Running a Validator

Join the Goliath Network as a Validator Node Operator

⚠️ Preview Testnet Phase: Validator onboarding is currently limited during the preview testnet phase. Open validator registration will be enabled once the testnet phase is concluded. This page provides information for future validator operations.

🌟 Overview

Validators are the backbone of the Goliath Network, responsible for:

Consensus Participation: Validating transactions and achieving network agreement
Network Security: Maintaining the integrity of the distributed ledger
State Management: Storing and updating the network state
Event Generation: Producing event streams for network activity

🚀 Validator Roadmap

Current Phase: Preview Testnet (Q4 2025)

Status: DAO-operated nodes only
Purpose: Network stability testing
Access: Limited to Onyx DAO validators
Staking: Proxy staking available to DAO nodes

Phase 2: Open Testnet (Q1 2026)

Permissioned Validators: Selected operators invited
Performance Testing: Stress testing and optimization
Incentivized Testnet: Rewards for participation
Documentation: Complete validator guides released

Phase 3: Mainnet Beta (Q1 2026)

Open Registration: Public validator onboarding
Stake Requirements: Minimum stake implementation
Reward Distribution: Full staking rewards activated
Monitoring Tools: Advanced analytics dashboard

Phase 4: Full Decentralization (Q3 2026)

Permissionless: Anyone can run a validator
Governance Integration: Validator voting rights
Slashing Conditions: Full security measures
Professional Services: Enterprise validator support

💻 System Requirements

Minimum Hardware Specifications

Component

Testnet

Mainnet

CPU

8 cores @ 2.8GHz

16 cores @ 3.0GHz

RAM

32 GB

64 GB

Storage

500 GB NVMe SSD

2 TB NVMe SSD

Network

100 Mbps

1 Gbps

Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

Recommended Specifications

Component

Specification

CPU

32 cores @ 3.5GHz+

RAM

128 GB DDR4/DDR5

Storage

4 TB NVMe RAID 1

Network

10 Gbps dedicated

Backup

Redundant power/network

🛠️ Installation Guide (Future Release)

Prerequisites

# Update system
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

# Install dependencies
sudo apt install -y build-essential git curl wget

# Install Docker
curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

# Install Docker Compose
sudo curl -L "https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/latest/download/docker-compose-$(uname -s)-$(uname -m)" -o /usr/local/bin/docker-compose
sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/docker-compose

Node Setup (Coming Soon)

# Clone validator repository (future)
git clone https://github.com/goliath-network/validator-node
cd validator-node

# Configuration
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your settings

# Generate node keys
./scripts/generate-keys.sh

# Start node
docker-compose up -d

# Check status
docker-compose logs -f validator

💰 Economic Model

Staking Requirements

Parameter

Value

Minimum Stake

1,000,000 XCN

Recommended Stake

5,000,000 XCN

Maximum Stake

No limit

Unbonding Period

Instant (liquid)

Reward Structure

Expected Returns

Stake Amount

Daily Rewards

Annual APY

1M XCN

~150 XCN

~5.5%

5M XCN

~800 XCN

~5.8%

10M XCN

~1,650 XCN

~6.0%

50M XCN

~8,500 XCN

~6.2%

Note: Rewards vary based on network activity and total stake

🔐 Security Best Practices

Key Management

Hardware Security Module (HSM): Use for production keys
Key Rotation: Regular rotation schedule
Backup Strategy: Secure, encrypted backups
Access Control: Multi-signature for critical operations

Operational Security

# Firewall configuration
sudo ufw allow 50211/tcp  # Gossip port
sudo ufw allow 50212/tcp  # Consensus port
sudo ufw allow 8080/tcp   # REST API (optional)
sudo ufw enable

# Security updates
sudo unattended-upgrades -v

# Monitoring
sudo apt install prometheus node-exporter

DDoS Protection

Rate Limiting: Configure connection limits
Cloudflare: Use for API endpoints
Fail2ban: Automated blocking of attackers
Network Segregation: Separate management network

