Side Protocol Testnet Fullnode Setup Guide
This guide will help you set up a full Side Protocol node on the testnet. 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
- Memory: 16GB RAM minimum
- Storage: 500GB NVMe/SSD Storage
- Network: Stable internet connection
- Access: Root or sudo privileges
Network Information
| Component | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Chain ID | sidechain-testnet-6 | Testnet identifier |
| Latest Version | v2.0.0-rc.7 | Current testnet version |
| Token Symbol | SIDE | Native token |
tip
The following commands are executed as root by default. If you are not a root user, please prepend the commands with sudo.
Initial Setup
Define Environment Variables
First, let's set up all the variables we'll need throughout the setup process:
# Node configuration
export NODE_DIR=/data/side # Node data directory
export NODE_NAME="your-node-name" # Your node's display name (max 70 chars)
export CHAIN_ID="sidechain-testnet-6" # Testnet chain ID
export VERSION="v2.0.0-rc.7" # Side Protocol version
# Network configuration
export MIN_GAS_PRICE="0.001uside" # Minimum gas price
export PORT_PREFIX="2" # Port prefix for custom ports
# Seeds for network connection
export SEEDS="[email protected]:26656,[email protected]:26656"
# Create symbolic link for easier access
export HOME_DIR="$HOME/.side"
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Variable Explanation:
NODE_DIR: Where your blockchain data will be storedNODE_NAME: A friendly name for your node (use only letters, numbers, and hyphens)PORT_PREFIX: Used to avoid port conflicts if running multiple nodesSEEDS: Initial network peers to connect to
Step 1: System Preparation
Update System Packages
# Update package list and install required tools
sudo -i
apt -q update
apt -qy install curl git jq lz4 build-essential aria2 unzip wget git
Install Go 1.23.1
# Remove any existing Go installation
rm -rf /usr/local/go
# Download and install Go 1.23.1
curl -Ls https://go.dev/dl/go1.23.1.linux-amd64.tar.gz | sudo tar -xzf - -C /usr/local
# Set up environment variables for Go
eval $(echo 'export PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/go/bin' | sudo tee /etc/profile.d/gobinpath.sh)
eval $(echo 'export PATH=$PATH:$HOME/go/bin' | sudo tee /etc/profile.d/gopath.sh)
# Verify Go installation
go version
Step 2: Build Side Protocol
Clone and Build the Software
# Clone the Side Protocol repository
mkdir -pv $NODE_DIR $HOME_DIR && cd /data
git clone https://github.com/sideprotocol/side.git side_src
cd side_src
# Checkout the specific version and build
git checkout $VERSION && make build
# Verify the installation
sided version --long | grep -e version -e commit
Step 3: Initialize Your Node
Create Directory Structure
# Create symbolic link for easier access
ln -sv $NODE_DIR $HOME_DIR
# Initialize the node with your chosen name
sided init $NODE_NAME --chain-id $CHAIN_ID
tip
Node Name Tips:
- Use a descriptive name like "my-side-node" or "validator-01"
- Avoid special characters except hyphens
- Keep it under 70 characters
Step 4: Configure Your Node
Set Custom Ports and Optimize Settings
# Create the port configuration script
cat > portset.sh << 'EOF'
#!/bin/bash
set -euo pipefail
DIR="${1:-}"
MINIGAS="${2:-0uinit}"
PORT="${3:-2}"
ENABLE_INDEXER="${4:-false}"
ENABLE_ABCI_RESPONSE="${5:-false}"
if [[ -z "$DIR" ]]; then
echo "[ERROR] No base directory provided."
echo "Usage: $0 <NODE_DIR> [MINIMUM_GAS_PRICES] [PORT_PREFIX] [ENABLE_INDEXER] [ENABLE_ABCI_RESPONSE]"
exit 1
fi
if [[ ! -d "$DIR/config" ]]; then
echo "[ERROR] Directory $DIR/config does not exist."
