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Running an Optimism Node with Sedge

What is Optimism?​

Optimism is a Layer 2 scaling solution for Ethereum that uses optimistic rollups to achieve faster and cheaper transactions while maintaining Ethereum's security. Running an Optimism node allows you to interact with the Optimism network directly, validate transactions, and contribute to the network's decentralization.

Sedge supports setting up and running Optimism nodes, making it easier for users to participate in the Optimism ecosystem. This guide will walk you through the process of setting up an Optimism node using Sedge.

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Running an Optimism node requires significant computational resources and a stable internet connection. Make sure your system meets the minimum requirements before proceeding.

Workflow breakdown​

Setting up an Optimism node with Sedge involves several steps:

  1. Generate Node Configuration: Use Sedge to generate the necessary configuration files for your Optimism node.
  2. Run the Node: Start your Optimism node using the generated configuration.
  3. Monitor and Maintain: Keep your node running smoothly and up to date.

Let's dive into each step in detail.

Using Sedge for Optimism​

Generating Node Configuration​

To generate the configuration for your Optimism node, use the following command:

sedge generate op-full-node --network mainnet
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Supported Execution Clients:

  • op-nethermind
  • op-geth
  • op-reth

You can set the execution client using the --op-execution flag. If you don't specify an execution client, Sedge will chose one randomly.

Alternatively, you can set the docker image for the execution client using the --op-execution '<CLIENT>:<DOCKER_IMAGE>' syntax.

This command will create a new directory with all the necessary configuration files for running an Optimism node on the mainnet. If you want to run a node on the testnet (Sepolia), use --network sepolia instead.

At this time, we are using Nethermind as the execution Optimism node, in the future we will add support for op-geth.

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When you use sedge generate op-full-node, Sedge will generate a docker-compose.yml script and a .env file with the necessary configuration for your Optimism node.

That config will include the execution client, the consensus client, and the execution and consensus Optimism client.

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Setting --execution-api-url flag, will only generate execution and consensus Optimism nodes, and the stack will point to that execution node.

This is useful if you already have an endpoint for the execution node. It will save synchronization time.

For example you can set: sedge generate op-full-node --execution-api-url http://execution:port -n sepolia --op-execution op-nethermind --consensus-url http://consensus:port

Running the Node​

Once the configuration is generated, you can start your Optimism node using:

sedge run

This command will start all the necessary components of your Optimism node, including the execution client and the optimism client.

note

The first time you run your node, it will need to sync with the network, which can take several hours or even days depending on your hardware and network connection.

Monitoring and Maintenance​

After your Optimism node is up and running, you should monitor its performance and ensure it stays in sync with the network. Regularly check for updates to the Optimism client and other components to keep your node secure and up to date.

By following these steps, you can set up and run an Optimism node using Sedge, contributing to the growth and decentralization of the Optimism network.

Base Support​

Sedge also support Base, an Ethereum Layer 2 (L2) chain that offers a safe, low-cost, developer-friendly way to build on-chain. Base is an L2 built on OP Stack in collaboration with Optimism.

The only difference between setting up an Optimism node and a Base node is the --base flag. To generate a Base node configuration, use the following command:

sedge generate op-full-node --base