# Step-by-Step Guide: Launching Testnet and Mainnet Nodes for Elixir

**Published by:** [AirdropMarathon](https://paragraph.com/@airdropmarathon/)
**Published on:** 2025-01-17
**URL:** https://paragraph.com/@airdropmarathon/step-by-step-guide-launching-testnet-and-mainnet-nodes-for-elixir

## Content

Running Elixir Nodes: Testnet & Prod Elixir now allows us to: 🔹 Run test nodes to test the staking mechanism using test tokens. 🔹 Run prod nodes to test system stability (no tokens needed yet). 💡 Both types of nodes might qualify for future airdrops, so it’s worth setting them up! 🛠 My Setup: Wallet: Rabbit (freshly created for security). Faucet. Server: Contabo VPS – affordable, no ID verification required (~$12.50/month + one-time $8 fee). Terminal. MacOS. Requirements: 8GB RAM, 100Mbit connection, 100GB disk space. Run Your Mainnet Validator 1. VPS Purchase I use Contabo – it doesn’t require document verification and is quite affordable. The only downside is a one-time payment of about $8–9. Choose your cloud VPS. I’m using the VPS2. It’s enough for running two validators (test and prod). When setting up the server before payment, leave all fields as default, except for setting a password for your server. Total cost: ~ $20. 2. Connect to the server. Launch the Terminal and connect to your server. Copy your server's IP address and paste it into the following command. Press Enter after entering each command. ssh root@<server_ip> Wait until the program asks to enter the password and then enter your server password. If all is ok you should see something like this: 3. Setup the server 3.1 Run these commands one by one: sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y sudo apt install -y curl git jq lz4 build-essential unzip 3.2 Install the Docker: sudo apt install -y ca-certificates curl gnupg lsb-release curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/docker-archive-keyring.gpg echo "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/docker-archive-keyring.gpg] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu $(lsb_release -cs) stable" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io sudo usermod -aG docker $USER newgrp docker 3.3 Create the custom directory on the server and open it. mkdir elixir && cd elixir 3.4 Download the file where we will store the node variables: wget https://files.elixir.finance/validator.env 3.5 Now edit the file. First you should open it. Run this command: nano validator.env It should look like this: 3.6 Fill in the required fields. Note: The cursor won’t work as usual in the terminal. Use the up and down arrow keys to navigate between text fields. #STRATEGY_EXECUTOR_DISPLAY_NAME - set any name you want; #STRATEGY_EXECUTOR_BENEFICIARY - your EVM wallet address; #SIGNER_PRIVATE_KEY - find the private key in the wallet settings and paste it here and I highly recommend to not use your main wallet, create a new way. Sharing your private key is always unsafe! 3.7 Save the changes: Press Ctrl + W, then hit Enter to confirm saving. Exit the editor by pressing Ctrl + X. 4. Running validator: 4.1 Download the Docker image: docker pull elixirprotocol/validator 4.2 Start validator: docker run -it \ --env-file /root/elixir/validator.env \ --name elixir \ elixirprotocol/validator READY! ⏳ Wait ~10–30 mins and check your validator here:🔗 https://www.elixir.xyz/validators Run Your Testnet Validator For a test node, you don’t need to set up a server or Docker – everything is already prepared. Open a new terminal tab and log in to the server. Repeat the login command from earlier. 1. Create a new directory for the test node where the file will be downloaded. For example: mkdir elixir_test && cd elixir_test 2. Download the file and open it using these commands: wget https://files.elixir.finance/validator.env nano validator.env Set env=testnet in the file and fill out the other fields with the same data as in the previous step. Save the changes: Press Ctrl + W, then hit Enter to save. Exit by pressing Ctrl + X. 3. Pull the testnet Docker image: docker pull elixirprotocol/validator:testnet 4. Launch the node: docker run -it \ --env-file /root/elixir_test/validator.env \ --name elixir \ elixirprotocol/validator:testnet 5.If everything is running correctly, you’ll need to stake test tokens and delegate them to your delegator. - Visit: https://testnet-3.elixir.xyz/. - Connect your wallet (make sure to get test ETH from a faucet first). - Click Claim $MOCK tokens and delegate them for staking. Upgrading Your Validator As the Elixir team continues to improve the validator, you may need to update to the latest version. To do this, follow these steps: Open a terminal in the directory where your Dockerfile is located. Run the following commands: docker kill elixir docker rm elixir docker pull elixirprotocol/validator After completing these steps, rerun the original Docker command you used to start the validator. This will ensure your validator is running the latest version. Join my Airdrop Marathon 365 and don’t miss out:https://t.me/airdrop_marathon_365 💥 Join the marathon – my 2025 challenge where, starting from January 12, 2025, I share daily updates about what I’m farming today. 📅 Perfect for copy-farming and staying ahead in the airdrop game. Let’s farm together and maximize those rewards! 🚀

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