Namada Protocol Mainnet Validator Setup Guide

This guide will help you set up a Namada Protocol validator on the mainnet. Follow these steps carefully to ensure a successful deployment.

Prerequisites

System Requirements

• Operating System: Ubuntu 22.04/24.04 LTS x64
• CPU: 4 cores minimum (8+ recommended)
• Memory: 16GB RAM minimum (32GB recommended)
• Storage: 1TB NVMe/SSD Storage minimum
• Network: Stable internet connection with good bandwidth
• Access: Root or sudo privileges

Network Information

Component	Value	Description
Chain ID	namada.5f5de2dd1b88cba30586420	Current mainnet chain ID
Latest Version	v101.1.1	Current mainnet version
Native Token	NAM	Native staking token
Consensus	CometBFT	Tendermint-based consensus

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tip

The following commands are executed as root by default. If you are not a root user, please prepend the commands with sudo.

sudo -i

Initial Setup

Define Environment Variables

First, let's set up all the variables we'll need throughout the setup process:

# Node configuration
export CHAIN_ID="namada.5f5de2dd1b88cba30586420"  # Current mainnet chain ID
export NODE_NAME="your-validator-name"             # Your validator's display name
export NAMADA_DIR="/data/namada"                   # Node data directory
export MONIKER="your-moniker"                      # Node moniker

# Validator configuration
export VALIDATOR_ALIAS="your-validator-alias"      # Validator alias name
export IMPLICIT_ALIAS="your-wallet-alias"          # Wallet alias name
export EMAIL="[email protected]"              # Your contact email
export WEBSITE="https://your-website.com"          # Your website
export DESCRIPTION="Your validator description"     # Validator description
export DISCORD_HANDLE="your-discord"               # Your Discord handle

# Commission rates (adjust as needed)
export COMMISSION_RATE="0.05"                      # 5% commission rate
export MAX_COMMISSION_CHANGE="0.01"                # 1% max commission change per epoch

# Create symbolic link for easier access
export HOME_DIR="$HOME/.local/share/namada"

info

Variable Explanation:

• VALIDATOR_ALIAS: A unique name for your validator (used in commands)
• IMPLICIT_ALIAS: Your wallet/account alias for signing transactions
• COMMISSION_RATE: Percentage of rewards you'll keep (0.05 = 5%)
• MAX_COMMISSION_CHANGE: Maximum commission change per epoch

Step 1: System Preparation

Update System Packages

# Update package list and install required tools
apt update
apt install -y make git-core libssl-dev pkg-config build-essential protobuf-compiler libudev-dev curl jq wget aria2

# For Ubuntu 22.x, install clang-12
apt install -y libclang-12-dev

# For Ubuntu 24.x, install clang-19
apt install -y libclang-19-dev

Install Rust

# Install Rust via rustup
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh -s -- -y
source $HOME/.cargo/env

# Update Rust to latest version
rustup update

# Verify installation
rustc --version
cargo --version

Check GLIBC Version

# Check GLIBC version (should be v2.33 or higher)
ldd --version

# For Ubuntu 22.04+, GLIBC v2.33+ is included by default
# For older versions, consider upgrading Ubuntu or installing from source

Install CometBFT

# Download and install CometBFT
COMETBFT_VERSION="0.37.15"  # Check Namada docs for compatible version
wget https://github.com/cometbft/cometbft/releases/download/v${COMETBFT_VERSION}/cometbft_${COMETBFT_VERSION}_linux_amd64.tar.gz

# Extract and install
tar -xzf cometbft_${COMETBFT_VERSION}_linux_amd64.tar.gz
cp cometbft /usr/local/bin/

# Verify installation
cometbft version

Step 2: Install Namada

Option 1: Install from Pre-built Binary (Recommended)

# Create data directory and symbolic link
mkdir -pv $NAMADA_DIR
ln -sfv $NAMADA_DIR $HOME/.local/share/namada

# Download latest Namada release
NAMADA_VERSION="v101.1.1"  # Check for latest version
cd /tmp
wget https://github.com/anoma/namada/releases/download/${NAMADA_VERSION}/namada-${NAMADA_VERSION}-Linux-x86_64.tar.gz

# Extract and install
tar -xzf namada-${NAMADA_VERSION}-Linux-x86_64.tar.gz
cp namada-${NAMADA_VERSION}-Linux-x86_64/namada* /usr/local/bin/
# if need
# cp namada-${NAMADA_VERSION}-Linux-x86_64/wasm /usr/local/bin/

# Verify installation
namada --version

Option 2: Build from Source

# Create data directory and symbolic link
mkdir -pv $NAMADA_DIR
ln -sfv $NAMADA_DIR $HOME/.local/share/namada

# Clone Namada repository
cd /opt
git clone https://github.com/anoma/namada.git namada_src
cd namada_src

# Checkout latest stable version
git fetch --all
git checkout v101.1.1

# Build and install
make install

# Verify installation
namada --version

Step 3: Initialize Node

Join the Network

# Join the Namada mainnet
namada client utils join-network --chain-id $CHAIN_ID

# This downloads the necessary configuration files and chain data

Configure Node

# Update node configuration if needed
cd $HOME_DIR

# Optional: Edit config.toml for custom settings
# By default, whenever the namada ledger is started, it will apply the configuration found in the ledger configuration file 
cat $BASE_DIR/$CHAIN_ID/config.toml