exit 1
fi
# Set minimum gas price
grep -q '^minimum-gas-prices' "$DIR/config/app.toml" && \
sed -i.bak -e "s|^minimum-gas-prices *=.*|minimum-gas-prices = \"${MINIGAS}\"|" "$DIR/config/app.toml"
# Set pruning for efficient storage
sed -i.bak \
-e 's|^pruning *=.*|pruning = "custom"|' \
-e 's|^pruning-keep-recent *=.*|pruning-keep-recent = "100"|' \
-e 's|^pruning-keep-every *=.*|pruning-keep-every = "0"|' \
-e 's|^pruning-interval *=.*|pruning-interval = "10"|' \
"$DIR/config/app.toml"
# Disable state sync snapshots to save space
sed -i.bak \
-e 's|^snapshot-interval *=.*|snapshot-interval = 0|' \
-e 's|^snapshot-keep-recent *=.*|snapshot-keep-recent = 2|' \
"$DIR/config/app.toml"
# Enable Prometheus monitoring
sed -i.bak \
-e 's|^prometheus *=.*|prometheus = true|' \
"$DIR/config/config.toml"
# Configure transaction indexer (disabled for performance)
if [[ "$ENABLE_INDEXER" == "true" ]]; then
sed -i.bak -e 's|^indexer *=.*|indexer = "kv"|' "$DIR/config/config.toml"
else
sed -i.bak -e 's|^indexer *=.*|indexer = "null"|' "$DIR/config/config.toml"
fi
# Configure ABCI response handling
if [[ "$ENABLE_ABCI_RESPONSE" == "true" ]]; then
sed -i.bak -e 's|^discard_abci_responses *=.*|discard_abci_responses = false|' "$DIR/config/config.toml"
else
sed -i.bak -e 's|^discard_abci_responses *=.*|discard_abci_responses = true|' "$DIR/config/config.toml"
fi
# Set custom ports to avoid conflicts
sed -i.bak -e "s%^proxy_app = \"tcp://.*:26658\"%proxy_app = \"tcp://127.0.0.1:${PORT}6658\"%; s%^laddr = \"tcp://.*:26657\"%laddr = \"tcp://0.0.0.0:${PORT}6657\"%; s%^pprof_laddr = \".*:6060\"%pprof_laddr = \"127.0.0.1:${PORT}6060\"%; s%^laddr = \"tcp://.*:26656\"%laddr = \"tcp://0.0.0.0:${PORT}6656\"%; s%^prometheus_listen_addr = \".*:26660\"%prometheus_listen_addr = \":${PORT}6660\"%" "$DIR/config/config.toml"
sed -i.bak -e "s%^metrics-address = \".*:6065\"%metrics-address = \"127.0.0.1:${PORT}6065\"%; s%^ws-address = \".*:8546\"%ws-address = \"tcp://127.0.0.1:${PORT}8546\"%; s%^address = \".*:8545\"%address = \"127.0.0.1:${PORT}8545\"%; s%^address = \"tcp://.*:1317\"%address = \"tcp://127.0.0.1:${PORT}1317\"%; s%^address = \".*:8080\"%address = \"127.0.0.1:${PORT}8080\"%; s%^address = \".*:9090\"%address = \"127.0.0.1:${PORT}9090\"%; s%^address = \".*:9091\"%address = \"127.0.0.1:${PORT}9091\"%" "$DIR/config/app.toml"
EOF
# Make script executable and run it
chmod +x portset.sh
bash portset.sh $NODE_DIR $MIN_GAS_PRICE $PORT_PREFIX
info
What this script does:
- Sets minimum gas price for transactions
- Configures pruning to save disk space
- Disables snapshots to reduce storage usage
- Enables monitoring for better node management
- Sets custom ports to avoid conflicts
Download Genesis File
# Download the genesis file (contains initial network state)
curl -Ls https://github.com/sideprotocol/testnet/raw/main/sidechain-testnet-6/genesis.json > \
$NODE_DIR/config/genesis.json
# Verify the genesis file was downloaded
ls -la $NODE_DIR/config/genesis.json
Configure Network Peers
# Add seed nodes for initial network discovery
sed -i -e 's|^seeds *=.*|seeds = "'$SEEDS'"|' $NODE_DIR/config/config.toml
# Verify the configuration
grep "seeds" $NODE_DIR/config/config.toml
Step 5: Set Up Cosmovisor (Automatic Updates)
Install Cosmovisor
# Install Cosmovisor (handles automatic software updates)
go install cosmossdk.io/tools/cosmovisor/cmd/cosmovisor@latest
# Set up Cosmovisor directory structure
mkdir -pv $NODE_DIR/cosmovisor/genesis/bin
ln -sv $NODE_DIR/cosmovisor/genesis $NODE_DIR/cosmovisor/current
# Copy the current binary to Cosmovisor
cp $(which sided) $NODE_DIR/cosmovisor/genesis/bin/
tip
Cosmovisor Benefits:
- Automatically handles software upgrades
- Zero-downtime updates
- Rollback capability if needed
Create System Service
# Create systemd service file for automatic startup
tee /etc/systemd/system/sided.service > /dev/null << EOF
[Unit]
Description=Side Protocol node service
After=network-online.target
[Service]
User=$USER
Restart=on-failure
Type=simple
ExecStart=$(which cosmovisor) run start
WorkingDirectory=$NODE_DIR