📊 Monitoring & Maintenance

Health Metrics

Metric

Threshold

Alert Level

CPU Usage

> 80%

Warning

Memory Usage

> 90%

Critical

Disk Space

< 100GB

Critical

Peer Count

< 3

Warning

Consensus Participation

< 90%

Critical

Monitoring Stack

# docker-compose.monitoring.yml
version: '3.8'
services:
  prometheus:
    image: prom/prometheus:latest
    volumes:
      - ./prometheus.yml:/etc/prometheus/prometheus.yml
    ports:
      - "9090:9090"
  
  grafana:
    image: grafana/grafana:latest
    ports:
      - "3000:3000"
    environment:
      - GF_SECURITY_ADMIN_PASSWORD=secure_password
  
  alertmanager:
    image: prom/alertmanager:latest
    ports:
      - "9093:9093"

🎯 Proxy Staking

For XCN Holders

If you don't want to run a validator, you can still earn rewards:

Choose a Validator: Research operator performance
Delegate Stake: Assign your XCN to the validator
Earn Rewards: Receive proportional rewards
Maintain Control: XCN remains in your wallet

Delegation Process

// Web3 delegation example
const delegate = async (validatorAddress, amount) => {
  const tx = await stakingContract.delegate(
    validatorAddress,
    web3.utils.toWei(amount, 'ether')
  );
  await tx.wait();
  console.log('Delegation successful:', tx.hash);
};

🌐 Network Participation

Validator Responsibilities

Uptime: Maintain 99%+ availability
Updates: Apply network upgrades promptly
Security: Protect node and keys
Community: Participate in governance

Performance Requirements

Metric

Requirement

Uptime

> 99%

Consensus Participation

> 90%

Response Time

< 100ms

Peer Connections

> 10

🛡️ Slashing Conditions (Future)

Validators may face penalties for:

Double Signing: Signing conflicting blocks
Downtime: Extended offline periods
Censorship: Selective transaction processing
Malicious Behavior: Attack attempts

Penalty Structure

Violation

Penalty

Downtime (1 hour)

0.1% stake

Downtime (24 hours)

1% stake

Double Signing

5% stake

Malicious Activity

100% stake

🆘 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Node won't sync:

# Check peer connections
docker exec validator goliath-cli peers list

# Reset database if corrupted
docker-compose down
rm -rf ./data/blockchain
docker-compose up -d

Low peer count:

# Add bootstrap nodes
echo "BOOTSTRAP_NODES=node1.goliath.net,node2.goliath.net" >> .env
docker-compose restart

High resource usage:

# Adjust cache settings
echo "CACHE_SIZE=2GB" >> .env
echo "CONNECTION_LIMIT=50" >> .env
docker-compose restart

📚 Resources

Documentation

Network Architecture: Understanding the system
Consensus Algorithm: How consensus works
Staking Guide: Detailed staking information
Security Best Practices: Security guidelines

Tools & Utilities

Validator Dashboard: Monitor your node performance
Staking Calculator: Estimate your rewards
Network Explorer: View network statistics
Alerting Service: Get notified of issues

🤝 Support Channels

Community Support

Telegram: Validator operators group
GitHub: Technical discussions
Community Forum: Governance and proposals

Professional Support

Enterprise Plan: 24/7 dedicated support
Consultation: Architecture review
Managed Services: Full node management

🎆 Future Enhancements

Planned Features

Auto-scaling: Dynamic resource allocation
Multi-region: Geographic distribution
Hardware Wallet: Native HSM integration
Automated Updates: Zero-downtime upgrades
Performance Analytics: Advanced metrics dashboard

Timeline

Q1 2026: Beta validator program
Q2 2026: Open validator registration
Q3 2026: Full decentralization
Q4 2026: Enterprise features

Becoming a Goliath validator means joining a community dedicated to building the future of distributed ledger technology. While validator onboarding is currently limited during the preview testnet phase, we encourage interested operators to prepare for the upcoming open registration phase.

Stay Updated: Join our Telegram and follow our announcements for validator program updates.

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Last updated 2 months ago