Validator Node

Running a Validator node for the 0G-Galileo-Testnet means providing validator services for the network, processing transactions and maintaining consensus.

What You'll Need

Linux/macOS system with adequate hardware
Stable internet connection

Hardware Requirements

Component	Mainnet	Testnet
Memory	64 GB	64 GB
CPU	8 cores	8 cores
Disk	1 TB NVME SSD	4 TB NVME SSD
Bandwidth	100 MBps for Download / Upload	100 MBps for Download / Upload

Restaking RPC Configuration

Validator Nodes: When running your consensus client, add the following flags to enable restaking and configure the Symbiotic RPC:

--chaincfg.restaking.enabled \
--chaincfg.restaking.symbiotic-rpc-dial-url ${ETH_RPC_URL} \
--chaincfg.restaking.symbiotic-get-logs-block-range ${BLOCK_NUM}

ETH_RPC_URL: The RPC endpoint for the Symbiotic network. On testnet, use an Ethereum HoleSky RPC endpoint.
BLOCK_NUM: The maximum block number range per call when syncing restaking events. Default is 1. Adjust based on your RPC provider limits.
Non-Validator Nodes: No restaking-related configuration is required; you can keep your current startup parameters unchanged.

This enables staking in Symbiotic contracts on Ethereum (testnet: HoleSky) to participate in 0G Chain consensus. Validators must be able to read the Ethereum contract state to generate and verify new blocks post-hardfork. You can run your own HoleSky node (see Ethereum docs) or use a third-party RPC provider such as QuickNode or Infura for ${ETH_RPC_URL}.

Non-Validator Nodes

Restaking configuration is NOT required for non-validator nodes. Do not add the --chaincfg.restaking.* flags when running non-validator nodes.

Setup Guide

1. Download Package

Download the latest package for node binaries:

wget -O galileo.tar.gz https://github.com/0glabs/0gchain-NG/releases/download/v2.0.2/galileo-v2.0.2.tar.gz

2. Extract Package

Extract the package to your home directory:

tar -xzvf galileo.tar.gz -C ~

3. Copy Files and Set Permissions

Copy the configuration files and set proper permissions:

cd galileo-v2.0.2
cp -r 0g-home {your data path}
sudo chmod 777 ./bin/geth
sudo chmod 777 ./bin/0gchaind

4. Initialize Geth

Initialize the Geth client with the genesis file:

./bin/geth init --datadir /{your data path}/0g-home/geth-home ./genesis.json

5. Initialize 0gchaind

Create a temporary directory for initial configuration:

./bin/0gchaind init {node name} --home /{your data path}/tmp

6. Copy Node Files

Move the generated keys to the proper location:

cp /{your data path}/tmp/data/priv_validator_state.json /{your data path}/0g-home/0gchaind-home/data/
cp /{your data path}/tmp/config/node_key.json /{your data path}/0g-home/0gchaind-home/config/
cp /{your data path}/tmp/config/priv_validator_key.json /{your data path}/0g-home/0gchaind-home/config/

Note: The temporary directory can be deleted after this step.

7. Start 0gchaind

Note: The command below includes restaking flags and is intended for validator nodes only. Non-validator nodes can omit the --chaincfg.restaking.* flags.

cd ~/galileo-v2.0.2
nohup ./bin/0gchaind start \
    --rpc.laddr tcp://0.0.0.0:26657 \
    --chaincfg.chain-spec devnet \
    --chaincfg.restaking.enabled \
    --chaincfg.restaking.symbiotic-rpc-dial-url ${ETH_RPC_URL} \
    --chaincfg.restaking.symbiotic-get-logs-block-range ${BLOCK_NUM} \
    --chaincfg.kzg.trusted-setup-path=kzg-trusted-setup.json \
    --chaincfg.engine.jwt-secret-path=jwt-secret.hex \
    --chaincfg.kzg.implementation=crate-crypto/go-kzg-4844 \
    --chaincfg.block-store-service.enabled \
    --chaincfg.node-api.enabled \
    --chaincfg.node-api.logging \
    --chaincfg.node-api.address 0.0.0.0:3500 \
    --pruning=nothing \
    --home /{your data path}/0g-home/0gchaind-home \
    --p2p.seeds 85a9b9a1b7fa0969704db2bc37f7c100855a75d9@8.218.88.60:26656 \
    --p2p.external_address {your node ip}:26656 > /{your data path}/0g-home/log/0gchaind.log 2>&1 &

8. Start Geth

cd ~/galileo-v2.0.2
nohup ./bin/geth --config geth-config.toml \
     --nat extip:{your node ip} \
     --bootnodes enode://de7b86d8ac452b1413983049c20eafa2ea0851a3219c2cc12649b971c1677bd83fe24c5331e078471e52a94d95e8cde84cb9d866574fec957124e57ac6056699@8.218.88.60:30303 \
     --datadir /{your data path}/0g-home/geth-home \
     --networkid 16601 > /{your data path}/0g-home/log/geth.log 2>&1 &

9. Verify Setup

Check the logs to confirm your node is running properly:

# Check Geth logs
tail -f /{your data path}/0g-home/log/geth.log

# Check 0gchaind logs
tail -f /{your data path}/0g-home/log/0gchaind.log

Check logs to confirm your node is running properly.