Step 4: Create Systemd Service

Create Service File

# Create systemd service file
cat > /etc/systemd/system/namadad.service << EOF
[Unit]
Description=Namada Node
After=network-online.target

[Service]
User=root
WorkingDirectory=$HOME_DIR
Environment=CMT_LOG_LEVEL=p2p:none,pex:error
Environment=NAMADA_CMT_STDOUT=true
Environment=PATH=/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/games:/usr/local/games:/snap/bin:/usr/local/go/bin:/root/go/bin
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/namada node ledger run
Restart=always
RestartSec=10
LimitNOFILE=65535

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
EOF

Start Node Service

# Reload systemd and start the service
systemctl daemon-reload
systemctl enable namadad
systemctl start namadad

# Check service status
systemctl status namadad

# Monitor logs
journalctl -u namadad -f

Step 5: Create Wallet and Keys

Wait for Node Synchronization

# Wait for your node to sync with the network
# Check sync status
namada client epoch

# You can also check the logs to see sync progress
journalctl -u namadad -f | grep -i sync

Generate Wallet

# Generate a new wallet
namadaw gen --alias $IMPLICIT_ALIAS

# List your addresses
namadaw list --addr

# Find your wallet details
namadaw find --alias $IMPLICIT_ALIAS

warning

Important: Save your wallet seed phrase and private keys securely. Store them in multiple secure locations and never share them with anyone.

Step 6: Initialize Validator

Create Validator Account

# Initialize validator with your configuration
namadac init-validator \
  --commission-rate $COMMISSION_RATE \
  --max-commission-rate-change $MAX_COMMISSION_CHANGE \
  --email $EMAIL \
  --alias $VALIDATOR_ALIAS \
  --account-keys $IMPLICIT_ALIAS \
  --signing-keys $IMPLICIT_ALIAS \
  --threshold 1

# This creates your validator account and generates necessary keys

Fund Your Validator

Before your validator can start validating, you need to:

1. Acquire NAM tokens for staking
2. Transfer tokens to your validator account
3. Bond tokens to activate your validator

# Check your wallet balance
namadac balance --owner $IMPLICIT_ALIAS

# Once you have NAM tokens, bond them to your validator
# Replace AMOUNT with the number of NAM tokens to stake
namadac bond \
  --source $IMPLICIT_ALIAS \
  --validator $VALIDATOR_ALIAS \
  --amount AMOUNT

Step 7: Update Validator Metadata

Set Validator Information

# Get your validator address
VALIDATOR_ADDRESS=$(namadac find-validator --alias $VALIDATOR_ALIAS)

# Update validator metadata
namadac change-metadata \
  --validator $VALIDATOR_ADDRESS \
  --description "$DESCRIPTION" \
  --email $EMAIL \
  --discord-handle $DISCORD_HANDLE \
  --website $WEBSITE \
  --name "$NODE_NAME"

Step 8: Monitor Your Validator

Check Validator Status

# Check validator state
namadac validator-state --validator $VALIDATOR_ADDRESS

# Check bonds
namadac bonds --validator $VALIDATOR_ALIAS

# Check current epoch
namadac epoch

# Monitor node logs
journalctl -u namadad -f

Important Monitoring Commands

# Check if your validator is in the active set
namadac validator-state --validator $VALIDATOR_ADDRESS

# Monitor consensus participation
namadac consensus-state

# Check rewards
namadac rewards --validator $VALIDATOR_ADDRESS

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Node not syncing:

# Check peers and connectivity
namadac status | jq .sync_info

# Check logs for errors
journalctl -u namadad --since "1 hour ago" | grep -i error

Validator not active:

# Ensure you have enough bonded stake
namadac validator-state --validator $VALIDATOR_ADDRESS

# Check if you're in the consensus set
namadac consensus-state | grep $VALIDATOR_ADDRESS

Service fails to start:

# Check service logs
journalctl -u namadad -n 50

# Check file permissions
ls -la $HOME_DIR/

# Verify binary installation
which namada
namada --version

Support Resources

For help and support:

• Namada Documentation: docs.namada.net
• Validator Documentation: docs.namada.net/operators/validators
• GitHub: github.com/anoma/namada
• Discord: discord.gg/namada
• Community Forum: forum.namada.net

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info

This setup creates a production-ready Namada validator. Always test configurations on testnets before deploying to mainnet.

warning

Important Notes:

• Keep your validator keys secure and backed up
• Monitor your validator's performance and uptime regularly
• Stay updated with network upgrades and governance proposals
• Maintain adequate stake to remain in the active validator set