Celestia Mainet

Guide to setting up Validator Node, Bridge Node, and Light Node on Celestia

Install dependencies

Update system and install build tools

sudo apt -q update
sudo apt -qy install curl git jq lz4 build-essential
sudo apt -qy upgrade

Install Go

sudo rm -rf /usr/local/go
curl -Ls https://go.dev/dl/go1.23.5.linux-amd64.tar.gz | sudo tar -xzf - -C /usr/local
eval $(echo 'export PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/go/bin' | sudo tee /etc/profile.d/golang.sh)
eval $(echo 'export PATH=$PATH:$HOME/go/bin' | tee -a $HOME/.profile)

Download and build binaries

# Clone project repository
cd $HOME
rm -rf celestia-app
git clone https://github.com/celestiaorg/celestia-app.git
cd celestia-app
git checkout v3.3.1

# Build binaries
make build

# Prepare binaries for Cosmovisor
mkdir -p $HOME/.celestia-app/cosmovisor/genesis/bin
mv build/celestia-appd $HOME/.celestia-app/cosmovisor/genesis/bin/
rm -rf build

# Create application symlinks
ln -s $HOME/.celestia-app/cosmovisor/genesis $HOME/.celestia-app/cosmovisor/current -f
sudo ln -s $HOME/.celestia-app/cosmovisor/current/bin/celestia-appd /usr/local/bin/celestia-appd -f

Create service
sudo tee /etc/systemd/system/celestia.service > /dev/null << EOF
[Unit]
Description=celestia node service
After=network-online.target

[Service]
User=$USER
ExecStart=$(which cosmovisor) run start
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=10
LimitNOFILE=65535
Environment="DAEMON_HOME=$HOME/.celestia-app"
Environment="DAEMON_NAME=celestia-appd"
Environment="UNSAFE_SKIP_BACKUP=true"
Environment="PATH=/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/games:/usr/local/games:/snap/bin:$HOME/.celestia-app/cosmovisor/current/bin"

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
EOF
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable celestia.service

Initialize the node

# Set node configuration
celestia-appd config chain-id celestia
celestia-appd config keyring-backend file

# Initialize the node
celestia-appd init $MONIKER --chain-id celestia

# Add seeds
sed -i -e "s|^seeds *=.*|seeds = \"[e-mail]:12059\"|" $HOME/.celestia-app/config/config.toml

# Set commit timeout
sed -i -e "s|^target_height_duration *=.*|timeout_commit = \"11s\"|" $HOME/.celestia-app/config/config.toml

# Set minimum gas price
sed -i -e "s|^minimum-gas-prices *=.*|minimum-gas-prices = \"0.002utia\"|" $HOME/.celestia-app/config/app.toml

# Set pruning
sed -i \
  -e 's|^pruning *=.*|pruning = "nothing"|' \
  $HOME/.celestia-app/config/app.toml

# Set custom ports
sed -i -e "s%^proxy_app = \"tcp://127.0.0.1:26658\"%proxy_app = \"tcp://127.0.0.1:12058\"%; s%^laddr = \"tcp://127.0.0.1:26657\"%laddr = \"tcp://127.0.0.1:12057\"%; s%^pprof_laddr = \"localhost:6060\"%pprof_laddr = \"localhost:12060\"%; s%^laddr = \"tcp://0.0.0.0:26656\"%laddr = \"tcp://0.0.0.0:12056\"%; s%^prometheus_listen_addr = \":26660\"%prometheus_listen_addr = \":12066\"%" $HOME/.celestia-app/config/config.toml
sed -i -e "s%^address = \"tcp://0.0.0.0:1317\"%address = \"tcp://0.0.0.0:12017\"%; s%^address = \":8080\"%address = \":12080\"%; s%^address = \"0.0.0.0:9090\"%address = \"0.0.0.0:12090\"%; s%^address = \"0.0.0.0:9091\"%address = \"0.0.0.0:12091\"%; s%:8545%:12045%; s%:8546%:12046%; s%:6065%:12065%" $HOME/.celestia-app/config/app.toml

# Set configuration for v3
sed -i -e "s|^recv_rate *=.*|recv_rate = 10485760|" -e "s|^send_rate *=.*|send_rate = 10485760|" -e "s|^ttl-num-blocks *=.*|ttl-num-blocks = 12|" $HOME/.celestia-app/config/config.toml

# Enable bbr
sudo modprobe tcp_bbr
echo "net.core.default_qdisc=fq" | sudo tee -a /etc/sysctl.conf
echo "net.ipv4.tcp_congestion_control=bbr" | sudo tee -a /etc/sysctl.conf
sudo sysctl -p

sudo systemctl start celestia.service && sudo journalctl -u celestia.service -f --no-hostname -o cat

Set up validator

Official documentation: https://docs.celestia.org/nodes/validator-node

1. Create a wallet

First of all we will need to create wallet for our validator. You have two options for that.

