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Getting Started - Docker

Prerequisites​

Before you begin running your zkVerify node, ensure that you have the following installed on your machine:

  • Docker,
  • Docker Compose (v2),
  • jq tool,
  • gnu-sed tool (macOS only).

In order to check Docker and Docker Compose availability, open a terminal and type:

docker --version

then type:

docker compose version

If any of the commands result in an error, you can follow the instructions from the official Docker guide and Docker Compose guide.

note

From here throughout the rest of the guide, a very basic understanding of Docker concepts and features is assumed. If you're unfamiliar, proceed anyway and seek additional information online as needed.

To check your machine for jq tool availability, open a terminal and type:

jq --version

If the command results in an error, you can install jq with:

  • Linux: command sudo apt install jq,
  • macOS: command brew install jq,
  • Windows: download it from the official GitHub release page, rename the executable as jq.exe and save it in a directory that's part of your system's PATH (e.g. C:\Windows\System32 or C:\Windows).

To check your machine for gnu-sed tool availability (macOS only), open a terminal and type:

gsed --version

If the command results in an error, you can install gnu-sed with:

brew install gsed

Finally, clone the repository compose-zkverify-simplified with the command:

git clone --branch 0.3.0 https://github.com/HorizenLabs/compose-zkverify-simplified.git

Or directly download the archive and unzip it.

Recommendation: use the latest tag

It is recommended that you use the latest tag in order to run the latest and most updated software. Check the releases page to find the latest tag and if needed update it accordingly via the command or link provided above (here tag 0.3.0 is used).

This repository contains several resources to help you in the preparation of the environment for running your node.

Basic Items​

Inside the repository compose-zkverify-simplified you can find the main tool you'll use for preparing your environment, the script scripts/init.sh. It acts as a step-by-step guide, collecting from you all the requirements and taking care of preparing all the files needed.

For Windows users

A couple of additional checks when running scripts/init.sh are required:

  • Make sure Docker engine is running (e.g. verifying it from Docker Desktop),
  • Make sure you can run .sh scripts on your machine
    • The suggested option is to install Git
    • Then you can just double click on init.sh or use Git Bash tool.

Following is a brief overview of the basic items required to actually run the node:

  • The Docker image horizenlabs/zkverify:
    • This is the zkVerify software packaged up in a Docker image. It allows you to run the node consistently on every platform (Linux, Windows, macOS, ...).
    • The recommended tag is latest, otherwise you can choose another one from DockerHub.
    • Unless already available on your machine, it will be automatically downloaded from DockerHub by Docker Compose file (see below).
    • You can also choose to build this image using the Docker file hl-node.Dockerfile.
  • Docker Compose file:
    • A common Docker template used to launch the node.
    • This is automatically generated by init.sh.
  • .env file:
    • This is the configuration file for your node.
    • It is automatically generated by init.sh.
  • Secret files:
    • secret_phrase.dat file: contains a secret phrase composed of 12 random words selected among a specific dictionary. It is used for generating private and public keys required for authoring and finalizing blocks (needed only for validator nodes).
    • node_key.dat file: contains a random 256-bits number. It is the private key required for signing peer-to-peer (p2p) messages and uniquely identifying the node within the network (peer-id).
    • These are automatically generated by init.sh.