Success Indicators

0gchaind should show "Committed state" messages
No error messages in either log

Backup & Recovery

These files are essential for validator recovery and must be backed up securely:

# Essential validator keys
/{your data path}/0g-home/0gchaind-home/config/

Recovery Process

To restore your validator from backup:

Stop running services:
```
pkill 0gchaind
pkill geth
```

Restore key files:

cp ~/validator-backup/node_key.json /{your data path}/0g-home/0gchaind-home/config/
cp ~/validator-backup/priv_validator_key.json /{your data path}/0g-home/0gchaind-home/config/

Restart services following steps 7-8 from the setup guide.

Important Notes

Never share or expose your priv_validator_key.json file
Store backups in multiple secure locations
Test recovery process in a non-production environment first
Default configuration users only need the two key files mentioned above

Upgrade Validator

Step 1: Extract New Release

# Download & Extract the new release package
wget -O galileo.tar.gz https://github.com/0glabs/0gchain-NG/releases/download/v2.0.2/galileo-v2.0.2.tar.gz

tar -xzvf galileo.tar.gz -C ~

# Verify extraction
ls -la galileo-v2.0.2/

Step 2: Stop Services

# Stop consensus layer (0gchaind)
pkill 0gchaind

# Stop execution layer (geth)
pkill geth

Step 3: Backup Your Data

# Create backup directory with timestamp
BACKUP_DIR="backup-$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)"
mkdir -p $BACKUP_DIR

# Backup execution layer data(geth-home)
cp -r {your_geth_datadir} $BACKUP_DIR/geth-backup

# Backup consensus layer data (0gchaind-home)
cp -r {your_0gchaind_home} $BACKUP_DIR/0gchaind-backup

Step 4: Start Node

If you get error while starting node due to missing priv_validator_state.json, create an empty priv_validator_state.json file in that directory with {}.

Note: The command below includes restaking flags and is intended for validator nodes only. Non-validator nodes can omit the --chaincfg.restaking.* flags.

# Make sure you're in new release directory

# Start 0gchaind first
nohup ./bin/0gchaind start \
    --rpc.laddr tcp://0.0.0.0:26657 \
    --chaincfg.chain-spec devnet \
    --chaincfg.restaking.enabled \
    --chaincfg.restaking.symbiotic-rpc-dial-url ${ETH_RPC_URL} \
    --chaincfg.restaking.symbiotic-get-logs-block-range ${BLOCK_NUM} \
    --chaincfg.kzg.trusted-setup-path=kzg-trusted-setup.json \
    --chaincfg.engine.jwt-secret-path=jwt-secret.hex \
    --chaincfg.kzg.implementation=crate-crypto/go-kzg-4844 \
    --chaincfg.block-store-service.enabled \
    --chaincfg.node-api.enabled \
    --chaincfg.node-api.logging \
    --chaincfg.node-api.address 0.0.0.0:3500 \
    --pruning=nothing \
    --home {your_cl_home} \
    --p2p.seeds 85a9b9a1b7fa0969704db2bc37f7c100855a75d9@8.218.88.60:26656 \
    --p2p.external_address {your_node_ip}:26656 > {your_log_path}/0gchaind.log 2>&1 &

# Start geth
nohup ./bin/geth --config geth-config.toml \
     --nat extip:{your_node_ip} \
     --bootnodes enode://de7b86d8ac452b1413983049c20eafa2ea0851a3219c2cc12649b971c1677bd83fe24c5331e078471e52a94d95e8cde84cb9d866574fec957124e57ac6056699@8.218.88.60:30303 \
     --datadir {your_geth_datadir} \
     --networkid 16601 > {your_log_path}/geth.log 2>&1 &

Step 5: Verify Upgrade Success

# Monitor consensus layer logs
tail -f {your_log_path}/0gchaind.log

# Monitor execution layer logs
tail -f {your_log_path}/geth.log

Next Steps

Staking Integration

Once your validator node is running, you can interact with the staking system programmatically using smart contracts:

Staking Interfaces Guide - Complete documentation for integrating with 0G Chain staking smart contracts

Hardware Requirements​

Restaking RPC Configuration​

Setup Guide​

1. Download Package​

2. Extract Package​

3. Copy Files and Set Permissions​

4. Initialize Geth​

5. Initialize 0gchaind​

6. Copy Node Files​

7. Start 0gchaind​

8. Start Geth​

9. Verify Setup​

Recovery Process​

Step 1: Extract New Release​

Step 2: Stop Services​

Step 3: Backup Your Data​

Step 4: Start Node​

Step 5: Verify Upgrade Success​

Next Steps​

Staking Integration​