Arkeo for Validators

Validators play a critical role in securing and maintaining the Arkeo blockchain. This concise guide outlines the essential steps to become and manage a validator.

Prerequisites

• A secure, dedicated server with reliable uptime.

• Installed and synced arkeod full node.

• An Arkeo account funded with the required minimum staking tokens.

Step-by-Step Setup

Install Arkeo Node

Follow official guidelines to install and sync a full Arkeo node:

git clone https://github.com/arkeonetwork/arkeo.git
cd arkeo
make install

Install Cosmovisor

Build Cosmovisor

go install github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/cosmovisor/cmd/[email protected]

Place Cosmovisor in /usr/local/bin

sudo cp $(which cosmovisor) /usr/local/bin/

Create or Import Validator Key

arkeod keys add <validator-key-name> --keyring-backend file

Prepare Cosmovisor Directory Structure

Assuming your Arkeo home is ~/.arkeo (default):

mkdir -p ~/.arkeo/cosmovisor/genesis/bin
mkdir -p ~/.arkeo/cosmovisor/upgrades

Copy the current arkeod binary to the genesis bin:

cp ~/go/bin/arkeod ~/cosmovisor/genesis/bin/

Update Service to Use Cosmovisor

Create a systemd service for Cosmovisor:

# /etc/systemd/system/arkeod.service

[Unit]
Description=Arkeo Node (Cosmovisor)
After=network-online.target

[Service]
User=<ARKEO_USER>
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/cosmovisor run start
Restart=always
RestartSec=10
LimitNOFILE=4096
Environment="DAEMON_NAME=arkeod"
Environment="DAEMON_HOME=/home/<ARKEO_USER>/.arkeo"
Environment="DAEMON_ALLOW_DOWNLOAD_BINARIES=false"
Environment="DAEMON_RESTART_AFTER_UPGRADE=true"

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Fund Validator Account

Ensure your validator account is funded sufficiently for staking and fees.

Validator Creation

Create your validator on-chain:

arkeod tx staking create-validator \
--amount 1000000uarkeo \
--pubkey $(arkeod tendermint show-validator) \
--moniker "YourValidatorName" \
--chain-id arkeo-main-v2 \
--commission-rate "0.10" \
--commission-max-rate "0.20" \
--commission-max-change-rate "0.01" \
--min-self-delegation "1" \
--from <validator-key-name> \
--keyring-backend file \
--fees 200uarkeo \
-y

Adjust values as needed.

Validator Management Commands

• Validator status:

arkeod query staking validator <validator-address>

• Delegate more tokens:

arkeod tx staking delegate <validator-address> 500000uarkeo --from <validator-key-name> --fees 200uarkeo -y

• Withdraw validator rewards:

arkeod tx distribution withdraw-rewards <validator-address> --from <validator-key-name> --fees 200uarkeo -y

Cosmovisor Upgrade Flow

For chain upgrades, place the new arkeod binary under:

~/.arkeo/cosmovisor/upgrades/<UpgradeName>/bin/arkeod

Cosmovisor will auto-switch at the block height specified by the chain upgrade proposal.

Best Practices

• Regularly monitor validator health and logs.

• Maintain sufficient funds to cover transaction fees and maintain stake.

• Keep your validator node updated and secured.