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Run a Mainnet Node

Running a Mainnet node allows you to participate directly in the live blockchain, supporting the network's operation and integrity. This guide will cover the steps needed to set up and run a mainnet node on CKB, which is ideal for those looking to be actively involved in the network's governance and day-to-day activities. We suggest a minimum of 100GB of local storage for this purpose.

Step 1: Download CKB Binary​

info

We will use ckb_v0.115.0 for this guide. Please ensure you download the latest version corresponding to your operating system.

Get the latest CKB binary from Github releases.

Step 2: Navigate to CKB Directory​

Unzip the downloaded file to an easily accessible folder, e.g., C:\ckb for Windows, ~/Documents for Mac. Open your terminal/command line and navigate to your CKB directory using the following command:

  cd /Users/(NAME)/Documents/ckb_v0.115.0-rc3_aarch64-apple-darwin-portable/ckb

Step 3: Verify versions​

  ckb --version
  ckb-cli --version

Step 4: Initialize Node​

  ckb init --chain mainnet

Step 5: Start the CKB Mainnet Node​

  ckb run

By following these steps, you've successfully started a CKB node connected to the mainnet. This node will participate in the network, contributing to its security and robustness.

Track Your Node​

Track your node using CKB Node Probe and view the global distribution of active CKB nodes.