo journalctl -u w-chain-node -S -1min | grep -c 'block committed'

Blocks come about every 2 seconds, so a healthy node shows about 20–35. A number near 0 means it is not following the chain, even if the service is running.

TroubleshootingCopy Anchor Link

The node does not start: fork is not available: wchainv1… genesis.json is from v1.0.8 but the binary is older. Repeat Step 4 and check that ./w-chain-node version says v1.0.8.

The node runs but commits no blocks Check these in order:

1. Port 1478 is reachable from the internet (see Check from outside). Give it a minute after a restart.
2. genesis.json came from the v1.0.8 release: grep -c wchainv1 genesis.json must print 4.
3. seal is true and ./w-chain-node version reports v1.0.8.
4. You completed both actions in Step 10. Check with npm run cli isValidator <your address>.