Run a node

A CreditChain node is two processes: creditchain (execution) and creditbeacon (consensus), joined by an authenticated Engine API connection.

Release status

The built-in argos-testnet network ships in creditchain v2.5.0-argos-testnet and creditbeacon v2.5.0-argos-testnet. Joining also needs a public checkpoint endpoint, which is not yet published. These steps have been run end to end against Argos from outside the network’s own sites.

v2.5.0 is a security release: the consensus client is based on Lighthouse v8.2.3 (v8.2.0–v8.2.2 are high-priority security releases) and both clients carry patched dependencies. Every Argos node runs it. If you run v2.4.0, upgrade; if you start the beacon node with your own --testnet-dir, its config.yaml must say SECONDS_PER_SLOT: 12 — v2.5.0 refuses a value that disagrees with SLOT_DURATION_MS: 12000.

0. Build the clients

Both releases are source releases. creditchain needs Rust 1.95 or newer and creditbeacon 1.90 or newer; see each repository’s README for other build prerequisites.

git clone --branch v2.5.0-argos-testnet https://github.com/creditchainorg/creditchain
(cd creditchain && cargo build --release --bin creditchaind)

git clone --branch v2.5.0-argos-testnet https://github.com/creditchainorg/creditbeacon
(cd creditbeacon && cargo build --release --bin creditbeacon)

The binaries are creditchain/target/release/creditchaind and creditbeacon/target/release/creditbeacon.

1. A shared secret for the Engine API

mkdir -p ~/creditchain && openssl rand -hex 32 > ~/creditchain/jwt.hex

2. Execution client

creditchaind node --chain argos-testnet \
  --datadir ~/creditchain/el \
  --authrpc.jwtsecret ~/creditchain/jwt.hex \
  --http --http.api eth,net,web3

No genesis file and no peer list: the chain and its bootstrap peers are built into the client.

3. Beacon node

creditbeacon bn --network argos-testnet \
  --datadir ~/creditchain/cl \
  --execution-endpoint http://127.0.0.1:8551 \
  --execution-jwt ~/creditchain/jwt.hex \
  --checkpoint-sync-url <checkpoint endpoint>

A checkpoint-sync URL is required. A beacon node that starts from genesis cannot join Argos today: the network uses PeerDAS, and no reachable peer currently holds data for the first epochs, so syncing from slot 0 waits indefinitely. Starting from a recent finalized checkpoint avoids this — a new node reaches the head in seconds and the execution client then syncs behind it.

A public Argos checkpoint endpoint is being set up; its address will be published on this page.

4. Check it is on the right chain

curl -s http://127.0.0.1:8545 -H 'content-type: application/json' \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"eth_getBlockByNumber","params":["0x0",false]}'

The hash must be 0xcbb0f12e…42c9 (see Argos testnet).

Ports

Port	Protocol	Purpose	Expose publicly?
30303	TCP + UDP	execution peer-to-peer	yes, if you want inbound peers
9000	TCP + UDP	beacon peer-to-peer and discovery	yes, if you want inbound peers
9001	UDP	beacon QUIC transport (--port + 1 by default)	yes, if you want inbound peers
8551	TCP	Engine API	never
8545	TCP	JSON-RPC	only behind your own access control

Discovery uses UDP. If you forward a port, forward both TCP and UDP.