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How to Deploy a Node on Theta Network: Guardian Node Setup

Vivian Nguyen

Vivian Nguyen

— 3 min read
How to Deploy a Node on Theta Network: Guardian Node Setup
How to Deploy a Node on Theta Network

If you are interested in running a node on the Theta Network, our guide is the right resource. In this guide, you will get instructions on how to set up a node on Theta Network, as well as information on the benefits of running a node.

What is a Theta Node?

The Theta Network uses a Multi-Level BFT consensus mechanism, which means that different types of nodes play different roles in securing the network.

The Theta Network has three types of nodes:

  • Enterprise Validator Nodes are run by large organizations and are responsible for proposing and producing new blocks on the network.
  • Guardian Nodes are run by community members and are responsible for sealing blocks and checking for malicious activity on the network.
  • Edge Nodes are run by anyone who wants to contribute to the network. These nodes are responsible for relaying video streams and other data.

Running a node on the Theta Network is rewarding. You can secure the network and earn rewards. You can also improve network performance by relaying video streams and data.

Run a Node on Theta Network

Theta Node Requirements

The Theta Network is a decentralized network where anyone can run a node. However, different types of nodes have different requirements for hardware and bandwidth.

Theta Guardian Node Requirements

Hardware:

  • CPU: At least 4 cores
  • RAM: 16 GB or more
  • Storage: 100 GB or more

Software:

  • Operating system: Ubuntu 16.04 or newer
  • Theta Guardian Node software

Internet connection:

  • Bandwidth: 5 Mbps or higher
  • Stability: Stable internet connection is required

Theta Validator Node Requirements

Hardware:

  • CPU: At least 8 cores
  • RAM: At least 32 GB
  • Storage: 2TB SSD

Software:

  • Operating system: Ubuntu 16.04 or newer
  • Theta Validator Node software

Internet connection:

  • Bandwidth: 200Mbps or higher
  • Stability: Stable internet connection is required

Theta Edge Node Requirements

Hardware:

  • CPU: 4 cores or more
  • RAM: 16 GB or more
  • Storage: At least 64 GB, best with 256 GB+ available disk space
  • GPU (optional): Nvidia GPUs with CUDA enabled

Software:

  • Operating system: Windows, macOS, or Ubuntu 16.04 or newer
  • Theta Edge Node software

Internet connection:

  • Bandwidth: 5 Mbps or higher
  • Stability: Stable internet connection is required

You can find more information about the requirements for running a node in the Theta Network Docs.

How to Deploy a Node on Theta Network: Guardian Node Setup on Linux

Our guide will follow instructions on setting up a Guardian Node on Theta Network. To deploy Theta Validator and Edge Node, you can check out our Theta section.

Step 1: Install the Guardian Node

Follow these steps to download the necessary files and data for the Guardian Node:

  • Open a terminal. If you're running the node on a Linux server, create a screen or tmux session for the node to continue running after you log off:

screen -S theta_mainnet

  • Create necessary directories and download binaries:

mkdir ~/theta_mainnet

cd ~/theta_mainnet

mkdir bin

mkdir -p guardian_mainnet/node

curl -k --output bin/theta `curl -k 'https://mainnet-data.thetatoken.org/binary?os=linux&name=theta'`

curl -k --output bin/thetacli `curl -k 'https://mainnet-data.thetatoken.org/binary?os=linux&name=thetacli'`

wget -O guardian_mainnet/node/snapshot `curl -k https://mainnet-data.thetatoken.org/snapshot`

curl -k --output guardian_mainnet/node/config.yaml `curl -k 'https://mainnet-data.thetatoken.org/config?is_guardian=true'`

chmod +x bin/theta

chmod +x bin/thetacli

cd bin/

Note: For macOS and Windows installations, similar steps apply. The only difference is using 'macos' or 'windows' as the os parameter when downloading binaries.

Step 2: Launch the Guardian Node

Launch the Theta Guardian Node with these commands:

  • Set the file limit: ulimit -n 4096
  • Start the Guardian Node: ./theta start --config=../guardian_mainnet/node

Note: During the first launch, you'll need to create a secure password to encrypt the signing key of the guardian node. Keep this password safe, as you'll need it for future restarts.

The node will sync with the network, which should take less than 10 minutes. You can verify synchronization by executing the following in another console:

./thetacli query status

Step 3: Stake to the Guardian Node

Once the node is synced (syncing is 'false'), proceed with staking:

  • In a separate console, get the 'fingerprint' of the node:

./thetacli query guardian

  • Stake Theta tokens from the Theta Wallet using the obtained 'fingerprint.' A minimum of 1,000 Theta tokens is required for each guardian staking transaction.

Step 4: TFUEL Earning

Your Guardian Node will start earning TFUEL rewards after staking:

Monitor your TFUEL earnings by checking your wallet address in the Mainnet block explorer.

Guardian Node TFUEL earnings are distributed every 100 blocks (approximately every 10 minutes). The rewards are probabilistic and based on staking weight.

Expectations for rewards vary based on the staking amount. Larger stakers receive rewards more frequently, while smaller stakers may see less frequent rewards. Rewards can vary in timing and size between different users, even with the same stake.

Congratulations! You've successfully installed, launched, and staked to a Guardian Node on the Theta Network. Your node is now contributing to the network's security and earning TFUEL rewards.

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