SyslogIdentifier=sided
LimitNOFILE=65545
Environment="DAEMON_NAME=sided"
Environment="DAEMON_HOME=$NODE_DIR"
Environment="DAEMON_ALLOW_DOWNLOAD_BINARIES=false"
Environment="DAEMON_LOG_BUFFER_SIZE=512"
Environment="DAEMON_RESTART_AFTER_UPGRADE=true"
Environment="UNSAFE_SKIP_BACKUP=true"
[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
EOF
Step 6: Download Blockchain Data (Optional)
info
Snapshot Benefits:
- Skip the initial sync process (saves days of time)
- Start with recent blockchain data
- Recommended for faster setup
# Create snapshot directory
mkdir -pv $NODE_DIR/snapshot
cd $NODE_DIR/snapshot
# Backup validator state (important for validators)
cp $NODE_DIR/data/priv_validator_state.json $NODE_DIR/priv_validator_state.json.backup
# Remove existing data and download snapshot
rm -rf $NODE_DIR/data
wget -O side_data.tar.lz4 https://support.synergynodes.com/snapshots/side_testnet/side_.tar.lz4
# Extract the snapshot
lz4 -c -d side_data.tar.lz4 | tar -x -C $NODE_DIR
# Restore validator state
cp $NODE_DIR/priv_validator_state.json.backup $NODE_DIR/data/priv_validator_state.json
Step 7: Start Your Node
Enable and Start the Service
# Reload systemd configuration
systemctl daemon-reload
# Enable the service to start on boot
systemctl enable sided.service
# Start the node
systemctl start sided.service
# Check the service status
systemctl status sided.service
Monitor Your Node
# View real-time logs
journalctl -u sided.service -f -o cat
# Or view recent logs
journalctl -u sided.service --since "10 minutes ago"
Step 8: Verify Your Setup
Check Node Status
# Check if the service is running properly
systemctl status sided.service
# Check node sync status
sided status 2>&1 | jq .
# Check if node is catching up
sided status 2>&1 | jq .SyncInfo.catching_up
Test Network Connectivity
# Test RPC endpoint (should return node status)
curl -s 127.0.0.1:26657/status | jq .
# Check P2P connections (should show active peers)
ss -anp | grep 26656
Understanding Your Node
Configuration Files
Your node uses these important configuration files:
$NODE_DIR/config/config.toml: Network and consensus settings$NODE_DIR/config/app.toml: Application-specific configuration$NODE_DIR/config/genesis.json: Initial network state (read-only)
Port Usage
Your node uses these ports (with prefix 2):
| Service | Port | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| RPC | 26657 | API access |
| P2P | 26656 | Peer connections |
| API | 1317 | REST API |
| Prometheus | 26660 | Monitoring |
Troubleshooting
Common Issues and Solutions
1. Service Won't Start
# Check detailed error messages
journalctl -u sided.service -n 50
# Verify configuration files
sided validate-genesis $NODE_DIR/config/genesis.json
2. Node Not Syncing
# Check sync status
sided status 2>&1 | jq .SyncInfo
# Check peer connections
sided status 2>&1 | jq .NodeInfo.num_peers
3. Port Conflicts
# Check what's using the ports
ss -tulpn | grep :26657
ss -tulpn | grep :26656
# If conflicts exist, change PORT_PREFIX in the variables section
4. Disk Space Issues
# Check available disk space
df -h $NODE_DIR
# Clean up backup files
find $NODE_DIR/config -name '*.bak' -delete
Log Analysis
# View recent logs
journalctl -u sided.service --since "1 hour ago"
# View only error messages
journalctl -u sided.service -p err
# Follow logs in real-time
journalctl -u sided.service -f
Next Steps
Once your node is running and synced:
- Monitor Performance: Check logs regularly for any issues
- Set Up Monitoring: Configure alerts for your node
- Join Community: Connect with other node operators
- Consider Validation: Learn about becoming a validator
Support Resources
If you encounter issues:
- Documentation: Side Protocol Docs
- GitHub: Side Protocol Repository
- Community: Discord Server
info
This guide is for the Side Protocol testnet. For mainnet deployment, please refer to the official mainnet documentation.
tip
Pro Tips:
- Keep your system updated regularly
- Monitor disk space usage
- Set up automated backups of your configuration
- Join the community for support and updates