Option 1 - Create new wallet

celestia-appd keys add wallet

Option 2 - Recover existing wallet

celestia-appd keys add wallet --recover

Save the mnemonic output as this is the only way to recover your validator wallet in case you lose it!

To list your wallets use command below

celestia-appd keys list

2. Top up wallet with tokens

You can buy tokens at app.osmosis.zone

To check wallet balance use command below

celestia-appd q bank balances $(celestia-appd keys show wallet -a)

3. Create validator

Please make sure you have adjusted moniker, identity, details, website to match your values.

celestia-appd tx staking create-validator \
--amount 1000000utia \
--pubkey $(celestia-appd tendermint show-validator) \
--moniker "YOUR_MONIKER_NAME" \
--identity "YOUR_KEYBASE_ID" \
--details "YOUR_DETAILS" \
--website "YOUR_WEBSITE_URL" \
--chain-id celestia \
--commission-rate 0.05 \
--commission-max-rate 0.20 \
--commission-max-change-rate 0.05 \
--min-self-delegation 1 \
--from wallet \
--gas-adjustment 1.4 \
--gas auto \
--gas-prices 0.005utia \
-y

Save the ~/.celestia-app/config/priv_validator_key.json file as this is the only way to recover your validator signing key in case you lose it!

Install Bridge Node

Official documentation: https://docs.celestia.org/nodes/bridge-node

Download and build binaries

cd $HOME 
rm -rf celestia-node 
git clone https://github.com/celestiaorg/celestia-node.git 
cd celestia-node
git checkout v0.21.5
make build
sudo mv build/celestia /usr/local/bin
make cel-key
sudo mv cel-key /usr/local/bin

Add Bridge wallet

Generate new wallet

cel-key add bridge-wallet --node.type bridge --p2p.network celestia

Recover existing wallet

cel-key add bridge-wallet --node.type bridge --p2p.network celestia --recover

Fund the wallet with testnet tokens

Once you start the Bridge Node, a wallet key will be generated for you. You will need to fund that address with Testnet tokens to pay for PayForBlob transactions

Initialize Bridge node

celestia bridge init \
  --keyring.keyname bridge-wallet \
  --core.ip http://localhost \
  --core.port 12090 \
  --p2p.network celestia \
  --rpc.port 12058 \
  --gateway.port 12059

Create service

sudo tee /etc/systemd/system/celestia-bridge.service > /dev/null << EOF
[Unit]
Description=Celestia Bridge Node service
After=network-online.target

[Service]
User=$USER
ExecStart=$(which celestia) bridge start \\
--keyring.keyname bridge-wallet \\
--core.ip http://localhost \\
--core.port 12090 \\
--p2p.network celestia \\
--rpc.port 12058 \\
--gateway.port 12059 \\
--metrics.tls=true \\
--metrics \\
--metrics.endpoint otel.celestia.observer \\
--archival
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=10
LimitNOFILE=65535
Environment=GODEBUG="asynctimerchan=1"

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
EOF
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable celestia-bridge.service

Start Bridge node

systemctl restart celestia-bridge.service

Check Bridge node logs

journalctl -fu celestia-bridge.service -o cat

Useful commands

Get Bridge Node ID

AUTH_TOKEN=$(celestia bridge auth admin --p2p.network celestia)
curl -s -X POST -H "Authorization: Bearer $AUTH_TOKEN" -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":0,"method":"p2p.Info","params":[]}' http://localhost:12058 | jq -r .result.ID

Get Bridge node key

cel-key show bridge-wallet --node.type bridge --p2p.network celestia -a | tail -1

Check Bridge node wallet balance

celestia-appd q bank balances $(cel-key show bridge-wallet --node.type bridge --p2p.network celestia -a | tail -1)

Upgrade Bridge Node

Stop Bridge node

sudo systemctl stop celestia-bridge.service

Download and build binaries

cd $HOME 
rm -rf celestia-node 
git clone https://github.com/celestiaorg/celestia-node.git 
cd celestia-node
git checkout v0.21.5
make build
sudo mv build/celestia /usr/local/bin
make cel-key
sudo mv cel-key /usr/local/bin

Check Bridge node version

celestia version

Node upgrade

To upgrade Celestia Bridge node you have two options

Option 1 - Soft upgrade

This option will only update attributes of configuration files without deleting any data.

Update configuration file

celestia bridge config-update --p2p.network celestia

Option 2 - Hard upgrade

This option will clear data store and re-initialize the node. Keys will not be deleted.

Clear data store and remove configuration file

celestia bridge unsafe-reset-store --p2p.network celestia
rm -rf $HOME/.celestia-bridge-celestia/config.toml

Initialize Bridge node

celestia bridge init \
  --keyring.keyname bridge-wallet \
  --core.ip localhost \
  --core.port 12090 \
  --p2p.network celestia \
  --rpc.port 12058 \
  --gateway.port 12059

Start Bridge node

sudo systemctl start celestia-bridge.service

Check Bridge node logs

journalctl -fu celestia-bridge.service -o cat