How to set up a validator node 🌐

Pre-requisites

First of all, you need to have:

• installed ↗️ fetchd.
• Configured and connected ↗️ your validator to the desired network.

Also, it would be beneficial if you also explore the CLI documentation ↗️ to understand how to correctly interact with the Fetch Ledger.

Creating a validator

If you wish to create a validator, you will need to send a transaction to the network to stake your FET tokens. This process registers you as a validator, and if you are one of the chosen validators, you will start to produce blocks. If you want to create a validator using fetchd Command Line Interface (CLI) ↗️ you will need to send a create-validator transaction to the network as shown below:

fetchd tx staking create-validator \
  --amount=<the amount to bond> \
  --pubkey=$(fetchd tendermint show-validator) \
  --moniker="choose a moniker" \
  --chain-id=<chain_id> \
  --commission-rate="0.10" \
  --commission-max-rate="0.20" \
  --commission-max-change-rate="0.01" \
  --min-self-delegation="<the min self delegation>" \
  --gas auto --gas-adjustment 1.5 --gas-prices "<network gas prices>" \
  --from=<key_name>

Dorado example

You should verify that you have some tokens available before trying to create a validator. The easiest way to do this is via the CLI ↗️. Below, you can find an example of a typical CLI command that registers the node as running the validator:

fetchd tx staking create-validator \
  --amount=1000000000000000000atestfet \
  --pubkey=$(fetchd tendermint show-validator) \
  --moniker="my-test-validator" \
  --chain-id=dorado-1 \
  --commission-rate="0.10" \
  --commission-max-rate="0.20" \
  --commission-max-change-rate="0.01" \
  --min-self-delegation="1000000000000000000" \
  --gas auto --gas-adjustment 1.5 --gas-prices 1000000000atestfet \
  --from=test-key

Edit a validator configuration

It is possible that validators will need to adjust various settings about their nodes over the time. This can be simple things, such as the associated website for a validator, or more consequential actions, like altering the commission rate. In either case, should a validator choose to make this update they would send an edit-validator transaction to the network.

These transactions can be created in a similar way to the create-validator transaction depicted above:

fetchd tx staking edit-validator
  --moniker="choose a moniker" \
  --website="https://fetch.ai" \
  --details="To infinity and beyond!" \
  --chain-id=<chain_id> \
  --commission-rate="0.10" \
  --from=<key_name>

Unbonding a validator

Whenever and if a validator wants to stop being a validator for any reason, they can unbond some or all of their staked tokens. Unbonding refers to the process of withdrawing or removing a certain amount of staked tokens from a validator or a network after a defined waiting period.

This operation is carried out with the following CLI command:

fetchd tx staking unbond \
  <validator operator address> \
  <amount to remove> \
  --from <key name>

An instance of this command is given in the example below:

fetchd tx staking unbond \
  fetchvaloper1jqqwdch3jmzlmj4tjfn67s3sqm9elkd3wrpspf \
  1000000000000000000000atestfet \
  --gas auto --gas-adjustment 1.5 --gas-prices 1000000000atestfet \
  --from test-key